Convincing the Reluctant Client

I boarded the streetcar early one morning for a meeting in the University area. At each stop along the way, the young ladies who boarded the car all had one thing in common: they sported bedhead or dripping wet hair. The boys wore tight, short haircuts with carvings and designs created by talented barbers.

I could see how fashion is important to this generation by the watches, backpacks, and sneakers they wore, and I agree that women shouldn't get up earlier to do their hair. But I did wonder if sporting cool hair was diminishing with young women compared to boys. Or was it just a random sample on streetcar #107?

As we rumbled down the street, hairstyles bobbing with each turn, I flashed back to the times when I suggested to a client that they move away from their teenage haircut. "My husband likes it" topped the list of poor excuses. Curiously, when the unsuspecting partner came in, most confessed to being unaware of their wife's style —  sorry, ladies.

 Making a Good Impresssion Counts

Typical Situations Encountered in the Salon and Possible Responses:

Q — A client asks, why do you think I should change my hairstyle?

A — If you dislike styling your hair and pulling it back every day or feel like your look is "dull," it's a safe bet that a change may be good for you. Start slow but give itago. It's only hair.

Q — Will changing my hair make me more attractive?

A — Smiling makes you look more attractive, and according to research and interviews, a well-shaped long or medium-length style will impact a woman's attractiveness more than shorter styles. I think you look your best when you feel you do.

Q — What is the most attractive hairstyle?

A — The Daily Mail poll of 3000 men found that 43% prefer long/wavy hair, and 13% prefer long/straight hair. That's only 56%. The rest must be those unaware husbands. Huh?

Q — Is there a change I could make and reverse if I don't like it?

A — Definitely haircolor, especially highlights that can be tinted back easily.

The most powerful moments were with clients who wanted to celebrate a life change and purge the old, symbolically closing a past life chapter and beginning a fresh new page. A new hairstyle will give you a new lease on life.

Finally, There is This Client:

Q — Will this hairstyle make my cheeks look fat?

A — No, that's the potato chips.

Carlos Valenzuela is a bilingual writer and a past global beauty educator with a master's in international business. He writes about positivism and success and is the author of the multi-award-winning novella Letters to Young Carlos and its sequel, Camaleón, The Lost Years Living in the Closet. Visit him at www.Carlos-Valenzuela.com.