Salon Success Secrets

Chaos Crushers

• Lindsay Lowe & Jen Booth

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We uncover why some salons retain clients for decades while others struggle to keep them past a first visit, revealing that strong systems create trust while weak ones create chaos. 

• Five real-world salon experiences that demonstrate how missing systems damage client trust
• The critical impact of check-in systems and proper scheduling on client satisfaction
• Why consultation systems are non-negotiable for meeting client expectations
• How service recovery systems determine whether clients return after mistakes occur
• The importance of training staff with proper scripts and communication tools
• Why booking systems that maximize chair time directly impact your bottom line
• The shocking statistic that more people make it to the NFL than become six-figure beauty pros

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Speaker 1:

Here's a question for you why do some salons keep guests for decades and others can't even keep them past the first visit? It's not price, it's not talent and it's not location, it's systems or, more accurately, a lack of systems. And here's the scary part you don't always see it happening in your own salon because you're used to it, but when a guest experiences it, they see it, they feel it and they never forget it. And that's what this episode is all about. We've been visiting salons, calling salons, testing the guest experience, and what we saw Wow. Some of it was hilarious, some of us made some things made us cringe, you know, but all of it taught us the same thing Strong systems create trust and weak systems creates chaos.

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So buckle up, because today we're sharing five stories that prove it, and I promise you're going to laugh, because we've laughed too. You might even feel a little uncomfortable and by the end you'll be asking yourself where in my salon am I relying on luck instead of systems?

Speaker 1:

Awesome. Okay, so let's kick it off with this first story. Um, you know, gosh, it wasn't that long ago that Jen and I booked blowouts. You know, we went to the same salon at the same time and we were thinking, gosh, this should be fun, Right? Um, except, I went back and Jen was just sitting there and sitting there and sitting there and 30 minutes went by and nobody even spoke to her. They didn't come check in like hey, we're running behind. It was literally just silence. And finally the stylist came running in. She was literally out of breath. And she what did she say? Jen?

Speaker 2:

She was like oh my gosh, I'm so sorry I had to run to Sam's to get all the supplies for the salon. No one even told me you were on my schedule and I remember sitting there thinking what Wait, you're buying supplies at Sam's in the middle of the workday when you're supposed to be doing hair. I was so confused.

Speaker 1:

Oh exactly. But I think it then continued to get a little bit worse because they paired her with a co-stylist who, right in front of you, said I've never shampooed extensions before. Like now, imagine being a brand new guest, hearing that it's like sitting in a dental chair and the assistant says you know, I've never actually used a drill before. But here we go. You know, because that's really crazy when you think about it, like we, jen obviously has worked with brand new stylists, so it wasn't as scary as it would be to some. But still, when you're paying for a service, you know that those are never the words that you want to hear or how you want to feel in that moment.

Speaker 2:

No, and Lindsay, I remember that was exactly how I felt. Um, and we don't, you know, we're not telling them, we're stylists or salon owners, we're just really there to get pampered and to learn, because it is a beautiful thing to test out other things. And I remember her asking me do you want a Fusio dose treatment? Well, I knew what that was, but I was thinking, man, if I wasn't a beauty professional or salon owner, I wouldn't even know what a Fusio is. But I'm, of course, I'm going to say yes, because we do like to say yes to add-ons, because that's the environment that we want to create. And then I'll never forget, she leaned over to her co-stylist and she was like we don't have the Fusios, just go ahead and use one of those L'Oreal masks. And so, if you think about it, like in our salon company, I was thinking, okay, well, our L'Oreal mask is going to be a lot less expensive than a Fusio dose treatment.

Speaker 2:

So, right then, and there, like it was a break of trust that I was like, okay, this isn't going so good. And, you know, the best part was the blowout. You know, by the end, you've seen that movie, I think it's something about Mary, where her bangs are sticking straight up. That's kind of what my bangs look like. It was like little hair staining up everywhere, little baby hairs everywhere. You know I called it like a sprouting garden because it's basically what it looked like and I you know my spit wasn't weighing it down. There was no product in the world that could weigh it down, so it was definitely a different experience.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, you know, and it's funny now, but in the moment it was kind of painful, you know, like.

Speaker 1:

But here's the lesson it wasn't about the service itself, it truly was the missing systems, you know, because a check-in system would have told Jen what was happening, you know. They would have said, hey, your stylist is, you know, running behind or she'll be with you shortly, or whatever that is, you know. And a supply system would have kept the stylist out of Sam's during business hours, would have kept the stylist out of Sam's during business hours, you know. There would have been, hey, on Wednesday at 9am you go to Sam's, you know, and you don't take guests then. And a treatment system would have made sure that Jen got the Fusio dose that she was offered, because then having it changed up and then not even having the conversation, just having it be a behind the back conversation, you know, like, those systems, if they were in place, like I mean, really what we just thought about was imagine all of the money that they are leaving on the table just because they're missing a couple simple systems.

Speaker 2:

Mm-hmm, so good, all right. So we got another story, story number two for you. It's another blowout experience. You think? Simple, right, actually wrong. So we walked in and instead of asking a single question, they took us straight to the shampoo bowl. So, no consultation, no, what's most important to you today? Just like, here you go, I'm going to hose you down. Let's do it. Um, and I remember by the time that we walked out, cause I kept seeing Lindsay's hair out of the corner of my eyes, and then I saw my hair in the mirror. It's looked like we stood out or stepped out of, like a, those little like 1987 Tindall curls Is that what you call them? Yeah, they were so tight, right, like little shiny ringlets, like I'm thinking, like Shirley Temple meets her senior prom. Do you remember that, lindsay?

Speaker 1:

I do. It was bad, you know. And the thing is, it's such an easy fix, you know, because truly, a consultation is not optional, it's a system, you know, and if your team doesn't have one, they're guessing. And when they guess they create disappointment because literally, they didn't ask either one of us how we wanted our hair styled. They just gave us those Shirley Temple ringlet curls that you were just talking about, jen, it was. I mean, it could have just we could have just avoided so much disappointment.

Speaker 2:

Yes, oh yeah. So much disappointment, exactly Because I feel like guests don't leave because you ask questions. They leave because you didn't. And the best part of those curls questions? They leave because you didn't. And the best part of those curls they went towards the face, not away from the face, towards the face. So if you can picture this, it was epic.

Speaker 1:

I know, I think we might even have a picture somewhere that we occasionally pull out and giggle and love. I think yours both went towards the face, but I had one side that went back and one side that went forward, so just like I used to give myself curls like that back in ninth grade, I think. Oh, but you know another story. This is, you know, we're at the shampoo bowl again, but this time it was Jen who paid the price, because she leans back and they start rinsing, but by the end she is drenched like soaked through shirt. Could have rung it out, you know. And like do you remember that, jen? Oh yeah, I felt.

Speaker 2:

I felt like I had literally been in a water balloon flight, water balloon fight with my five year old or six year old niece. It was wet, very wet.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but here's where it went from bad to worse. They didn't even offer a towel, they didn't apologize, they didn't acknowledge it. They literally just kept going like this is fine going like this is fine.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, you know so good, I'm reliving the wet. I can feel the wetness in my shirt right now. It's so wet Got me thinking, wow, man. And so interesting that they, you know that things happen. That's all we're saying here. Like I remember thinking in that moment, hey, things happen. I get it Like I've soaked somebody's shirt before. My team has soaked somebody's shirt before, but it was the silence. I think that really just didn't settle well with me.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and that truly is the lesson, jen, because mistakes aren't what drive guests away, it's how you handle them. You know salons that are strong have a service recovery system. They know exactly what to do when something goes wrong. You know apologize, make it right, go above and beyond. But weak salons they pretend like it didn't happen and the guest never forgets that.

Speaker 2:

Wow, all right, so I, this one's a great story too. I this we'll call the never phone call, um, you probably remember this one, lindsay. Uh, we called a salon, and just for research, really, you guys, that's really what we're doing is researching to learn, um. And we asked, we said, hey, can we get a color and cut? Um, they're like sure. And then I said, hey, just so you know, we do have black box dye, um, and we want to go blonde. And I remember the receptionist, on the other hand, and didn't hesitate, didn't listen, didn't ask any questions, and she just says like hey, you'll never get to that goal, just like that. You know, it was like what there was no curiosity, no options, no encouragement. Just like you'll never get to that goal. Yeah, that was so interesting, it was.

Speaker 1:

And really it made us think like imagine if you walked into Apple and you said like hey, I would love to get a laptop today and the employee said you'll never afford one. You know like you'd literally walk right out if that happened.

Speaker 2:

That's. That's a good example. I love that, lindsay, because words really matter. I mean, like your team's scripts matter, those systems matter. You know, even if the guest request is unrealistic, you know there's a way to redirect it. Like, hey, that will take a process, you know here's what we can do today. Or you know we're looking forward to seeing what's possible for you. Or tell me why this is important to you. Like having those scripts, like that truly is a system. And then again it goes back to that guest on the other end of the receiving call, feeling heard, feeling seen. But like what if you just said you'll never get to that goal? And that person truly believed that, and then they were never able to get the hair that they desired. Like it, just it doesn't add any value to their life. And so it's really important to have those systems and those scripts and know how to handle those conversations.

Speaker 1:

It's so good, you know. That brings us to our last story. You know really where we were just trying to see. You know, one of the biggest missed opportunities in our industry is productivity in a salon and like the front desk really is the powerhouse behind that. So we called another salon to book an appointment and the receptionist said sure, we can get you in next week. Um, that was like her initial go-to, and so we asked you know, do you have anything sooner? And she replied um, actually, yeah, we've got something tomorrow and we're like okay, um, that's the soonest that you have available is tomorrow. And she said I mean, do you remember like it was like mind blowing for us, jen?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I remember thinking wait, what, what? What is happening Is this earth? Because, like I was thinking, why isn't that the first thing that she said? Why didn't she get more curious and ask more questions and then talk about like, hey, we do have this opportunity today. I mean by the time next week come if I'm a busy professional.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to have to cancel that appointment, so that can be a huge opportunity to lose that guest going to fill those. So offer those up front, because every empty chair or table is lost revenue, and without a clear booking system, one that tries to get those opportunities filled the quickest, you're truly leaving money on the table.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so good. So here's the big takeaway. You guys, none of these stories were about bad salons or bad service providers. Like these were talented people, but talent without systems is chaos, if you think about it. If you don't have those strong systems, guests feel like experiments, you know. They feel forgotten, disappointed or shut down, just like I did when the co-stylist said I've never shampooed extensions before. And then what happens is they don't come back, because when we're in that area again, that won't be a place that we visit again just because of that experience. But as a salon, when you do have those strong systems in place, guests do feel cared for, they feel important, they feel loyal, and that's how you build a business that grows year after year.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. So here's our challenge to you Really, take a hard look at your salon. You know, where are you relying on luck instead of systems? Where are you hoping for the best instead of training for the best? And if you think gosh, you know, I don't even know how to get started on this you know, go ahead and text the word pro P? R? O to four, six, nine, two, eight, three, five, five, nine, zero, um.

Speaker 1:

We'd love to send you some more information about million dollar beauty pro. Um, it's our revolutionary, incredible training system that's plug and play for your salon, that has live and on-demand training. Um to where? Hey, we know you're busy. You might still be behind the chair, uh, maybe you just rather spend your time in a different way. But, um, having your team constantly, consistently getting training man, what it gives to them like they even feel better in that moment, like they, they're like. I know what to say, I'm not just. You know, it really is a system to set your team up for the best support and the best life possible so that they can become million dollar beauty pros.

Speaker 2:

Because I truly think about it. You know, luck doesn't grow. Your salon systems truly will, do you remember? Just the other day, we heard that more people are likely to make it to the nfl than they are to become a six-figure beauty pro. So if you want that consistency, trust and loyalty, I know, let that sit in for a minute. It's really huge. You're like what, jen? What did you just say? Yeah, the stat was um, more people are likely to make it into the NFL like a pro team than they are to become a six figure beauty pro. And so that's what million dollar beauty pro is designed for is to take your new talent, or even your current talent, and help them create a life that people with years of experience in our industry aren't even creating right now.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so if you loved today's episode, go ahead and just share it with one of your beauty business owning besties, or maybe that can help create one for you. So thank you for spending time with us today and we look forward to seeing you again soon.