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Good Communication Skills with your clients and your other business connections is vital to have in your tool belt.

Communication skills are something you can acquire, it can take some time to learn. You need to sound friendly and professional on the phone and not rub your co-workers wrong. If you come off as rude, the whole salon will hear about it.

You need communication skills to do an effective consultation with your clients. A skilled conversationalist can hold a conversation with anybody about anything and be able to control this conversation so no one in the room becomes escalated or offended. That’s a tough one sometimes. I highly recommend studying this skill. You can find lots of good books, audio books, blogs, and websites. Here is a University blog site that has a couple of articles you may find informative too. University Blog On Constructive Criticism

On The Phone

Smile 🙂

Before answering the phone, pause, take a relaxing breath and smile big. Answer the phone and give an informative greeting. Believe it or not, the customer on the other end can hear your smile. I know, it’s weird, but they can.

Be Cautious With Quotes

Sometimes clients can be rude, demanding, or entitled. This does not mean you reciprocate in the same way, ever. Try to answer their questions as best you can, but do not go as far as to give a consultation over the phone. Schedule a time for them to come into the salon where their hair can be seen, felt and tested, if necessary. Also try to avoid giving price quotes, especially on color, unless it is a standard set price that does not vary.

Boundaries

You may find the need to exercise some boundaries with clients that call looking for exceptions. You can be assertive without being mean or rude. Communication skills that exercise boundaries protect the stylists and the working energy of the salon. This article has some more information on boundaries. The Importance of Boundaries

General Conversation With Clients

It’s Not All About You

You can state your opposing opinion in a neutrally safe way by expressing interest in learning different perspectives. I like to handle this by asking lots of questions. People like it when they feel like you are interested in learning something from them. It makes them feel like their opinion is valued.

Sometimes good communication skills are just as much about what you Don’t say as it is what you do say. You do not have to be brutally honest and forthcoming in your personal feelings and beliefs. Show more interest in their side than expressing yours. And don’t interrupt! People also like to feel heard. So be a better listener and try to exercise understanding.

Stay in Control

You can also casually change the subject. Sometimes this is the best option as to not create any conflict between different clients that can overhear the conversation. Just because you have gotten good at controlling a conversation and keeping opposing views and opinions neutral, doesn’t mean everyone in the room has this level of communication skill and control.

Again, this takes lots of practice and hot-button topics, like Politics, Religion, or Abortion etc., are best avoided until you have mastered these skills.

Unless you are in an exclusive one-on-one environment, someone will at some point, butt-in on your conversations and that’s when things can go seriously sideways. Emotional maturity knows no age and sometimes people just can’t act like grown ups, no matter how old they are.

Consultations

Consultation is key with your clients. You should start every single client service with a consultation or at least a quick check in, even if that person has sat in your chair every six weeks for the past 10 years. Ask them what has been behaving well with their hair, what has been driving them crazy, and if there is anything they want to change.

Be A Good Listener

“So, we’re going to take a tiny trim off your bangs, but not too much, then go to shoulder length at the bottom. I want to put some shorter crown layers in on top to give you the height you are looking for and then blend it into some long layers for some body and movement. How does that sound? Is there anything I’m missing before we get started? Oh. yes, I’ll do some framing in front. Super! Got it. Ok. Come on over to the shampoo bowl and lets get you washed, it’s the best part of getting your hair done.”

Don’t Overshare

You don’t have to get into every detail of what your going to do or how you do it, just be general, but be sure to hit all the points that they are concerned about.

The Good AND The Bad

Remember that it’s just as important to ask them what they Don’t want, as it is to ask them what they Do want. The more consultations you do the more you will learn what not to forget to ask. This is a skill that only gets better with time and practice.

Body Language, Another Form Of Communication Skills

And don’t forget to smile! Your body language says as much about you as the words that come out of your mouth. If you are having an off day or you’re not feeling well you will emit that energy. Clients can tell. So get into a good headspace. Shift gears, into professional mode, even with clients that you consider your “friends”.

Word Of Mouth

If a client is not happy with the end result, they will not always say something. Sometimes they just never come back. But you can bet they will tell other people. Word of mouth is very strong advertisement, good or bad, which is why good communication with your client is so important. If your client feels safe, that you will not be offended, they are more likely to say something when they are not happy, giving you an opportunity to make it right.

Communication Skills With Your Co-Workers

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Whether you are working in an independent contractor arrangement, like a booth renter, or a corporate style employee one, you need to be able to get along well with the others you work with. No one likes a know it all, or someone that gives everyone the cold shoulder. Remember your manners! Please and Thank you goes a long way in the work environment. Try to be kind and thoughtful of others.

There is a difference between Constructive Criticism which is meant to help someone improve, in a nice way, and just plain criticism which is mean and hurtful. This book on Amazon has great reviews Constructing Effective Criticism: How to give, receive, and seek productive and constructive criticism in our lives, by Randy Garner

We All Succeed Together

If you have something, especially negative, to say you can make a helpful suggestion or you can motion to the them to meet you in the backroom for a quick conversation, out of earshot of the client. Help your fellow stylists succeed. Be supportive and encouraging. Make helpful suggestions, especially when you know they are about to make a mistake.

Don’t just stand back and let them hang themselves, nor should you reprimand, chastise, or degrade them on the salon floor, especially in front of clients. It reflects on the whole salon and can be very damaging to the overall reputation. Remember, people talk.

Dealing With Product Representatives

Do not bite the hand that feeds you. If you are kind and cooperative with your representative you are more likely to get better deals, discounts, and freebies. Don’t be a suck-up though. People can tell when you are being fake and are only out to get something.

Don’t be rude either. Your representatives can’t be precise in what time they drop in. Their job consists of many stops to other salons, dealing with traffic, and solving problems for other hairdressers just like you. A good rep will give you a heads up on the day they will be popping in. Have your questions and concerns ready so as not to waste your time, or theirs.

That’s it for this article. Feel free to comment or ask any questions. You can also share on social media. Facebook, X(Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, or Pinterest