The Hairstylists productivity guide: 6 steps to real progress in your business

 
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Are you ready to stop thinking about doing awesome things in your business and actually start doing them?

For so long was my head was spinning with all of these incredible ideas and I knew that I had so much potential but it was like nothing was being executed. It all just stayed up there in my brain and then I get frustrated with myself that nothing was actually happening.  Great ideas are worthless without action being made to push them forward, but who has the time to execute everything they dream possible?

For us as hairstylists it's the laundry list of things we know we should be doing.  Things like:

  • Get organized with Instagram

  •  Finally figure out how to use Facebook

  • Improve my guest experience

  • Take more classes

  • Maybe become an educator yourself or even a salon owner

  • Maybe you are a salon owner and you want to level up.

Plus, the constant struggle of trying to find time for your friends, family and yourself.

Today I'm going to reveal my 6 step process to maximum productivity plus at the bottom of this post there is a multi-page PDF planner that you can download so that you can start maximizing your productivity today too.

I want to remind you before you start completing this plan that the most successful people aren't the ones who do the most work. They're the ones who prioritize the work that needs to be done. Quit trying to do it all and start trying to do what matters the most.

STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR FOCUS FROM ONLY ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES:

The to do list is endless but it's all about prioritizing what's actually most important. We're going to create a 90 day action plan with weekly and daily to-dos and set goals so that you can celebrate finally making progress in your business. 

  1. Attracting more clients

  2. Making more money while seeing the same amount of clients

  3. Having more free time

  4. Being more organized

  5. Having more awareness around your business and brands (meaning more people who know that you even exist as a stylist or an educator or whatever that may be)

  6. More work on my special projects (Move in to a salon suite, become a salon owner, create your brand as an educator, grow as a bridal stylist, etc.

I challenge you to pick from one of those six categories. And listen, I know it's hard because we want all of those things, but the only way to make real progress is to work on just one thing at a time.

2. BRAINSTORM GROWTH STRATEGIES

We're going to start by just kind of clearing your mind of all the possibilities. So let's say you chose "I want to see more clients" as your goal above. Great. So what you're going to do is list out all of the possible ways you can possibly think of to get more clients through the door.

I want you to do this in a very open minded way. I want you to write down even the techniques you hate or you think are stupid or you would never do if you're like somebody told me I can do this but I would never do that write it down anyway. You're not making a checklist right now. I'm not going to force you to do any of these things, I just want you to clear your mind and be open to the possibilities. 

Often when you do a brain dump like this ideas will actually come up from your subconscious that you didn't even realize were there. Maybe somebody suggested something to you in a class three years ago that you completely forgot. But once you do this brain dump and you kind of allow your mind to just travel back in time and dig a little deeper. Those things start to resurface. It's an amazing process that happens. 

(if you want to hear an example of this brain dump process, click here to listento the podcast episode associated with this article where I walk you through the process in full)

3.  CHOOSE 3-5 PROJECTS FROM THAT LIST TO WORK ON OVER THE NEXT 90 DAYS

Now once you're done with that list you might look at that and say oh my gosh how am I ever going to get this all done. You're not.  That wasn't the point.

Instead, you're going to take a look at that list. And from there pick and choose just 3-5 projects you're going to work on over the next 90 days. I want you to really pick and choose the three to five that are going to give you the most progress.

I don't want you to say "oh my gosh I would choose this project, but I don't really know how to do it or it scares me" or "I don't know if I'm qualified for it". Don't let those negative thoughts creep into your head of the I'm not good enough. Just look at this list strategically and say:

"if anything was possible and if I could do all of these things, which of these things would push that needle forward and help me to make the most progress in my category".

So now that we're thinking that way. I want you to list three to five projects that you're going to commit to working on over the next three months.

While you're making that commitment I want to remind you that when we make a commitment like this we also have to know that we're going to have to sacrifice in other areas. There are only 24 hours in a day, so if we're going to spend our time strategically we may not be able to spend endless hours scrolling Instagram or watching funny videos, but the trade-off your business will experience will be well worth it.  

(if you want to hear an example of this task generating process, click here to listen to the podcast episode associated with this article where I walk you through the process in full)

4.  BREAK DOWN THOSE 3-5 PROJECTS INTO SMALLER, MANAGEABLE TASKS

Are you starting to get excited yet?

Okay, from that list of 3-5 projects, think of a list of 5-7 tasks that need to be completed in order to make that project happen.

For example, let's say you decided you're going to work on guest retention, getting consistent on social media and taking great photos of all of your guests.

With retention, I want you to think about all the little things that are going to need change in your business if you're going to actually retain more guests. I know this is hard, but I want you to dig deep and think about the areas you really and truly could shift and change to retain in a big way.  Today's top stylists are giving their clients a whole heck of a lot, so we might need to raise the bar a little bit. 

You also said get consistent on social media. Maybe you need to kind of like have an instagram bio makeover and you're going to start there. Maybe you want to create a schedule for yourself so create a social media schedule, that can be task number two. Maybe you want to learn how to use Instagram, but I don't know how to do it. So a task may be to educate yourself on how to use the platform correctly.

Continue to break down these bigger projects into a smaller tasks and from there we can make our final plan. 

5. CREATE YOUR 90 DAY ACTION PLAN

So now you're going to take a look at your projects your tasks and you're going to make a plan and a calendar for yourself that are going to stick to. I like doing it this way because then these big huge projects become bite sized chunks and suddenly you're actually making progress and not just dreaming hoping and wishing.

 If you've already downloaded the workbook, you'll see I only gave you space for three tasks a week in this section. If you do three things to push your business forward every single week, oh my gosh you'll be making insane amounts of progress in no time at all. 

(if you want to hear an example of creating the plan, click here to listen to the podcast episode associated with this article where I walk you through the process in full)

6.  SET AGGRESSIVE GOALS

I want you to create goals for yourself around these tasks, but let's skip the slam dunk goals.  Push yourself because you'll be amazed at what happens when you do.

Whenever I'm coaching a stylist and he or she lists a goal, I always say "add 15% to that".  They always cringe and get super nervous, and then I wait anxiously for the email that I know is coming a few months down the line when they thank me for pushing.

You can set a weak goal and hit that, or set a glorious goal and hit that instead.  What do you want to do?

That's it! If you've been following along you now have a 90 day action plan that will produce big results in the next 3 months.  

If you haven't already done so, click here to download your copy of the Hair Stylists Productivity Planner PDF (it's free!).  This tool is going to show you how to get the most of this experience and will serve as a reference in the months to come.

The Top 5 Episodes of the Thriving Stylist Podcast

 
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You guys....we did it and we did it big.  14 short weeks after launching, the Thriving Stylist Podcast is an iTunes top 100 podcast in the careers segment, we have over 125,000 downloads and requests to be featured on the show have exploded.

Commence confetti toss and happy dance.

These are accomplishments that only the top 1% of podcasts ever achieve and the fact that we did this in less than 4 months is beyond my wildest expectations, so thank you all for your love and support.

In case you haven't listened yet, are new to podcasts or just need to catch up, here is a list of the top 5 episodes so far this year.  

The show is free, totally bingeable and packed with hours of amazing content that will take your business to the next level.  I personally listen while I'm driving, running with the dog or folding laundry.  No excuses, you've got the time so earbuds in and get to binging:

EPISODE #021: CHARGING YOUR WORTH AS A HAIR STYLIST

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW

If you don’t feel ultra confident charging each and every client full price every time, this episode is so for you

How do you feel when you go to check out your guests?  Do you feel ultra confident letting “and your total today is $390” roll off your tongue, or do your palms get sweaty as you slowly start to melt in to the floor hoping you can just disappear instead of charging full price?

What about price increases?  Are you rocking those boldly and often?

If not, we’ve got big issues and it will be incredibly difficult for you to survive long term in this industry so let’s overcome those hurdles today.

EPISODE #023: HAIR STYLIST COMPENSATION MISCONCEPTIONS AND MISHAPS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW

Are you familiar with the 5 major pay structures in our industry and aware of which structures are still legal and which no longer fly?

When I became a hair stylist I honestly thought that booth rental was the only option in the industry.  Flash forward and our industry has evolved majorly in the last decade when it comes to pay and employment structures. We are under some major scrutiny right now from both state and local governments so do yourself a favor and tune in before it’s too late.

EPISODE #024: MY BEST ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO BE SUCCESSFUL SALON OWNERS OR STYLISTS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW

If you and I were chatting over coffee and you said “Britt, what can I do to guarantee my business will be successful”, this is what I’d say….

If you do a Google search you’ll find all kinds of articles about “the top 10 secrets to success” with tons of vague ideas about marketing strategies and finance management. All of that stuff is great, but we can probably assume that every stylist and salon owner is working on marketing and money management.

So why is it that some stylists and salon owners find mega success and some struggle to get by?  I think I’ve narrowed it down to 8 distinct strategies and I’ll outline them all for you in this weeks episode.

EPISODE #020: THE BIG MISTAKES I MADE IN THE EARLY YEARS OF MY BUSINESS

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW

I’m loving life and am fully obsessed with my career right now, but it wasn’t always rainbows and sunshine

I think so often we see people who have found success and think “man, she’s got it all”, but generally those successful people won’t even hit your radar until they’ve crawled through sh*t to make their way to the top.

This week I wanted to share with you guys the 6 major mistakes I made on my way to the top in hopes that you learn from my mistakes and shortcut your path to success.

EPISODE #002: GET ORGANIZED AND MAKE REAL PROGRESS WITH MY HAIR STYLISTS PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN NOW AND DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PDF COPY OF THE HAIR STYLISTS PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER.

Do you have about a million ideas, dreams and plans spinning around in your head right now?  This one is for you.  We'll discover which tasks will make the biggest impact in your business, choose your focus and create a 90-day action plan.

The Fool Proof Way to Nail Every Consultation

 
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I always say that for a client, meeting a new stylist is like going on a first date. I like to use that analogy because I think the two experiences are very similar. The client is nervous, she is hoping she says all the right things, and that you guys click, because no client comes to you hoping it is not going to work out. They hope that you’re going to be their person. Please keep that in mind. You on the flip side are hoping you’ll have a really great time together, that the client has that kind of hair that you really like doing and you want to build that long-term relationship too. With that analogy to think about, what can make or break a first date? No matter how hot or how good looking the person sitting across the table from you is, no matter how fancy the restaurant is, or even if they pull out all the bells and whistles, the relationship is not going to last if the conversation sucks, or if there is no trust that can be built. If the communication is not there it’s just going to be a flop. As a stylist our consultation is the ultimate communication and trust builder, there is nothing else. You can do the best hair in the world, but if your conversation skills lack and you can’t have a good consultation, or if in the first 15 minutes of meeting you a client isn’t fully confident you get them, or think this is going to be a great long-term experience, they are likely not going to come back for a second time. The consultation can really make or break it. Consultations are also the difference between retention and referrals vs. re-do’s and a failing business. Your consultation can really make or break your career.

I think a lot of stylists skip over this read, and think oh yeah, I’ve done consultations before. I guarantee each and every one of you reading this have never heard this strategy before. You have never seen consultations explained this way no matter how many consultation classes you’ve taken or the tools you have tried out. So, let’s dive in.

We all come pre-wired and predisposed to learning in one specific way or another. You’ve probably heard people talk about that before maybe as far back as elementary school. There are four different learning styles and most people have the natural tendency to think that they are hands on learners. Only 25% of the population are in actuality hands on learners and the other 75% learn another way. All of your clients, and you are wired to learn in one of the four ways. I want you to understand the four learning styles because the client sitting in your chair learns in one of these four styles better than any of the others, and the only way to ensure that the consultation goes flawlessly is actually by hitting all four of these styles in one way or another through the process so that you can be 100% sure that your messaging is coming through loud and clear to the guest.

I want to remind you the purpose of a consultation. The goal for us is to listen to what the guest wants, almost like taking an order at a restaurant. We also want to offer advice based on personal opinion or expertise so that we can get on the same page and meet in the middle. Most of you reading this blog don’t like to just be order takers, or do the hair your guest requests even if it is a bad idea.  They’re coming to you because you are the professional, so you should be offering that professional advice. Then there is the middle ground between what the guest came in asking for and what you as the stylist believe is the best plan. When we are working to get on that same page with our guest there is an element of learning happening there. If you aren’t speaking to the style that the client understands best they’ll have no idea what you’re talking about. So, if in your mind you have the perfect plan, and you explain that to them, think they’ve got, and in their mind the client could be like I hope this lady knows what she is talking about because I have no idea what is going on right now. A lot of the time the client won’t tell you if they don’t know what is going on. If we improve our consultations and communication it is never going to be an issue in the future. When most stylists consult they speak in their own communication style, and naturally we’re all really great at speaking in our own style. Alternatively, others are kind of going through the motions based on other consultation techniques they learned at a class somewhere, but they don’t understand the logic behind it. The key and most important part are that you have to understand the logic behind what you are doing and the tools you are using. I want to give you the logic so that your communication is going to soar and all of your consultations are going to kick some serious ass! I want to share with you the four key elements of every consultation to ensure that you and your guest are 100% on the same page. Each of the key elements is wrapped up into a learning style, some of these are going to be familiar while others are brand new.

LEARNING STYLE NUMBER 1:

The first learning style I want to discuss is visual which is also known as spatial. A visual learner likes to see pictures, and images, they have a better spatial understanding when they can see the world around them. A visual learner is an I’ll believe it when I see it type of person.

LEARNING STYLE NUMBER 2:

The second style I want to discuss is an oral learner. An oral learner prefers sounds, auditory and musical sounds alike. They prefer music, but sound would also count as hearing the sound of your voice. The more that you can speak to them the better.

LEARNING STYLE NUMBER 3:

The third style I want to discuss is the verbal learner-linguistic. There is a difference between oral and verbal learners. A verbal learner prefers words in both speech and writing, verbal learners are actually great at reading content and comprehending it. They’re also great at taking notes, and when they do it really cements everything into their brain. They like speaking and learn through speaking.

LEARNING STYLE NUMBER 4:

The fourth style I want to discuss is the physical, kinesthetic learners who prefer to use their body. These are the hands-on type of learners, where sense of touch really makes a difference.

Reflecting back to those four key learning styles I want you to try and place yourself and see what fits most with you. I am going to dive deeper into each style and talk about how you can start incorporating all four of these elements into your consultations because every single guest you have sitting in your chair is either a visual, oral, verbal, or physical learner and consultation is a teaching and sharing technique. The more we can get on the same page with each guest the better our consults will be.

VISUAL:

Let’s start with our visual learner, somebody who’s a visual learner wants to see examples of what you are talking about, and not just one. The more examples you can show a visual learner the better. Showing them the little details is something they need to really understand what you are talking about. They are going to do best if they are able to show you examples and you in turn are able to show them examples, because they communicate much better through looking at something rather than talking. They won’t understand what you are talking about until they see it.

ORAL:

Then we have somebody who would be more in tune with the oral learning style. For them they are going to be very in tune with everything that’s coming out of your mouth, and they’re going to match your tone. If you are going into a consult and you are not really feeling it, low tone, and low energy, you have already blown it before you even opened your mouth. They’re never going to come back. They want you to be high energy, they want to feel that positivity through your voice. You need to smile through your voice, they want to hear that happiness in your voice. They want to be all in on the conversation-don’t be distracted. If you get distracted and pulled into a side conversation or consultation with an oral learner you are screwed they are done for. They want to have 100% of your attention for that consultation, you have to be all in with no distractions. They will also want to hear you recap the plan several times. You must explain exactly what the understanding is, exactly what the plan is, at least two times so it really cements in. They are also going to find comfort in you knowing exactly what they want, when they verbally hear a recap it is going to give them the greatest peace of mind that they have finally found someone who understands what they are looking for.

VERBAL:

So, then we have those who are more verbal learners. Very different than the oral learner a verbal learner actually needs to keep talking. The verbal learner wants to talk themselves, because when they’re able to speak and say things that’s going to cement it in their head a little bit more. You need to keep this type of guest talking. You want to get this guest to spit out all the details and you do this by asking questions, you ask what they like and also what they don’t like. A verbal learner needs to be coerced into continuing to talk so that you can both get on the same page. For these types of learners, you need to remember it is equally important to know their likes and dislikes.

PHYSICAL:

Then we have the physical learner, and this type of person wants to feel really physically connected and they want that through eye contact. We want to look at them in the eye and not through the mirror and be truly eyeball to eyeball. Get in front of your guest, if you have a stool that you can sit down at eye level with them, this is the best. If you bring out something like a swatch book encourage them to touch the swatches and really make a choice for themselves. Allow them to touch their own hair, if you are doing a cut have them hold their hair so you can show them where the cut will be. This kind of confirmation for a physical learner is everything. Getting them really involved in the process is huge.

A good consultation is a partnership 100% of the way, and if you can’t get on these four levels with each and every guest and make sure they actually get the information they need to feel comfortable with the plan, you’ll end up with a redo, a refund or no retention if you can’t get these things down.

SO, LET’S PULL IT ALL TOGETHER AND MAKE YOUR GAME PLAN:

Guest walks through the door you greet them immediately. Greet them with a huge smile, a handshake or a hug. Do what works for you. As you walk up to them and you have a smile in your voice you have already appealed to the visual, physical, and oral learner.

Guest sits down and you sit down with them eye level if possible and if not, you stand in front of them, remembering to be eyeball to eyeball. What you are going to start doing here is working through your list of consultation questions. You should have a list of at least 15-18 questions in your brain that you routinely ask each guest. If you are in my Thrivers Society program I give you the consultation overview with a major checklist cheat sheet of all the questions you should be asking. If you are not a part of the program yet I encourage you to still make a list of 15-20 questions that you’re going to run through with each of your guests to make sure you hit all the touch points. When you are asking your questions, you want to be sure you are doing so with a huge smile and warm tone because that’s really going to be great for the oral and verbal learners.

As a guest starts to mention what they have in mind I want you to pull out a look book. Some sort of printed book that your guest can flip through, or scroll through on your phone. It needs to be a visual resource that you and your guests can go to during the consultation to get to what the guest is looking for. Ask the guest to hold the book or the phone and to go through and pick out pictures that they like. This is going to be both for the physical and visual learner. If you’re just showing them pictures you are only appealing to the visual learner, but once you make the guest an active participant in the experience everything is going to be enhanced and you’re going to meet the needs of both the visual and kinesthetic learner.

When a guest shows you a photo they like, ask what they like about the photo and if there is anything they don’t like. This question appeals to the oral, the verbal, and the visual learner. Based on the picture they show you can now show alternatives if needed, this is great for the visual learner. From here you can ask questions about the new photo and get them talking about it, this is great for both the oral and verbal learner.

Now when you are doing color, always use a swatch book or color ring, every single time. There is no scenario in a consultation where one of those tools doesn’t come out. This is very important for the visual and physical learner-they have to have it. They don’t understand any other way, going through magazines will not be enough. Having something a guest could look through, feel through, point to, and touch is really going to help you get to where you need to be for that guest. By doing this you are going to cover the visual and physical components for each guest.

If a guest comes in and wants just a trim. Hand them a mirror, turn them around so they can see the back of their head and show them what one inch means to you by combing through their hair. This gives the guest a super solid visual and a guest who is a visual learner can really understand that. Use your comb as a guide to give your guest a visual on what you will be doing, even just feeling that comb go through their hair is going to be great for a physical learner as well.

At the end of the consultation you’re going to say OK, so my understanding is that this is what we are achieving today. Here is when you will begin your recap, you will show a swatch again, talk about the process of what you will be doing, talk about the colors you will be using, show multiple swatches if necessary, discuss the cut that will take place, reconfirm the length of the cut and the style. Once you have recapped everything that is going to take place you want to place your hand on the guest’s shoulder and let them know that is your understanding of the plan and ask if there is anything else they would like to add or change before getting started. That confirmation for the verbal and oral learner is everything.

Often when consultations go bad it’s because the stylist ended up dominating the conversation. Verbal communication is very common in consultations in the salon, some visual though it is often fairly weak. There is very little partnership in the consultation process, I rarely see a stylist who is truly trying to get on the same level and communicate in the way that a guest understands. The more you can nail this down and start incorporating all four pieces the easier your life will get. Your consultation allows you to teach your client what is possible for them. This comes down to their learning style and the only way to communicate effectively is to hit all four points.

If you have ever had a client leave unhappy or call for a redo, generally speaking this is due to the consultation. Even though you may have felt you were on the same page you weren’t, there was some kind of communication breakdown. The more time you spend in your consultations pulling out information you will see a decrease in unhappy guests looking for redo’s.

I have decided to include for you today everything you need to create your consultation kit. I have suggestions for everything I want you to be walking out with every time you consult with a guest. Make sure you head to this podcast episode where I walk you through the process even further.