Why Some Stylists Can Actually Think Like – Monkeys?

Have you ever tried to run a special, to try and bring in new business, and you were met with a whole heap of resistance from your staff?  “Why are we giving away x percent?” “I don’t want to cheapen my skills to the clients”, “The client is already getting a great deal because I am so talented”.  Sound familiar?

Well, this blog post is aimed directly at you because unfortunately that “special” usually dies a quick death when that happens.  And that’s usually because you don’t know what to say to the employees (especially when they gang up on you during the staff meeting).  The “special” then gets watered-down and ultimately fails (to the delight of the quibbling stylists).

Why is it that employees cannot see the benefit of giving away some VALUE?

The answer is selfishness.  Ok, that sounds harsh.  So, let me explain.

Some people are of the mindset that they don’t want other people to take advantage of them.  And they feel that their “time” is worth “x”, therefore they should be paid “x”.  The problem with this mindset is that it’s very small-minded.  Let me ask you a question?

Have you ever heard of a “fist trap”?  A fist trap is a trap that they use to catch monkeys in Africa.  The hunter cuts out a small hole in a tree and places a nut in the tree.  The monkey then grabs the nut and tries to pull it out.  But the monkey can’t pull out the nut because when he grabs the nut – his hand is too large to get it out of the small hole.

The monkey will actually stay there, trying to pull out the nut, even when the hunter approaches to kill it.  That is because they are small-minded – they can only see what is right in front of them.  They cannot see beyond the nut.

Well, when a stylist can’t understand how giving a brand new client “a great value” during their first visit is important – they are being like the monkey.  Why?  Because we are not interested in their first visit – we are interested in their future visits!

If a client comes back every six weeks for the next three years, do I care that I gave away the first service for FREE?  Of course not!  Do I think that this person “took advantage” of me?  No, it was simply the “cost” of acquiring a new client.

Now, will you get people that come in and get your FREE service and never return?  Sure you will.  But even if I gave away two free services (one for every person who never came back and one for every person who became a loyal client) aren’t I much better off with the new loyal clients?

A rich person’s mindset is to give away a ton of value and they will be rewarded many times over because of the principle of reciprocity.  A poor person’s mindset is to give away nothing and be selfish with their value.

Now, when is this not the case?  Well, if the person has no “value” to give.  A stylist’s “value” is their time and talent.  If a stylist is 100% booked – they have no additional “value” to give.  But if a stylist is not 100% booked – they really have no excuse.

So, before you run your next “special”, forward this message to your stylists and maybe it will explain why “discounting” services for new clients is really a value proposition to build future business.  Think like a rich person – not like a monkey.

Best regards, Steve Sampson

HairMax Salon Software is a product designed to be the best investment your salon has ever made.  It is not only the easiest and most powerful salon management software on the market.  It is from a company dedicated to becoming the ultimate VALUE source to the industry.