How do you position your stylists as beauty experts to your clientele?

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."