Nick Arrojo
"We tell our stylists they are not merely hairdressers, but image consultants, and this
is the impression they must give to their clients," says Nick Arrojo, celebrity stylist
and owner of Arrojo Studio in New York City. "It starts with they way they look,
because if they don't look good, they are in no position to tell somebody else how to
portray their image. It doesn't mean we have uniforms or dress restrictions, quite the
opposite. We ask our stylists to express their personal style-be it tattoos and piercings
or shirts and ties-when they come to work, so their clients can see a beauty
professional with taste and style. That immediately breeds clients' confidence that
they are in the right hands.
"We also make a commitment to educate our salon clients on what products to
use, why and how to employ them most effectively, so they can achieve the looks that
match the quality and integrity of salon professional styling. This practical advice
helps each person get the most realization and styling flexibility out of each product.
"It means when the client goes home they can recreate the quality integrity of professional
styling-get that salon look because of the expert beauty advice we gave."
Glenn Guerriero
"Instead of promoting each stylist individually, we have created an atmosphere and
a few simple steps to help them brand themselves," says Glenn Guerriero, owner of
Brooklyn Attitude Hair & Body in Saratoga Springs, New York. "Through media we are
known in our community as leaders in our profession.
"Our salon is modern and the walls are lined with many photos, articles and posters
of our accomplishments. By creating this atmosphere the clients believe we know
what we are doing. We try to explain to our stylists the importance of creating an image
and looking the part. No client will trust you if you look worse than they do. We
also encourage displaying photos of household-name celebrity stylists. If the client
sees you aligned with them, you build trust. And we try to keep the message simple
and all on the same page.
Annie Shell
"My stylists are beauty experts, so their work speaks
for itself. Word-of-mouth is the absolute best advertisement
a stylist can get. How do I promote that? We
have a referral program for clients! Every time a client
refers three friends, that client gets a free hair cut,"
says Annie Shell, owner of Gloss Salon in Xenia, Ohio,
and creative director for Mantra Haircare. "We let our
clientele do the promoting of our beauty experts for
us. It's an amazing program that not only rewards our
clients but also helps build our stylists' business.
"Our Facebook page is a wonderful tool we use to
promote our stylists. Every week, we feature new cuts
and colors done by one of our beauty experts. This allows
our clients to browse the work we do on a regular
basis and to get new and exciting ideas whenever they
step into the salon. Clients can also upload photos of
themselves onto our page after they've visited the salon,
which showcases our work, and how happy they
are with the final result.
"Lastly, we send monthly e-mail blasts to our clients
with special promotions for the month, and styling
tips from our beauty experts that help reinforce
just how knowledgeable they truly are."
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