Salon Success Secrets

Dress To Impress Not Express

• Lindsay Lowe & Jen Booth

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Discover the secret to elevating both your personal confidence and client perceptions with our latest episode of Salon Success Secrets. Have you ever walked into a salon where the staff's attire just didn't match the premium prices? We explore how such mismatches can impact perceptions of service quality and customer satisfaction. As salon owners, it’s crucial to ensure that your team's attire aligns with your brand image to inspire confidence and enhance the overall salon experience. We share real-life stories and insights on how dressing with intention can transform the energy you bring to your clients.

Unlock the power of wardrobe choices as we discuss how to dress to impress while still expressing your personal style. Learn why organizing your closet and investing in high-quality basics could be the game-changer you need. We’ll guide you through striking the perfect balance between personal expression and maintaining a professional image, ensuring your attire complements your salon's identity. Plus, we're thrilled to give you a sneak peek of our new book, "Think and Get Rich as a Beauty Pro," packed with strategies to boost your success in the beauty industry. Don’t miss out on the chance to pre-order your copy and start elevating your salon’s success story!

Do you have a question for Blondes in Business: Luxury Beauty Business Podcast? Send a text or leave a voicemail at 855.650.3445 or send us an email to hello@thephdprogram.com. We would love to hear from you.
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Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to the Salon Success Secrets podcast. If you've ever had an employee come up to you and be like you know what, I think we should look at our dress code and come up with some new opportunities. I really wanted to express the way I feel. If you've ever had that happen, or maybe you're aware of thinking about upgrading your wardrobe for your team, this is going to be the perfect podcast for you.

Speaker 2:

Yes, cause what we know is that what people want to wear inside the salon is always a hot topic. And you know maybe you have personally gone somewhere before you know I know I've gone into, let's just say, a nail salon, for example Not all, but one in particular that I walked into. Everybody was dressed in yoga pants and just mismatched, looked like they had just rolled out of bed, and what stood out to me was I was actually paying a pretty premium price when I was paying for the services at that place. So the price didn't necessarily reflect the way that people were dressed. And you know, I just automatically felt out of exchange. Already it already felt like, okay, what's my pedicure going to be like today? You know what's going on.

Speaker 2:

It just opened up so many loops for me as a consumer when that happened that it made me realize, hey, what's good about this situation is that it's not just only happening inside of the salon world. You know, I think the same thing could happen. Hey, if we walked inside um to our dental office or doctor's office and they weren't wearing scrubs or something, you know, that just made you automatically feel at ease about where you were at. You might question the exact same thing Like is this a sterile environment, you know? So it is just so interesting the subliminal messages, or the subconscious messages that we are sending to somebody just via the way that we dress.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, such a great, a great story there. And so when you think about it, let's start with the power of first impressions. You know, when you think about that, like Lindsay was just saying in her story about the nail salon, like you literally have 0.01, 0.01 seconds to make that first impression, and so there's so many, you know, factors that go into people naturally just judge you when they walk in that door. So it's Thinking about, like what, how does your team show up? What are they wearing? What's the body language? Because I think a lot of times we forget that body language a lot of times can suggest how we're showing up or how people can, you know, view insights from us.

Speaker 1:

And so, like, really analyzing, like what is the look that I really want to put out there? Like you know, a beautiful opportunity is to step outside of your own salon and walk in. Think about what you experience. How do you feel? What is your team dress like? Is that speaking to the brand that you want to create? Because the power of first impressions is so important and my grandmother used to always say she said people always look down before they look up. And so, like you know, like Lindsay was saying, I've been a place before where it wasn't too bad dressed up here, but then they just had some um some uh crocs on and nothing really cocks, but it just didn't go with the luxury look that I thought I was going to experience.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you know, it is just amazing, um, how many messages are sent to you subconsciously just based on your appearance. You know, and and like you mentioned Jen, like that you have that 0.1 second to to really make that first impression. You know, and I think really, there's like an energy that you also bring with you just based on the way that you're dressed. You know, and I think if you've ever been sick at home before, you know that you probably were looking and feeling like a scrub of some sorts. You know, you hadn't showered maybe in a couple of days, depending upon the sickness, and so your energy was probably really low. And then the moment that you took that shower and like actually got ready for the first time after that sickness, you're like, wow, I feel incredible. You know, and I think that this really goes to show that there truly is an energy hierarchy, and the way that you dress and the way that you express yourself or or impress the world with, with how you dress, and so, you know, really remembering that our wardrobe influences our energy and it really influences the energy that we project out to others, and so, you know, this is why it's so important for people to dress the way that they want to inspire their clients. You know, if they want to be more impactful, you know it's more impactful to dress to impress people than it is to dress to express yourself or express a mood is basically kind of what you're doing, just like when I walked in the nail saloon, salon saloon. Wow, hello, um, there was no shooting them up going on. That was definitely a nail salon.

Speaker 2:

Um, you know, when I walked into that nail salon, it just made me realize like, okay, their mood was like that. They wanted to be loungy and probably didn't really want to be there. That's what the subconscious sent to me. Um, now, you know, an an unconscious person isn't aware of that. Most of the time, you aren't aware of the subconscious messages you're getting, but that's the truth about what it is that they were sending in my direction and it it just didn't set them up to earn the highest tips or to earn the most amount of money, because what they were already sending was hey, I'd kind of rather be loungy today than be here you know and so it's just amazing how impactful um our appearance is on the way that the world views us.

Speaker 1:

You know that's so good, lindsay. It's like be the person they want to become. I mean like, when you really think about that, when you're dressing to inspire those clients, it's more impactful than dressing to express mood. You know, I remember talking to a salon owner one time. They're like I have this, this person on my team, and her makeup just doesn't fit our brand. I said tell me more. She said, well, she likes really high fashion makeup. She's's like thank Drew Carey, mimi, was it Mimi from Drew Carey that has the blue eye shadow? She's like, and she has dots. And she said it's just, it's not that, it's not. Hey, you know this is who we serve here. So let's help them see what's truly available to them by.

Speaker 1:

You know, dressing to impress, like having our eyeshadow. If you're more of a luxury experience salon, then having a luxury outfit on it doesn't mean it has to be high end, but it has to mean that the person would want to feel that they're in that luxury. You know position. It'd be like going to the dentist and the dentist opens up and there's no teeth in there. They're like what? Oh, okay, well, I'm not sure I want to stay for this appointment, and so we have to really think. You know how we influence our clients perceptions through our appearances. You know there's a difference between looking like a professional and looking like you're just getting through the day, and you know I always like to teach haircut every single day, cause when you show up and it's like B do have, if you show up as that person who gets paid $200 for a haircut every single day, the only thing that can happen is a great financial impact because your income will increase just by showing up different.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I love that Cause. You know, it's definitely true that, that you know that your wardrobe will impact the income that you earn. You know, and so you might be thinking, well, how do I dress for impact? Or how do I, you know, provide some actionable tips to my team? You know, to really build a wardrobe that communicates professionalism and inspiration, you know. So I would say, you know, step number one is to choose clothes that make you feel confident and energized. You know, I know this is a beautiful time of year If you're catching this um episode at the beginning of the year, when we first released it, um, so many people love to go through their closet this time of year and just making sure, like, hey, let's only leave clothes in the closet that make us feel confident and energized.

Speaker 2:

You know, and, and sure, if you want to have some clothes that don't, um, you know, make you feel energized and you still, you know, want to keep those, like maybe find a certain section in your closet, um, so that you know, like, hey, when I choose clothes that I'm gonna show up to the salon in, uh, it's going to be from, from this section, because these are the clothes that make me feel confident and energized, and you know. Then, I think step number two is just to, you know, make sure that you have all of the basics that you want, because we know that trends are going to come and go and so when you invest in a couple of high quality basics, they can make it through multiple seasons for you and really kind of set you up like they can make it through multiple seasons for you and really kind of set you up like, hey, then you can invest in some cheaper things that are, you know, kind of stylish and professional, go with the trends a little bit more, but you already have all of those basics. You know, whether you're somebody who chooses to, you know, just do all black in your salon or whatever color. It is like just really thinking about some of those basics and then building out your wardrobe with a couple of trendy pieces that you can, you know, get rid of in a couple of years and not feel guilty for the price that you paid.

Speaker 2:

You know, and I think step number three is to pay attention to, like, your personal grooming and your personal care. You know, because if you have, you know, let's say, chipped nail polish or you haven't paid attention to your nails in weeks. You know that's a subliminal message that you're sending to somebody that, like I want you to care about you, coming in every six weeks to get your hair cut and colored, but yet I can't even maintain myself. And so it's a small little, subtle, subliminal message that we are sending to somebody, or subconscious message, um, that may be holding us back in some way, shape or form. So, keeping up with your own cuts and colors and all of that good stuff, if you want your, your clients, to do the same thing, you know, and I think you know, step number four is just to, you know, really add small touches that can reflect your personal style, but they don't overwhelm your professionalism, you know.

Speaker 2:

So, if you are somebody, like Jen mentioned, who loves to wear more of an extreme makeup look, but maybe it doesn't marry well with the luxury image that your salon is trying to portray, Maybe you can do a small little touch of something that would still make you feel like, okay, this is still me, but this is still conveying the message that I really want to send to my guests, which is you know that they're in a safe space and you know we're here to create that luxury experience and it's about the guest. It's not about the artist or the person providing the service, because when our clients come to us, we need to do everything we can to help them show up more confidently in the world. So it's, you know the the the difference of. You know when you, when you're dressing for expression, that's about you. But when you're dressing you know, to impress them, that's about them. Like you want to help them bring out their best, their brightest, and help them shine more amazingly inside of the world.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so good. And you know, I think as you scroll TikTok or Instagram, sometimes you'll see stylists of, like I want to work in a salon that lets me wear what I want to wear, and so this is a beautiful conversation to have with your team as well, because, like, to help them understand like we want to dress, to impress, not express, is like, truly like who do we want to be there to serve? And I think, as salon owners, one of our greatest gifts is to show them this environment that they need to dress in, because if you're showing up in leggings and a sweatshirt every single day, but you're expecting your team to show up and you know your branded, your branded outfit, whether it's luxury or whatever it may be like, there's going to be a disconnect there. So, even if you're not behind the chair, like, your greatest opportunity is to still set that example for them, because when you set that example for them, they're going to buy in faster to that.

Speaker 2:

I love that. That is brilliant and that is the way that you really make that change inside of your salon environment, you know. So, so it is so important to really focus on that dressing, you know, to really impress the guests really. You know, like Jen mentioned it, you know, show them what it is that your branded language is. Show them. Show them what it is that they're there to get. If it's not luxury, what is it that they're there to to receive?

Speaker 2:

Um, and, and worry less about expressing your own mood levels or what's happening in your life, and also just keep that in mind. What am I expressing by my own mood level based on what I'm wearing? You know, because you probably wouldn't show up to, you know, the Grammys in your pajamas, but you know. So why would you think it was okay to do that inside of the salon? And you know, and then it's okay if you did decide that, but you're, you would also then be responsible for the income that you're receiving on the other end of that, you know.

Speaker 2:

So we just want to challenge you to really elevate your wardrobe, elevate your energy around your wardrobe, you know, and and come up with a plan on how you can dress for impact. Um, you know, it's even a great thing you can share on social media. Like different body types um, you know different outfits that really help enhance different body types. You know, if somebody is an apple showing off their legs a little bit more, if somebody is an hourglass showing off their waist a little bit more, you know, just like really, um, looking for ways to help people be more confident with their body is truly what it comes down to, and when people are impressing, instead of expressing, it helps others do the same around them.

Speaker 1:

Awesome. So just a quick little tease for you guys. If you love this and you are like, wow, I cannot wait to implement this and talk to my team about it. This is just one of our chapters in our new book coming out Think and Get Rich as a Beauty Pro. It's a beautiful opportunity for anyone in the beauty industry. So just shoot us a message, hello at SalonBusinessSchoolcom, and we'll be sure to get you on our pre-order list to get this copy reserved for you.

Speaker 2:

Yes, so good. Thank you so much for tuning in. We can't wait to see you again.