170 Starting Strong: How to Excel in Your First Salon Job
Sep 27, 2023Season 3Episode 170
Danise Keilitz
Mastering the beauty industry is no easy feat, but with the right guidance, it can be a piece of cake. Are you fresh out of cosmetology school and nervous about your first salon job? Or perhaps you're a salon owner keen on grooming new talent? Either way, this episode is your ticket to success. Drawing from my 30 years of experience and success with four salons, I share the five things every new graduate needs to focus on to thrive in the beauty industry: client communication, technical skills, time management, product knowledge, and professionalism.
This episode is a comforting companion to those stepping into their first salon job. It's filled with practical advice on how to communicate effectively with clients, refine your core skills, and manage your time efficiently. But that's not all – we also dive into the power of product knowledge, and how recommending the right products can build trust with clients and boost sales. Finally, we underline the importance of professionalism, beyond just skills – it’s about appearance and adherence to salon policies. So, whether you're a fresh graduate or a salon owner, join us to gain valuable insights and make your first steps in the beauty industry confident and successful ones.
Mastering the beauty industry is no easy feat, but with the right guidance, it can be a piece of cake. Are you fresh out of cosmetology school and nervous about your first salon job? Or perhaps you're a salon owner keen on grooming new talent? Either way, this episode is your ticket to success. Drawing from my 30 years of experience and success with four salons, I share the five things every new graduate needs to focus on to thrive in the beauty industry: client communication, technical skills, time management, product knowledge, and professionalism.
This episode is a comforting companion to those stepping into their first salon job. It's filled with practical advice on how to communicate effectively with clients, refine your core skills, and manage your time efficiently. But that's not all – we also dive into the power of product knowledge, and how recommending the right products can build trust with clients and boost sales. Finally, we underline the importance of professionalism, beyond just skills – it’s about appearance and adherence to salon policies. So, whether you're a fresh graduate or a salon owner, join us to gain valuable insights and make your first steps in the beauty industry confident and successful ones.
Hey there and welcome to another exciting episode of Salon Ownership Made Easy. Today, we're going to talk about the five things that every cosmetology graduate needs to know for their first salon job. So whether you're a recent graduate looking to kick start your career or a salon owner looking to hire some fresh graduates, there's always something new to learn and share in our wonderful industry. Well, hey there, welcome to the Salon Ownership Made Easy podcast. As a former salon owner, I know how tough it can be to deal with things like hiring new team members, managing your KPIs and fixing everything that seems to break in the salon. It's enough to drive anyone crazy. But don't worry, I'm here to help you navigate the ups and downs of the industry. Let's face it, beauty school didn't prepare us for the real world of salon ownership, but with the right techniques, systems and mindset, you can achieve amazing success. With over 30 years of experience and four successful salons under my belt, including two that hit over seven figures, I've learned a thing or two about what works and what doesn't. So buckle up and get ready for some practical tips and real talk. Let's do this. Alright, let's jump right into it. Our first must-know tip Tip and, as a salon owner. Keep this in mind when you're hiring your graduates. First of all, put yourself in their shoes. They're scared. They've never worked in a salon before, right, and as a graduate, you're scared. You've never worked in a salon before. So what are the top five things that you need to know right out of the gate? That's going to set you up for success.
Speaker 1:
Okay, tip number one the art of client communication. I cannot stress this enough. This is going to be probably I don't know 75-80% of your success how you communicate with your guest. So picture this you're about to start your very first client appointment. What do you say? How do you make them feel comfortable and confident in your skills? It's a real anxious moment and, to tell you the truth, even after years of being on the floor, sometimes you still feel that way when you have a brand new guest coming in and sitting in your chair, because everybody's different, right. So what do you do? You listen very carefully to your client's needs and preferences, okay, ask a lot of questions and then provide honest recommendations. If they're requesting something that you really don't think would look good on them, it's your job and your responsibility to let them know that. Okay, you're the professional and just always remember that excellent communication that leads to client loyalty and referrals, even if you are just starting and you don't know what you're doing and you have a brand new client and you say, look, I've never cut this haircut before, so I might have to ask for help. But trust me, I'm not going to let you go without being happy. That goes a long way, okay. And salon owners, you need to give your newbies permission to do so and help them, of course, okay, moving on Tip number two your technical skills.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, you do need technical skills. You can't just go on your client communication. That's not going to do it. So, mastering the basics as a fresh graduate, you're going to want to make sure that you've got a solid grasp on the fundamental techniques like cutting, styling, coloring. These are your bread and butter services. But remember, it's not all about knowing it all, it's about perfecting what you do know. So practice, practice, practice and refine your skills, because the world of beauty, our world, it is ever evolving.
Speaker 1:
Take all the classes you can. Salon owners, get classes in your salon. Set up some kind of skill assessment program. If you need help with that, we have one. Just reach out, we can help you develop yours. That was a game changer in our salon when we had our skill certification program, because we hired directly out of school and really salon owners. This is where you need to go now. Don't just sit there and complain that nobody wants to work. People are still in cosmetology school. They need a job, okay, and it's up to you as a salon owner, to teach them the ropes. It's okay. Just have to change your mindset just a little bit and they're wanting to learn. Okay, up.
Speaker 1:
Next, tip number three the art of time management. Okay, wow, working in a salon can sometimes feel like a whirlwind, right? There's all kinds of things going on. You got appointments back to back and clients are late, but they expect you to be on time. So, being efficient, getting your haircut skills, your haircut services, your coloring services timed proficiently, make it a game. Stay organized. Make sure you have all your tools clean and in place and make sure that you're on schedule. Complete your appointments on schedule. I know that we used to time things a lot and part of our skill assessment was timing. How long does it take to wrap a perm? How long does it take to put a touch up on? You need to know your timing and, yeah, when you're first starting out, it's gonna take you a little bit longer, but you have to speed up the process. Trust me, it's a game changer If you can get your time management under control game changer.
Speaker 1:
Okay, now let's talk products, shall we? Your product knowledge. Tip number four it is not all about your scissors and your comps. It's also about the products that you use on your client's head. Take the time to learn the products that your salon is carrying. You don't have to know every single ingredient in the bottle, but know at least one or two things that this product could do for your guest and just understand what those benefits are and how they can benefit the person sitting in your chair and then recommend that product.
Speaker 1:
I can't tell you how many times I've been in a salon and, trust me, I don't need any more products. I got all the products I can ever need, right, but I still wanna buy something. I still want that magic potion. I wanna know what's going on my head. Look, and when you recommend something you don't have to like be a salesperson, you are just recommending saying, hey, you got frizzy hair. Here's what I would recommend for that. Okay, maybe stick it in their hand, show it to them, let them smell it, touch it, feel it. This builds trust with your clients and it does boost retail sales, so it's a win-win, okay.
Speaker 1:
And last but not least, being a true professional yes, and I feel like this is overlooked, I guess. So it's more than just your skills. It's your entire presence, everything about you. You gotta dress the part, you gotta maintain a clean and organized workspace and you always have to adhere to the salon policies and the handbook of the salon you're working at. So your professionalism it extends to how you interact with your team members and, of course, your clients. Do you shake their hands? Do you give them hugs? Do you listen, making eye contact? Do you show up at work with your hair done, nails, clean, makeup on? If you wear makeup, or are you coming in with a messy bun, wrinkled shirt, crocs? I don't know. You know that just doesn't look professional. So it's up to you to be a true professional. So those are the five tips the art of client communication, the technical skills, the art of time management, your product knowledge and being a true professional. As a graduate, when you start your first salon job, the principles hold true. These are the five things you need to concentrate on and really, really, it'll step up your game and it'll give you a head start on being successful.
Speaker 1:
Okay, that's it for today's episode of Short and Sweet, and I hope you found this valuable and, if you did, could you please go over to the podcast? Maybe leave us a review? I would love, love, love that. And remember the beauty industry's always changing, so you gotta keep learning, you gotta stay passionate and you gotta keep making the world a more beautiful place. One client at a time, every client every time. If you have questions or you wanna share your own experiences, I would love to hear from you. Don't hesitate to reach out on any of our social media platforms and, as always, remember when you know better, you do better. Thanks for hanging out with us on today's podcast. We hope you found it interesting and learned something new. If you liked what you heard, hit that subscribe button so you don't miss out on future episodes. We're always open to your feedback and suggestions for topics to cover in the future, so don't be shy. Drop us a line on social media or shoot us an email. Thanks again for listening and we'll catch you on the next one.