Introduction
Barbering is one of the common and popular customer service professions. This is because everyone is concerned about their looks, and to look great, hairstyles are essential. To make a man or woman's hair look well managed and trimmed, barbing is a must. Even though many people have looked for ways to style and cut their own hair in the world today, visiting a barber isn't outdated, and it is the best form of hairstyling.
To be sincere, if you are a barber, it is not an easy job. Due to the exactness and precision, messing up an inch of your clients' hair can ruin the entire look. Despite the daunting task involved in barbering, it is still one of the well-appreciated professions in our world today. Some qualities can make you the best barber in your environment; the qualities involve accurate perfection, understanding your client's preferences, and mastering finishing touches. However, there are some mistakes that even the best barber can make, and this will definitely affect their business. So, if you are passionate about having the best barbering experience and avoiding any mistakes, then this video course is for you.
How to Avoid Common Mistakes Barbers Make
Know You're Selling Your Time
One of the vital mistakes you need to avoid as a barber is that you are selling your time. To be successful in any business in the world we are in today; you need to be in control of selling your time. The scarcest resource for you as a barber is your time. So how you manage your time daily is the number one predictor of your success as a barber. These are some of the ways you sell yourself and your time.
Don't be afraid to say "no" when necessary.
In most cases, barbers usually think about what they should be doing with their time but forget to ask themselves what they shouldn't be doing with their time. When I first started as a barber, this happened to me a lot. I focus on what matters while not considering what doesn't matter. So as barbers, we usually feel pressured by different people to say "yes" to different tasks, but some tasks are just time wasters.
To move forward as a barber, you need to be good at telling people "no" to unnecessary tasks. By doing this, you are selling your time the right way. Also, ensure you are saying "no" the right way but be sure you are saying "no" to anything that does not add value to you and does not make you money.
Disqualify tire-kickers.
Contrary to popular belief, barbers must persuade prospects to work with and convince them how positive their haircut will add to their lives. But this is not always through. You need to disqualify people who aren't interested in your business from the beginning.
Based on my years of experience, 50% of prospects will never do business with you. Don't be uncomfortable with that. Own the number of customers that come to you. Removing people who are not valuable from your way will make you more efficient with selling your time and save you from headaches from tire tickers.
Value Yourself
As a barber, it may be impossible to understand the value of what you have, which is a great mistake for the success of your business. While barbering is a service and serving your client is your priority, you also need to begin your career clearly. That brings you talents and skills that want you to bring value into their lives.
When I started out as a barber, I was contacted for a barbing job I had no interest in. The prospect asked for my rate, and I threw out a huge amount beyond my usual rate to the prospect just to get the deal off my back. After a few seconds and without hesitation, the prospect accepted the rate. That was when I realized I had been undervaluing my work and myself. It later turns out to me that most barbers sell themselves short.
There are some reasons why we sell our work less than its worth, and that is because we live in a world where the comparison of one business to another affects entrepreneurship. To avoid this mistake in your barbering career, you need to understand that working with your hands, learning, and developing your skills is essential. If the state, city, or community you find yourself in doesn't value you, you should consider that you are a skilled craftsman and woman. The fact is that you will never be valued until you value yourself. Also, to make people look good and to make them feel served, you need to present yourself as an expert.
Valuing your work and yourself can be simple just by saying but difficult in reality. When you think of your service, building it, selling it, and valuing it, you need to put yourself in the equation. Self-image is everything in life. If you are going to be successful in the barbering industry, you need to dedicate yourself to honing your skills and improving them so that even if anyone looks down on your profession, you look at yourself as the best.
Also, the value of your price should be based on the value of the service you render and not the volume of effort. To determine this value, you can try by asking your customer how much they value your service but know they don't have a better idea than you do. You are only asking them to know how much they will pay. Using this strategy may even make them pay more than what you expected.
There is a saying that "no amount of money is too much for your service as an entrepreneur." So when you ask them the question of how much your service is worth, keep in mind that your customers may tell you a minimum amount of money. If it is an amount that doesn't fit your expectations, don't go for it. Because this is the beginning of failure as an entrepreneur.
Quality vs. Quality
Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a perfect haircut. For a business that is just starting up, the path to success lies in rendering quality service to customers. So as a barber, you should run after quality and not quality.
When I was in training, learning to be a master barber always reminded me that perfection isn't necessary to be a professional barber. So as a barber, the way you handle your business, speaks and determines how you attract customers. The sustainability and performance of your barbing skill depend on the quality of services you render.
Ask yourself these questions: Do you prefer a business with a wide range of services and low quality or a business with a small range of services with excellent quality. It is obvious that you will prefer the latter over the former because quality will be of great benefit to your business while quantity will reduce your value.
The key point is that developing a notion that focuses on quality is what will bring success to your business. Huge customers will bring instant gratification to your business, but quality customers and quality services always matter. Quantity or fake customers are the real problems of most barbing. In today's business world, many businesses are with fake customers and followers on social media just to make customers think they are doing well, but in the long run, the secret will be revealed.
Quality wins over quantity vs. quality in a business, especially barbing. Here's how:
Followers & Sustainability
When you focus on rendering the quality of your barbing service to your customers, you are bound to stand out in the business world. With time, having fake numbers of followers will not help your barbing business. Only focus on real customers that want your service, and this can only happen by providing a quality service. Barbing is not a number's game. To become sustainable in the barbering industry, you need to offer quality service.
Profits & Revenue
Based on my years of experience in marketing, I've discovered that even customers prefer quality-centered brands. When customers are happy with your service quality, they will act as physical and online advertisements for your barbing brand. This will in return, boost your sales and revenue. Also, suppose customers notice the quantity in your business or are not satisfied with the quality of your product. In that case, they will never recommend your barbershop to someone, which will definitely affect your revenue.
Customer satisfaction and loyalty
In all businesses, the greatest triumph is loyal and satisfied customers. This is because satisfied customers will make your brand rank at the top. So as a barber, if you start to focus on quality over quantity, you will enjoy the benefit.
The success of a business
As a barber, you also need to understand that the success of your brand is directly proportional to quality. Satisfied customers will yield high returns to your barbing brand and define your success. In every business, quality is more important than quantity. This also has a huge impact on your team of workers as barbers. Working on quality service requires proper planning, resulting in a successful business and team.
How to organize your business
I wish someone had told me when I started my barbering career to consider legal entities. When I started, I was just me: Mitchell T. Palmer - Licensed to provide barbering services - Using my social security numbers as my identification number without any business structure. But over the years, I've learned how legal entities are important to every barbing brand. I've heard about some types of legal entities like LLC, S-Corporation, C-Corporation, and sole proprietors. These types given are not an exhaustive list. Remember that I am only a licensed and experienced barber, not a licensed accountant or lawyer. So you can look out for other legal entities or ask some barbers who are already in the business.
No one can choose the best legal entity for you when it comes to legal entities. So don't use the words of any barber for it when it comes to legal entities; just make your decision. As a barber, it is beneficial to go for a legal entity due to these reasons;
Liability Protection
A proper legal entity is popularly recognized as a separate legal entity, and as a barber, you are responsible for the entity's liability and obligations.
Tax Savings
When you go for a legal entity, you will be allowed to deduct any pre-tax expenses and write off any business expenses. However, you will also enjoy passing through taxation, thereby not incurring additional tax liability. It will greatly benefit your business by allowing you to save tax and use it for something profitable.
Credibility
A legal entity allows your customers and all third parties to feel more secure styling their hair with you as an established entity rather than a sole proprietorship.
Formality
Doing barbing business as a legal entity will allow you the needed formality in management, banking aspects, and operations. It helps to reduce problems related to business matters and accounts.
Perpetual Duration
A legal entity has a perpetual duration. So incorporating it into your barbing business allows it to exist and conduct barbing work beyond your illness or any unexpected death as the owner.
Control Over the Transfer of Ownership
The ownership interest can be easily transferred when you have a legal entity incorporated into your barbing business. If this is not done, you may be limited to carrying out some tasks as the owner, such as sales of ownership interest.
Customer Service
The need to be able to relate with people of different backgrounds and personalities as a barber is important. Over the years, I've worked with barbers who frequently admit that they don't like people, but I don't find it easy to understand this sentiment because I enjoy people and find joy in relating with and meeting new people. So as a barber, you need to have a deep interest in people and never say you don't like people because this will determine the success of your barbing brand.
As a barbershop owner, who wants to avoid any mistakes, it is no secret that you have a lot of work to do. This is because you have constant crunching numbers, work with barbers, be a good boss, make your team happy, and ensure you are up-to-date with the greatest barbering trend. But now, I want you to take a second and slow your roll and ask yourself the most important question; are your customers satisfied?
If you can't answer this question with a 100% yes, then some things aren't right. This question is a must-ask because this will definitely affect your entire barbing business. Know that you are not an artist that runs a gallery. You are a barber that needs to relate with people by providing the best customer service.
That's why I've come up with some barbering tips to ensure that customer service and satisfaction are at the center of your barbering business. Here in this course are some of the ways to increase your customer service.
Think About a Loyalty Program
This is one of the easiest ways to increase the satisfaction level of your customers. This is not magic and can't be gotten within a few days. It requires commitment and hard work. The loyalty program has worked well for me because the program is designed to make your customers feel respected and valued. And this is an integral piece of the customer service and satisfaction puzzle.
Every customer wants to feel important; they want to feel like you know their value and want you to reciprocate beyond giving them a great haircut. When a loyalty program is done correctly, it will make your customers keep coming back for more top-notch service, and by giving them, they will be more satisfied with their experience with you. Also, note that if you are just starting up, a financial loyalty program is not a great choice, but you can do it in kind.
Get Your Employees on the Customer Satisfaction Page
If all your teams of barbers are on the same page with you, then customer satisfaction will be an easy thing for you. For your customers to feel valued, satisfied with their experience, and welcome, there must be an agreement between your staff, which must be your priority.
If your customers aren't getting the vibe from everyone in your barbershop, it will surely lead to a bad experience at your shop. Therefore, get all your barbers on board and make them understand the idea – the more you train them, the more they will understand and the more they will get better at it.
Also, remember that training is constant, just as living and breathing are important for growth, but there is a need for dedication and commitment as a leader.
Self-expectation
always have in mind that professionalism is the key to success. one piece of advice I have received over the years is to face every day of your life with confidence, do your best, never take shortcuts, and desire to learn something new. Ensure you always arrive at your barbing shop with the mindset that you will learn something new.
But if you have no mindset to learn, then end your barbering career and don't look back because wisdom demands that there is always something to learn. If you always do this, you will never go wrong. Because you will be able to learn from old and young customers, this will boost your business.
Embark on the Customer Experience
This is very important to give the best customer experience. Embark on customer experience yourself as a barber. Act a customer a day and go through all that customers go through for you to know what they experience.
Check out if your online booking option is easy to operate. As a leading barber, try to call in for an appointment to see if your staff are polite and helpful. Look out; maybe you will be attended to and taken care of immediately when you walk into a salon.
If you do this by following all necessary steps and following up on all messages of appointment, this will help you to gain a better understanding of where you are missing it and how you can improve.
Client Expectations
Some people view professionalism as an illusion and impossible to achieve. When coming face-to-face with one, my advice is to be polite but have no time for those who view your profession this way. Regardless of the city or town you live in, life is too short to think that you must take whoever comes. Some will enjoy the work you do for them. Still, others will expect you to work too hard for what they pay. The final group comprises people who will expect you to work hard. At the same time, they look down on you and even abuse you verbally, mentally, emotionally, if not exactly physically.
Write them off as unworthy the first moment you see this behavior. If they do that to you now, at the outset of your career? Do you really want 20, 30, or even 40 years of that client's abuse? I submit that you do not. Customer service is defined by standing for something higher, nobler, and better. Stand up for yourself. Also, consider the other barbers and clients who you'll subject to that customer's unique form of how important he is and make the decision quickly and without hesitation. Some too many good people will value your skill and the experiences you provide.
Poll Your Customers & Listen to Feedback
At the same time, ensure you don't ignore your customers. You can separate time to chat with customers transparently to ensure they are happy and ask them what they would want you to improve and know what you are doing well.
However, go through online reviews and ask for offline feedback. Check the feedback customers and prospects are leaving about your barbing brand. Check if it is something you can do better on or if it is just criticism from your competitor. The greatest mistake you can make is to neglect customers' feedback and criticism. This will definitely affect your brand.
Don't be a boss that doesn't listen to feedback. Feedbacks are important for you to make necessary changes to ensure your customers' satisfaction is top-notch.
Remember, the Customer is Always Right
Customers are always right, but that saying is not always true but is important for your growth. We are not just going to pretend that every critique might be an unfair share from customers. Some are doing this to bring your business down.
Over the years, I've learned the secret that there are different times that your customers will be wrong, but it won't be the best decision to ensure they know it. But in most cases, your customers will always be right. Since it is a customer service and satisfaction game, you will have to swallow up pride and deal with rude customers and wrong the right way.
I'm not in any way saying you should let anyone walk over to your employees or you to harass you. When you have customers who are out of line, causing harm and are unsafe, you will need to avoid them.
It would help if you forgot that the customer is always right here. And if you are dealing with unhappy customers whose offense is only being annoying, just allow them to win.
Colleagues expectations
In life, image is everything. What you do is not as important as what you do. The professionals you are surrounded by always are the reflection of your life. The popular assumption that your reputation won't be or isn't affected by those who work with you is a mistake. I've heard it said that you could not "hang out" with your old drinking buddies if you're attempting to quit drinking. Trying to maintain a connection with your party-time friends in the hopes you can pull them out of a harmful lifestyle is a bad idea. The group never rises to the best of its members.
The mediocre or lowest always drag the best down to "their level," and you're drinking again in no time. Consider carefully who you'll work with over your career, and don't accept low-level professionalism from anyone unless you expect those bad habits to rub off on you.
Continuing Education
Barbing isn't just about incomes, revenues, and working with high-paying clients. It is also important you develop a lifestyle that will make you stand out from the people in your field of work. Concerning that, the average workday of a barbershop owner is different from an ordinary employee. So to make things work out the best, you need to spend a lot of time learning new things about your skills.
This can be an official education or getting yourself updated with the latest trend in barbering. Based on my experience, barbers who have a university degree or are addicted to learning from the internet and from people have a high chance of establishing and running a successful barbing brand.
It is also important to know that a university degree or learning doesn't guarantee your business success. What's relevant is your openness to continuous education and application in your barbering profession. Below are some of the key benefits of business owners, especially barbers, having a positive passion for learning.
Extending your knowledge of communication
Every barber needs to develop their communication style. On the other hand, it is also important that you maintain good manners in your shop environment to make you stand out as a professional in your field. For instance, you are at the threshold of your barbering career; you learn the rules of business etiquette.
However, when it comes to barbing business, always ensure you offer your customers and employees an inspiring but unusual experience. That way, you are not relying on rough communication but on your skills as a barber. Today, expertise in communication is important in business and not military authority.
So if you consider to keep learning and developing your skills, being fluent in communication will become doorways for you to earn additional income and open opportunities for you in your barbing career that will sustain you during challenging times.
To train students
The continuation of education in barbing also allows you to train students in the craft of barbering. Because before anyone is allowed legally to train people, the person has to have further knowledge and education about barbering.
Consider discovering the requirements your state or local government has for this optional avenue of income. In Utah, barbers are licensed to provide services, but an additional license is required to become an instructor.
There is an additional option available to barbers in Utah. I have been barbering for over a decade. This length of time in the industry permits me to test for the Master Educator License. The ability to teach new S Mitchell T. Palmer 60 students in the craft of barbering skills and services is a path I am just now choosing to follow. The fact that I have been licensed and practicing as a barber does not necessarily equip me with all this license knowledge. I have purchased the textbook and the exam guide, so I am well prepared when I apply to take this test. With the Master Educator license, I intend to seek out private opportunities to train barbers under an apprenticeship program.
When it comes to apprenticeship, it is handled in barbing, depending on your level. Look into the requirements for your knowledge. However, if teaching is a passion for you, the apprenticeship option is one I'd recommend for you to consider. Continuing education means never stop learning. That learning is not limited to learning to teach or train others in the craft or art of barbering.
Sharpening of Skills
Continuing education in barbing provides you the opportunity to sharpen your skills. If there are some areas of barbering you are weak in or don't understand, you can easily take classes from professionals in that field to get better at it. Even though you may practice barbering skills every day, you may have forgotten some best practices. So attending advanced courses will help you hone your skills and give you the best experience for your clients.
Conclusion
Above all, ensure your attitude is top-notch. This is important because it will affect your business growth in barbering. It will also serve you well when your interview doesn't go well with customers and if you have a troublesome client. However, learning how to adjust this attitude is important for your barbering game because your clients will notice it.
Also, keep in mind that barber mistakes happen from time to time. But all you have to do is follow the process in this video course and grow away from the mistakes. Apply what you have learned by doing things the right way.
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