Always greet your client with a nice smile and a relaxed confident, happy manner.
If it is the first time that you are meeting her, you only have a few seconds to form a lasting impression so make sure you “wow” her with your pizzazz. The general public forms an opinion based on someone’s looks within seven to twenty seconds. Even if it is your third time meeting the client, you should still treat her like she is your only client.
Become an actor in your environment and set the performance for each client that walks onto your stage. The most successful service technicians are ones that do this. They recognize that their personal problems have to be left at home and the stage has to be set and ready for action each time an existing or new client comes to you for a service. I admit this can be tiring and sometimes by the end of the day our faces are so transfixed into this permanent wedged Wallace and Gromit smile where our jaw line feels like it will never fall back into place again easily, but as part of our profession we always have to keep on smiling.
The general public judges others based on looks, body language and attitude more than anything else. You have one chance to create a long lasting impression, so the rule as always is dress for success. Your appearance reflects how you feel about yourself, so you should be clean and very professional and your hair tied off your face if you have long hair. There should not be a trace of spinach in your teeth as, hopefully, you will have freshened up, and your smile should dazzle her to show her your true brilliance!
While we are on the subject of teeth, if you are a smoker it is strongly advisable to visit your dentist regularly. There is nothing worse than coming face to face with a person and their breath smells like they have had camel dung sandwich for lunch. So regardless of whether you smoke, or indulge in lots of garlic, keep a spare toothbrush at work with you to avoid any embarrassing halitosis moments!
An old beauty school teacher of mine once told us in class that most clients who visit salons or spas are spending at least $50 each visit, so, at the very least, you should look like you have spent at least that amount on yourself. Competition is very close to home. Winning your clients over within the first twenty seconds is crucial. We don’t always get a second chance.
I have always found in the past that when I was wearing a nice, classy uniform for work, or an eye-catching ‘sassy’ apron, that during my down time from clients, I would get asked where did I work? What did I do there? So, in your down time in between appointments, head to the grocery store to pick up your lunch or pop into your nearby coffee place and let people start the conversation with you. This will then give you the opportunity to hand out your business cards and network. This is a really good idea for the ‘shy’ aesthetician, who isn’t great at marketing herself. Sell yourself by the way that you dress and have them approach you. You never know, you might get a date out of it too!
If your client enters the salon and you roll your eyes because the magazine that you were reading was at a juicy point and then you reluctantly throw your magazine down and, like a limp fish, shake her hand (if she is even lucky enough to get a handshake) and then mumble under your breath the introduction, you will have created an impression. The impression would have been “You are not that into your job, you don’t care about her, and your magazine is way more interesting than what she is.” Good job, sister!!
You must look at every client that walks through your door as your ideal client and treat them as such. Never make them feel that they are an interruption to your day or a big fat inconvenience. People who walk through your door are a word-of-mouth machine that can spread the word about your location, good or bad. At every point of engagement with your clients, you are essentially marketing your business...................