Heads Up

VOLUME 3

Be sure to keep your eye on this column in future issues for more tips and pointers on how to achieve success in the salon industry ... brought to you by The Salon Education Division of The Procter & Gamble Company.

Understand what different products will do to your client's hair. How do shampoos and conditioners work? Will chemical double-processing damage your client's hair?

Your clients will always come to you for hair care advice and you have to be ready to answer their questions correctly. This is how you will gain their trust and loyalty as their haircare professional.

Be confident in what you know!

You've either just completed a tough course of study in cosmetology or will complete it shortly. If you're confident in your abilities, your clients and co-workers will believe in you, too. Self-confidence combined with your knowledge of the salon industry make a terrific beginning for your entry into the world of hair and beauty care.

Always try to promote the professional image of the salon industry.

Successful stylists promote other stylists as the professionals they are. Remember, you are entering an exciting career field, with many opportunities. Successful stylists with good reputations can expand their careers and become hair and make-up artists for movie and production companies, TV shows, modeling location shoots, platform work at hair shows and other entertainment opportunities. And it all starts with acting and looking professional!

Knowing how to talk and relate to people is an important talent for the successful stylist.

You must be able to understand your clients' wishes and needs and be able to deliver a realistic result in whatever service you provide. Never promise anything you cannot deliver to your clients ... which means, "Don't promise miracles to them!" Your clients will value your honesty and candor with them.

A successful stylist cooperates with his or her co-workers within the salon.

Treat one another with great respect and you'll earn respect in the process. If you have some free time, offer to help an over-booked stylist by shampooing her client, taking down a perm or even sweeping up hair from the floor. You'll soon be highly regarded not only by your clients, but by your co-workers and salon manager, too.