Salon Content

Getting Personal

April 1, 2006 By: Mary Novitsky American Salon

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Your longtime color client arrives for her regular appointment, and your conversation with her goes something like this: "What would you like to do today? The same thing as last time?"

If this sounds like you, it might be a good time to take a fresh new look at your color work, says Marcy Cona, creative director of color and style for Clairol Professional, and owner of the M.C. Hair Consultants salon in Spring Lake, OH. "Color is declining in a lot of salons, not in overall volume, but in terms of how often a client comes in," says Cona. "It's one of the biggest challenges facing the industry today, and I think it's partly because many of us are approaching our work the same way we've been doing it for years. We're taking the easy way, and not linking a client's haircolor service to their next visit."

The right levels of balance and contrast help connect the haircolor with the haircut.

Taking ownership of your coloring services and personalizing them for each client, Cona adds, means more than viewing haircolor as just an expression of shape, balance and contrast. "You need to re-evaluate the importance of how haircolor has totally helped to transform your guests and bring the excitement and enthusiasm back into that experience to make it a very personalized color service for them," she says.

Ready to restage your approach to color? Cona offers the following advice.

1 EVALUATE EVERY EXPERIENCE

"We have a concept in our salon that really influences all of our services, part of what we call our 'client cycle,'" says Cona. "It includes the warm welcome, the magical moment and the fond farewell." From the time the guest picks up the phone to schedule her visit, to the way she is greeted when she walks in the door, to the way you prepare her for the service, evaluate exactly how you are positioning the haircolor experience for her. Are you doing everything you can to ensure she would want to come back to you the next time?

2 CREATE A MAGIC MOMENT

During every service, surprise your guest in a personal, unexpected way. It could be as simple as giving her a special tip on drying, styling or finishing her hair, or suggesting that this time you're going to apply a glaze, explaining that it's a special finishing touch she'll love. "So often we get so busy, we almost forget there's a real person undergoing that service," says Cona. "It might be the only opportunity she has all day to really relax and enjoy herself. It's a disservice to her if we don't offer her that magical moment during each and every service."

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