Success Strategies for Stylists

If you have your heart set on establishing a career in the beauty industry, you are in for a treat. For one, it’s a business that is never boring. Although hair styles and trends in makeup come and go, there is always something new and exciting to look forward to. Second, there’s always the challenge of learning how to cope with different personalities. You might have a client with super long hair who just suffered a major heartbreak and wants to chop off all her locks. You know that with her hair texture, she would have an entire month of dealing with bad hair days – so how do you discourage her diplomatically? Or what if you’re dealing with a finicky client who said that you chopped off an inch more of her hair than what she actually told you to do? This is just one of the many scenarios that you will be dealing with.

Techniques You Can Use to Succeed as a Stylist

More importantly, as a hairstylist, you need to come up with techniques on how to climb your way from the bottom up. Whether your eventual goal is to have your very own salon or if you want to be a hairstylist for the celebrities, you can use these techniques to succeed in the business:

• Don’t hesitate to get your hands dirty.

As an entry-level salon employee, there’s no getting around to doing a bit of – or almost all of the dirty work. The senior stylists might ask you to assist with shampooing a client’s hair. Even though you already know how to cut hair with the basic styles, don’t expect to do just this or consider yourself to be above menial tasks to keep the salon tidy. It’s all part of the job and in most cases, you really have to work your way from the bottom up.

• Remember that you are in the customer service industry.

Another thig that most new stylists forget is that they are in the business of keeping customers satisfied. Styling hair is a service that you are offering to clients. Even if you made a rookie mistake of cutting an inch too short than what the client actually wants, she might forgive if you have excellent customer service skills. Learn from each customer encounter and make sure not to repeat the same mistakes in the future.

• Develop your skills along the way.

From working on the most basic haircuts, you can develop your skills in such a way that you can do more complicated styles. The same thing holds true for coloring, cutting, styling, perming, and doing other hair treatments. The more practice you get, the better you will be.

• Think about what makes you unique as a stylist.

There are some stylists who pride themselves with providing customers with the latest celebrity gossip – while others set themselves apart y knowing when to keep quiet and knowing when to exert the extra effort in keeping their clients entertained. Although it’s not your job to fill up that awkward silence with small talk, building rapport with your customer will earn you extra points.

• Make a list of your short-term and long-term goals.

Would you like to manage or put up your own salon in the future? Or are you working on entering the fashion industry or maybe work in TV or film? Making a list of your short-term and long-term goals will make them easier to achieve.

• Keep in mind that each individual has his or her own definition of success.

Finally, there are stylists who can define success by being able to provide for their own and their family’s needs, while others only consider themselves successful once they have established a brand of their own in the beauty industry. Each person has his or her own definition of success so even if a fellow stylist seems to be making much faster progress than you, remember that you can also achieve your goals in your own time.