Welcome back to The Natural Hair Chronicles Blog! Last week we were discussing how to find your perfect Natural Hair Stylist. This week's topic is how to find your perfect client! Sometimes as stylist it feels like you don't have options when it comes to who your clients are but you do!
Start by asking yourself "What kind of clients do I want?". Do you want the business women, the party girl, the friend, the celebrity? Everything is possible but first you need to match your business to your client. Think about your location (at home, salon, surrounding cities), your hours, your price, and your decor, and does it match the client you want. For instance, the party girl needs late hours on Fridays and Saturdays, she may even appreciate having a place to change and a boutique where she can get night out clothing. The business women will likes for salons to be open on Sunday so her hair is done for the first day of work. She doesn't mind paying a little more for intellectual conversation and relaxing environment. The businesswoman also prefers to go to the salon then someone's home. So depending on the client you want you may want to change some of these basic things about your business first.
The next thing you can do is always have a consultation with your new clients, even if it is a free consultation. This is your chance to interview the client and decide if you two mesh. Meeting a client is like meeting a new friend, you all will be a part of each others lives possibly for a long
time. Once you meet your new perspective client, tell her your prices, and discuss their needs everyone will have a feel of if the stylist client relationship will work and you can move forward with either booking an appointment or referring them to a stylist that may better suit their needs.
The last tip is you have to be okay with firing clients to make room for the clients and lifestyle that you want as a stylist. Here are some nice ways to fire your problem clients. "Right now my schedule is booked until....", "The next style you want is not my specialty here is another stylist who can do that for you?" "I appreciate your business however I am moving in a different direction and will no longer be able to service you." The last one is pretty hardcore but still gentle enough to keep you out of trouble.
What some more tips and to hear some hilarious stories about finding you perfect client! Listen to our podcast! Click here to listen!