THE INFORMATION EXCHANGE

Meaningful engagement is essential in the running of a successful salon, but how well do you communicate with your clients and staff, asks beauty business coach Helena van der Vyver

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“What YOU FEEL TOWARDS THE CLIENT will COME THROUGH in the TONE OF YOUR VOICE and BODY LANGUAGE, so it is key to FEEL ‘WELL’ and to effortlessly COMMUNICATE this ‘WELL’ TO YOUR CLIENTS. ”

In my almost 30 years of being in the beauty industry, I have observed how the lack of effective communication in teams and businesses cripples growth, success and joy.

I have been struck by the following two quotes. “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” -James Humes (author and speechwriter) “The better we communicate, the more we get out of life.” -John C. Maxwell (author and speaker)

In my opinion, we should all be leading, either as a nail technician, hair stylist, beauty/aesthetic therapist, cleaner/attendant, receptionist, medical aesthetic doctor, dermatologist, manager, owner etc. And communication will make the path smoother and straighter.

Here are seven thoughts around communication that I feel can propel you forward in your beauty business.

The start

As John C. Maxwell writes: “If I had to pick a first rule of communication – the one practice above all others that opens the door to connecting with others – it would be to look for common ground. Too often people see communication as the process of transmitting massive amounts of information to other people. But that’s the wrong picture. Communication is a journey. The more that people have in common, the better the chance that they can take that journey together.”

Salon owners should be aware that first impressions are made in the first seven seconds. In those seven seconds your client will decide one of the following:

1. I like her and the business

2. I don’t like her and the business

3. I’m not sure if I like her and the business

Clients will base their first impressions on criteria which include: Attractiveness; Cleanliness; Courtesy; Credibility; Confidence; Friendliness; Helpfulness; Knowledge; Professionalism; Responsiveness; and Understanding.

Following first impressions, we move into the window of contact. Research has shown that you have a 15-minute window at the start to make contact and connect with

your client, or forfeit it and stay disconnected to the end of her visit. It is quite simple, you just need to talk about something you have in common, e.g., a teenager, a dog, training for a race, the love of gardening, etc. It doesn’t even have to be beauty related.

Our third and last point on the start of communication is to lead your client. You are the expert, if you know it or not, if you step into the position or not. You can either lead or follow your client. Many therapists follow their clients, but we are meant to lead them because this is our field of expertise, irrelevant what our position is in the business.

Components

Communication is made up of the following components: 1. Words; 2. Tone of Voice; and 3. Body Language.

When I coach on this, therapists often get the split in the percentage of each other’s contribution wrong. The split is: 1. 55% – Body Language; 2. 38% – Tone of Voice; and 3. 7% – Words. They are quite shocked to see how low ‘Words’ scores.

The thing is, we focus most on ‘Words’, which has the least weight in communication. No wonder that when you get a complaint, you respond with: “But, I didn’t say anything wrong’. What you feel towards the client will come through in the tone of your voice and body language, so it is key to feel ‘well’ and to effortlessly communicate this ‘well’ to your clients.

“We all have DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS and references and therefore we should rather SAY TOO MUCH, THAN TOO LITTLE, to ensure we are all ON THE SAME PAGE.”

The power of open ended questions

Most of my new clients don’t know the difference between open-ended questions and closed questions. You don’t want to miss out, so learn and equip yourself with the correct usage.

Closed questions end with the answer ‘Yes/No’. This is a bit of a dead end and does not encourage engagement, or allow you to gain a better understanding, connection and trust. The best way to proceed is to ask open-ended questions starting with What, How, Where, When, Why and Who. This will lead your client to open up, answer with a sentence and become more engaged with you. Consequently you get more insight, plus it allows you to educate and create a relationship of trust more effortlessly.

Tripping by assuming

Many of us make assumptions in our communications. We assume that others think like we do. We assume others know what we are thinking. We assume others understand what we mean when we speak. ‘Assume’ is the acronym for making an ASS of U and ME. We assumed someone would put the wax pot on when they opened the salon, but when you arrived for your waxing client, the pot was still off. Never assume, rather make sure.

Choose to over communicate

In general, we under communicate and so I always encourage my clients to over communicate instead. We all have different backgrounds and references and therefore we should rather say too much, than too little, to ensure we are all on the same page. This will result in more effective outcomes and less conflict.

Effective communication

For me, effective communication works on three levels. 1. Say it; 2. Write it down; 3. Repeat it.

There is a saying, ‘The rich writes down’. It would appear that when you write something down, it gives it importance and people take it seriously and give it attention. It also serves as a reminder and a benchmark in standards.

When to communicate and how to do it

I often see and hear how we get ‘the when’ and ‘the how’ wrong in communication. Firstly, when dealing with staff, it is crucial to get the timing and scene correct for either praising someone or correcting someone. Always praise in front of others and correct one-on-one. If there is a lesson for others out of the correction, ask permission if you can share the lesson with the team.

In closing, you will see such a difference in your efforts if you simply work on your communication and, as a team, make it a value or key element in your business.

Helena van der Vyver has been a beauty business coach for almost 10 years. Her 30 years’ of beauty industry specific experience sets her on the level of ‘Beauty Industry Titan’. Van der Vyver coaches aesthetic doctors, beauty/hair salons, spas, brands as well as non-beauty entrepreneurs, having herself gone through the ranks of beauty therapist, assistant manager, manager, operations manager and entrepreneur. Email info@1nespa.co.za