Rodrick Samuels on The Silent Work, Modern Beauty Education and Why Empathy Wins
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Next Haircut, Cut Hair Better: Tip One of Ten in a Series
Cutting hair is not easy. It takes time and haircuts to get any good at it. To truly excel at haircutting can take years or even decades. Some never truly master the craft. While you are striving achieve a degree of ...
December 27, 2015
2 min to read
Cutting hair is not easy. It takes time and haircuts to get any good at it. To truly excel at haircutting can take years or even decades. Some never truly master the craft. While you are striving achieve a degree of excellence there are a few things you can do today, immediately, that can vastly improve your results.
I have created a list of ten simple things you can do to become a better haircutter right NOW. Each one is easy to understand and implement today. Each one will make a difference in your haircut, NEXT haircut. Imagine what can happen if you apply them all. Imagine what can happen when you combine my ten quick tips with a few thousand haircuts. You will be an amazing haircutter.
Tip number one for immediate improvement in your haircuts is to consult better, Listen better – When I managed a large group of high volume chain shops we tracked re-dos. A re-do was any haircut that came back for a fix for any reason. The data from tracking was stunningly clear. Upwards of 97% of the re-dos that ever can back for a tweak or a fix all came back for the same reason. Some were too long. Some were too short. Some were crooked (mine). Some were just not right. ALL of the challenges, issues and problems with all of the 97% of the re-dos could be traced back to a common problem. The problem was always a disconnect in consultation. The haircutter did not hear the client. The haircutter did not understand what the client wanted. The client did not paraphrase and restate what they thought they understood the client to be seeking. Many times the haircut in and of itself was perfectly fine, but not what the client wanted or had asked for. If you can listen more and better you can be a better haircutter immediately. Below are a few tips of how to listen to clients better and hear what they are really saying and seeking.
Do not pick up your tools until you are finished with the consultation.
Lean against the edge of your station and face the client when discussing the haircut. Do not look at their reflection in the mirror. Eye contact matters.
Repeat back what the client is asking, but say it differently. Paraphrase their desires. When they hear it differently they will be listening closely, too to be sure you understand.
Happy haircutting
Ivan
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