Beauty, Business, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized

Do you want a sale or a customer?

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Customer service. A term that we all know, a term we have all heard, a term we have all been taught. Unfortunately, as of late, a term many are not utilizing to their full potential, if at all.

It happened again today. I had a customer come into the shop and when I asked her “can I help you find what you are looking for?” it was met with a scowl and a snap of “I’ll let you know. Can’t I just look around?”. I have heard this many times and just let it roll off my back, nine out of ten times it has nothing to do with my question. After a few minutes I said “Just so you know, if you can’t find what you are looking for, many companies changed their packaging this year. Let me know if you need some help.”. She was quite happy with what I had told her. You see, she was looking for a KMS product and her stylist said it was discontinued. It wasn’t discontinued, the packaging changed and they renamed the product – KMS Flat Out anti humidity seal is now KMS HairStay anti humidity seal. She was over the moon with excitement. We got to talking about product and she ended up apologizing for her response to my greeting, telling me “I’m not used to getting service and dealing with someone who knows what they are talking about.”. I thanked her and told her not to worry about it, I know just how she feels.

You see, I am not only the manager of our retail/salon, I am also a customer. I am a customer of our distributors and manufacturers and I know how frustrating it can be when you are not being listened to or given the proper information about the product you have purchased. In my opinion (you know I have to give it), in business, it all comes down to customer service. The better the customer service the more business you will receive. Personally, when we need a product at our shop, the owner and I tend to buy from the company that offers us the best customer service and support. Back to the tale at hand.

After speaking with my customer about her hair, I found out that it was over processed at her last appointment at her salon and she wasn’t happy at all. So I gave her a few samples of the Kpak Revitaluxe treatment to try and let her know that it would help her hair look and feel better and would help repair some of the damage. I asked her what she wanted her hair to look like. I asked her what products she used at home. I asked if she liked to blow dry or air dry her hair. She laughed and said I asked more questions than her stylist. I told her that was my job, to help her find what she needed so she could do her hair and like the results. I asked a few questions and showed honest interest in her and ended up selling three products and she left smiling and hopeful, and with our Salon price list.

Take the time with your customers. Customer service isn’t just about making the sale. It is about building a relationship with your customer/client. If you build a relationship and trust, not only will you have a sale, you will have a customer.

Beauty, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women

What is your lesson for today?

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As I was sipping on my morning coffee, scrolling through my Twitter feed to check the goings on of the world according to Twitter, I couldn’t believe all the negativity and insult. Yeah, I am forty years old and I am still amazed on a daily basis how immature and mean and down right stupid some people and their behavior can be.

Not to get all political, but the feeling is there and I gotta say it. “Anti-Bullying” and “Zero Tolerance” – two terms that I personally think hold no water. Why you ask? Look around…the problem is bigger than ever. In my life I have been bullied. In my daughters life, she has been bullied and at one point almost pressured into being a bully herself until she realized what was going on, came home and talked to me about it…that was a fun conversation. Long story short – her conscience kicked in, she owned up to it to me, her mother (the scariest thing for a kid to do) and apologized to her friend.

What I am getting at is this. Everyday, seriously, EVERYDAY I see or hear grown women being a bully, in front of or directed at their kids. Case and point;

– Mother and daughter come into the shop wanting to return a flat iron, with no box and no receipt. I explain that I need the receipt for proof of purchase and the manufacturer’s warranty states that we need the box as well. The mother, in front of her daughter, leans over the counter, yells “what the F*&! is your problem, just take it back!” and then throws it at me.

– Mother and daughter come in the shop and the mother says, out loud, with other customers around “Look at her hair! It is so oily and gross!”. Nice.

– A woman comes into the store, complaining that her “fat, lazy kids can’t even buy their own hairspray.”. Mother of the year right there folks.

– Mother and daughter refer to each other as “stupid” and “idiot”. Guess I should be more up to date on the newest trending names.

– A woman calls me a “stupid liar” when I say I don’t have the product she is looking for. Tells her daughter, in front of me “sales people are assholes”. When she realizes she is in the wrong store, instead of apologizing, she tugs on her child’s arm, and pulls them out of the store yelling “Why didn’t you tell me we were in the wrong store?”. – my guess…they didn’t want to mess with crazy.

My all time favorite is when people use the phone/Facebook/texting or Twitter as their shield of bravery. The way I see it, if you won’t say it to someone’s face – you probably shouldn’t say it at all. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and from what I see and hear there are a lot of ’em out there. Everyone is also entitled not to listen to an opinion. It is time to grow up a little. It is time to be the grown ups, it is time to be the parent to our kids not their friends. We can be their friends when they are 18. How do you expect your kids to be kind and not be a bully when they see you scream at a perfect stranger, or hear you call a salesperson an asshole? How do you expect them to say a kind word when they have never heard one.

Seriously, does it really matter in your daily life if you don’t agree with the new book a celebrity wrote? If it does, you need a new hobby, I hear knitting is fun. If you don’t like someone’s tweets…un-follow them. Don’t like their face on Facebook…unfriend them. If you don’t like it, don’t look.

When a child is born, they don’t know what kindness is, someone has to teach them. A child doesn’t know what a bully is or how to be one. Someone has to teach them. What lesson are you going to teach today?

Beauty, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women

Stuart Smalley may have been on to something…

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I am sure after reading some of my blogs some of you are thinking “what’s up with that girl in the red coat? I thought this was supposed to be a blog about  beauty and salon tales.”. We my lovelies, it is. As I have stated before, there is more to beauty than flat irons and hairsprays…although they can be quite helpful. Everyday I see all sides of beauty, from a woman walking in with a bad hair cut which one of our talented stylists transforms into a great cut, to a woman stepping over our threshold in search of herself…someone she lost somewhere along the way and together we find her. I am also a witness to some of the greatest stories and achievements. I love hearing great news or exciting happenings in the lives of our customers and clients and in some circumstances, it seems I am the only one.

You see, as I learned the hard way, not everyone is happy for you when something good happens to you. I know how down right devastating it is to open up to someone and share something that is so exciting for you just to have them either put you down, laugh at you or (the worst of all) not respond at all. So I make it a point to be excited for any news – be it that you found $20.00 on your way in to my shop, that you lost 5 pounds or that you are going after your dream – even if that dream is clown college.

We all love attention. We all want recognition. We all deserve these things and we can have them. You wanna know how? Give them to yourself. If you wait for everyone to tell you how awesome you are or how terrific your new cut looks or how great you look in your new size 6’s…you are gonna be waiting a long time. Be happy with yourself, get excited for yourself, hell, throw a party for yourself. Not to get all Stuart Smalley “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and, doggonnit, people like me.” but seriously, once you celebrate yourself, people will be drawn into your life that want to raise you up and keep you there and those who didn’t care to notice you will fade into the shadows.

When someone shares their story, listen to them. When someone is excited, be excited for them. When someone is happy, be happy for them. Plain and simple.

 

Beauty, Business, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women, writing

No, I don’t want to tend the rabbits

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Ahhh, that all too familiar chirp of the door chime of my shop. A woman comes in and I ask her if I can give her a hand finding what she needs. She tells me “I am looking for a good conditioning treatment.”. So, I show her the Joico Kpak Revitaluxe. I admit that it is one of my favorites and tell her that everyone that has tried a sample has come back to buy it and I offer her a free sample. After explaining how it restores the porosity of the hair, she asks me “So, are you a stylist?”. “No, I am the manager and I have…” this is when I am spoken over with the all too familiar “Hmmppt…well if you are not a stylist, how can you know anything?” What I want to say is “well…hooked on phonics done worked for me and I done taught meself to read!”. Alas, that doesn’t happen. What happens is I smile, take a breath and explain that I have been in the beauty biz for over 10 years and in customer service for over 20 years. I explain that I have been to every product knowledge class and that I run the store, so I make sure I know everything about what I sell. She still looks at me like I am Forrest Gump or seems to wait for me to start talking about “tending the rabbits”.

Yes, it’s true. I am not a stylist. I am not an aesthetician. I am not a university graduate. What I am is intelligent, articulate, kind and one hell of a sales person and manager. Yeah, I said it. Muhammad Ali said it best “It ain’t braggin’ if you can back it up”, and I can back it up. Don’t get me wrong. I am  a firm believer of furthering one’s education. Some times life gets in the way and some of us aren’t able to go to college or university. That doesn’t mean that we are any less intelligent or capable as our post secondary peers. That being said, I also believe in educating yourself, about yourself. Finding out who you are and what you like, not what everyone expects you to be or what you “should” be and what you are supposed to like.

People tend to judge quickly. Yes, I am a girl standing in a shop, that does not mean I have always been a girl standing in a shop. Also, I have chosen to be where I am today. Yes, its true. Believe it or not…some of us actually enjoy what we do for  a living. Shocking, I know. I have had many experiences, corporately trained and such…a tale for another time.

You cannot teach passion, you either have it or you don’t. If you have passion for what you do as I do, you will become an expert because you will soak up all the knowledge and facts you can like a sponge. You will be excited and in turn make others excited. I have yet to hear of a course anywhere that can teach that.

I may not be a hair stylist,  but I can still teach you a thing or two.

Beauty, Business, communication, health and wellness, Uncategorized, writing

An attack of thanks

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I live in Canada and this coming weekend is our Thanksgiving holiday. This has been an interesting week for me. You see, in 2011, on the Thanksgiving weekend, my husband had a heart attack. I was at work on the Saturday when he called to say he had come home from work early, he wasn’t feeling well. He told me how he was feeling and I told him to get to the hospital and  would meet him there. Thankfully my mother lives down the street so she drove him and kept a loving watch over our daughter. After I called my boss who told me “close the shop…don’t worry about it.” a woman walked in the shop saying she was looking for a blow dryer. I told her I was closing up because my husband was on the way to the hospital, “It looks like a heart attack” I said, to which she responded “So you’re not gonna sell me a blow dryer?” I shit you not. That is what she said. I told her to get the hell out. It just came out. All I could think of was my husband, my daughter, my life, the feeling of my husband hugging me, the way his hand looked and felt in mine and I needed to get to him. As she left the store she shook her hands at her husband saying “she won’t sell me a hair dryer!”. Wow.

Long story short, no damage was done to the heart muscle, hubby had an angioplasty done. Seems his D2 artery was malformed from birth, hence the heart attack. Eight days later my Dad had a heart attack. He had an extra artery that was blocked. Again, no damage to the heart muscle. Those two, always competing for my attention.

So, as I said earlier, it’s been a strange week for me. As strange as this sounds, I am thankful for all of it, the heart attacks, the rude customer, all of it. Because of my experience with the doctor’s and the hospitals, I was able to help my mother, I could honestly say “I understand.”. I was reminded of all the reasons I love my husband. I remembered all the special memories of my father, things I hadn’t thought of in decades. I was able to show my daughter strength and how to look fear in the eye and kick it’s ass. I am thankful for such an understanding boss and the support of the best Salon team in existence. I am thankful for the “blow dryer rant” for now I am able to deal with crazy, rude customers…it just rolls of my back.

What I am getting at is this. Don’t wait until the Thanksgiving holiday to be thankful for what you have. No, I am not having an Oprah “AHA” moment and no, I haven’t found my savior…it is the right thing to do, plain and simple. Live your life, love your family and yourself, do what is best for you and your loved ones,hug your children, visit your parents, laugh every day. Oh…and it won’t kill you to wait for a blow dryer…trust me.

 

Beauty, communication, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women

A work in progress

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Nobody’s perfect. Everyone has issues on a daily basis. Those who say they don’t are either lying or they are on a heavy dose of something ending in “zac” or enjoy a bottle or four of Merlot. Being in the beauty industry and managing a Salon/retail shop, I see a lot. I see the good, the bad and the ugly and I’m not talking about the hairstyles and dye jobs (although some are quite interesting) – I’m talking about how people talk to each other and how they treat each other.

Not to sound all Mary Poppins or Mother Theresa (take your pick), it’s time to grow up and be nice. Seriously, it’s that simple. We all have issues, we all have family torment, we all have an ill family member, we all have insecurities, we all have bad hair days and don’t want to open the bathroom door. When you see someone struggling with their life, don’t go and point out their short comings, believe me, they are quite aware of them. How about giving them a compliment or telling them a joke or bringing them a coffee. Hell, send them a text or a tweet saying “Hey”. Sometimes one kind word out of the blue can make or break their day.

We are all a work in progress. I just had my daughter help me with some photos and after I said “Should I have more make up on?” to which she gasped. “See” I told her “everyone has issues. It’s okay.”. We all have our demons that we battle on a daily basis. Maybe your demon is that package of Oreo’s in the pantry, maybe it’s that NEED for the newest nail polish collection or maybe your demon is pain killers or self mutilation. The way I see it, a demon is a demon and no one’s personal struggle and daily fight is worse or better than anyone else’s…a struggle is a struggle.

Be kind. Your kindness could be the only glimmer of hope someone will see today.

 

 

Beauty, Business, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women

What are you so scared of?

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Today’s tale is for all the stylists out there. Not a stylist? You may continue reading, you may even end up telling your stylist about this blog. It could help her be a better stylist and help you and her other clients like their hair for more than two days after the appointment.

You see, most Salon’s do not put any energy or focus into their retail. Retail meaning selling the products that they use during their services, be it a pomade or a flat iron. Everyday, and I mean everyday I have women coming into our shop saying the exact same thing… “I just had my hair done a few days ago and it looked great but now look at it!!! I don’t know what she (meaning the stylist) used and I can’t do my hair.”. So, this is wear my rendition of 20 questions begins. “What shape was the bottle she used?”. “What color was the bottle?”. “Did it foam up or did it look creamy?”. You get the point.

Something I cannot wrap my head around is this. A stylist has no problem telling their client that their service will cost $185.00 but they cannot muster up the courage to ask the client if she would like to purchase the mousse that was just put into her hair for $10.95. Seriously?!? It’s a win win. The client will be able to achieve the look you have just given them and the time in between each visit, your client will be happy with her hair and in turn with you, her stylist.

I have compiled a little list for all you stylists out there of what a client sitting in your chair should never hear. I mean NEVER.

– when your client asks “What’s that your using?” DO NOT answer “Oh, just some free stuff from my rep.”. Tell her what it is, tell her how to use it, offer to her that she can buy some on her way out.

– after finishing your color service and your client asks “What shampoo should I use?” DO NOT say “Oh, just pick something up at the drugstore”. – Are you crazy? Anything but professional shampoo could fade her color and make her hair look dull and lifeless – and guess what? When that happens she isn’t going to blame the shampoo – she’s gonna blame you.

– when your client asks about flat irons DO NOT answer her with “Oh…these are for professionals only” – come on…it’s not brain surgery…if you can iron a shirt, you can use a flat iron. Besides, it sounds a little rude and kind of belittles your client.

– if your client is currently using a professional hair care line that you do not carry, do not tell her “Oh, that line is crap!”. Now you have not only made yourself look stupid, you have insulted your client. Instead, compliment her choice and offer something similar that you carry. If you are not familiar with the line she uses, keep your mouth shut and after she leaves hop on Google and educate yourself.

If you decide to sell retail (which you should), sell the client the proper product, not the one with the highest commission or profit margin. Greedy will get you nowhere FAST. Think about it, would you like to be sold something that isn’t what you need just so the salesman gets a spiff? (Spiffs are when product has a higher commission put on it because the product needs to be sold).

All the manufacturer’s from A-G to Sebastian offer free product knowledge training for all salon employee’s. They offer awesome promo’s for your stylists and your customers. I have had many of the companies give me free product for a gift basket that my shop either puts in a monthly draw or offers as a donation for local charities.

In recent years the shampoos, conditioners and styling products at the drug stores and department stores have increased their prices and quite honestly, when they are not on sale, they are only $1.00 – $3.00 less than professional salon products. I believe our clients and customers deserve to have a good hair day everyday.

What about you?

Beauty, Business, communication, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized

The Replacements

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***Original post from September 2012 – Updated for your viewing and hair pleasure August 2016!

 

We have all been there. We have all been her. We have all been the consumer who waltzes into the Salon and heads over to our favorite shelf that holds our most precious product only to drop slowly to our knees while we wail “…They…discontinued…my…hairspray!!!”. For a moment, the Salon falls silent, not in shock but in respect of the loss.

Unfortunately most companies decide to revamp their lines and their products and don’t let the Salon owners, stylists or the public at large know that they are doing so and leave us all hanging, wondering “Does it still exist? Is it in a different bottle? Does it have another name?”.  KMS California is not such a company. In the last year they revamped their line and discontinued some products – put down the torches and pitchforks people, take a breath. KMS California thought of those of us who do not wear waterproof mascara and gave a detailed description of what products are no longer with us and which products would be a suitable replacement. So, since I have it, I thought you would like it too and being me, I have compiled a list for you.

That Girl in the Red Coat KMS

 

– If you were using Hairstay Sculpting lotion – try Curl Up perfecting lotion

– If you were using Hairstay Quick finishspray – try Hair Stay medium hold or Hair Stay maximum hold spray

– If you were using Hairplay Soft wax or Hairplay Hard wax – try Hair Play Design wax

– If you were using Hairplay Texture blast – try Add Volume Root and body lift

– If you were using Silksheen Shaping creme – try Tame Frizz smoothing lotion or taming creme

– If you were using SilkSheen Silk treatment – try Moist Repair Therapy treatment

– If you were using Silksheen Therapy plus – try Tame Frizz de-frizz oil

– If you were using Silksheen Gloss Spray – try Hairstay Anti-Humidity seal **AWESOME

– If you were using AddVolume Gel conditioner – try Add Volume Body build detangler

– If you were using AddVolume Blow dry lotion – try Add Volume volumizing spray or Hair Play messing creme

The complete FlatOut line was discontinued and replaced with the FreeShape line – it does everything the FlatOut line did and more! Here are the big movers from FreeShape at our shop.

FlatOutHot pressed spray – now FreeShape Hot flex spray

FlatOut Anti-Humidity seal – now FreeShape Anti-Humidity seal

FlatOut Straightening creme – now FreeShape Hot flex creme

Some products have not changed….the bottle is just another color and their name has changed…

So there you are. You can wipe away the tears. You can calm down. KMS California has thought of you, the Salon owner, the stylist, the consumer.

 

–

Beauty, communication, Fashion, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized, Women, writing

Purge the Vanity

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So, there I was, going through my closet seeing what still fits, what I still like and what I am ready to part with. Fall is upon us and as with any season change I find myself scouring the bible for fashion ideas…the bible being the September issue of Vogue. I don’t know if turning forty has anything to do with this but I have no need to hold onto anything that does not bring me happiness. Maybe it was my husband and my father having a heart attack 8 days apart last October. Maybe it’s both. Anyways, I found myself looking at sweaters that I have had for over 4 years and wondering “what the hell was I thinking?” and then realizing it wasn’t me thinking, it was whomever I was shopping with that particular day and listening to what they thought was right for me instead of what I thought was right for me. Which got me to thinking about my vanity and all the products that I bought because of the same reason I own a sweater that makes by breasts look so big that Dolly Parton would blush. (trust me…it’s not pretty…even my husband looked on in horror and my daughter ran out of the room screaming).

I know you have all read about or heard of cleaning out your closet. I think it is time for a new tradition…clean out your vanity and rid yourself of any product that doesn’t bring you happiness. You know the products I am talking about…

– that facial cream that your mother gave you – the one that every time you unscrew the lid you hear your mother saying “hopefully this will make you look less tired.”

– that organic deodorant that promised all day odorless freshness and you ended up smelling like the onion ring guy at the county fair.

– that eye cream that promised to eliminate the dark circles under your eyes and it did…and it also puffed them up so much you looked like you went a few rounds with Apollo Creed.

– that waterproof mascara that took 20 make up remover wipes, 30 baby wipes, baby oil, soap and 25 minutes each eye to remove.

– those “all day freshness” panty liners  – the only thing they kept fresh was your anger each time they stuck to your pants or your butt…yeah, I said it. We all know it happens.

– the lipstick that your best friend told you to buy so you would look “hot” for the guy you wanted to impress at the party…the same guy she took home.

– the mousse that your so called “friend” told you would be good to use so your hair would be so big that no one would notice your butt. (personal experience with that one…I heard she now lives in a trailer with 10 kids…that’s what I heard).

– the baby blue eye shadow. Enough said.

– the banana clip from 9th. grade. I know it’s painful…it is time to let it go.

What I am getting at is this…be happy. Set up your life so you can smile, not wince. When putting on face cream you should hear nothing but your own inner voice saying how beautiful you are. When putting on lipstick the only thought going through your head is “I like this color”. Take a look at what is residing in your vanity cupboards and drawers. When you hold the product in your hand – if it makes you anything but happy – throw it away, or give it to a friend who may want it.

Make it a point of your bedtime ritual to put the negative to rest as well.

Beauty, Business, communication, entertainment, Hair Care, health and wellness, Uncategorized

Tales of Truth…Part 6

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Ladies and gents, it’s that time again…tales of truth. To be clear, yes all the following events have happened to me personally, and no I don’t make these things up…sometimes, more than you know, I wish I did. I checked the calender and the full moon will not be upon us until the 29th. this month so I can only imagine what may be in store in the coming weeks. (By the way…most of the following events happened in one day. Yep. One day…yesterday. It was raining all day so if this is what rainy day people are like guess who will never live in Seattle.)

– Arrived at work by 8:45 a.m.. First phone call of the morning – A customer had shopped at the pet store next to our shop on the weekend  and bought a light bulb there. Then she came into our shop  and my ptg (part time girl) offered to put the light bulb in her bag. I guess once she get home the light bulb was missing. She called to ask if we had it. I told her we did not. I checked our lost and found and it was not there. She proceeded to tell me “well, it’s not in my car. It’s not in my bag. It’s not anywhere to be found.”. I told her that I didn’t have it either. She had a hard time accepting this…again with the Dr. Suess rendition of where is my light bulb. To be clear…we offer many services at our shop/salon…holding light bulbs hostage is not one of them.

– I live in Canada and the Ontario government makes me charge HST on products. I had a customer yell at me about the HST. Not about the government making me charge the tax, that I personally charge the tax and that I am not being fair to the consumer. Did I mention that is now only 9:45 a.m.?

– A woman got quite angry with me, her hands were shaking like she had just found her savior, because Goldwell had changed their packaging and reformulated the mousse she liked. It is now 10:15 a.m..

– At my shop, some of my distributor’s are kind enough to offer us a discount, and we like to pass the savings along to our clients/customers, so our prices tend to be about 10 -15 % lower than at other Salons. I had a woman get mad at me because our prices were lower than at her Salon and I couldn’t tell her why they don’t offer a discount. Time – 11:30 a.m..

– A woman wanted a new hairspray and I asked her what kind of hold does she like, to which she responded “What does that have to do with anything? I am looking for hairspray!”. Give it a minute….there you go. (She was thinking I meant another kind of holding I guess…that stuff is sold across the street).

So, to be clear…I will not hold a light bulb hostage, I did not make the decision to charge HST tax, I didn’t tell Goldwell to change their products or packaging, I do not know why other Salons do not help their clients/customers save money and  the only hold I am interested in is the hold of hairspray.