What is a Client Consultation

A client consultation is one of the most important processes of any business – especially as a barber or hairstylist.

 

During a client consultation, you’ll be able to gather a lot of valuable information about your client such as what they’d like to achieve, the goals for their hair, issues that they have with their hair and being able to recommend the right products and the perfect haircut.

 

Other than knowing what your client’s needs, concerns, and wants are, you’re also there to assure them that you’ll be providing them with a haircut that suits their needs and mitigates their concerns.

 

Your clients need to be able to trust you and know that they’re in capable hands.

 

If it’s your first time conducting a client consultation, or if you’re new to the hair business, it can be nerve-wrecking. Barbering is not only perfecting a great haircut and style but to be able to communicate with all people that sit in your chair.

 

To get you started, here are some tips on how to conduct an effective client consultation along with some questions that you can ask.

 

How do you conduct a client consultation?

 

There are many ways to conduct a client consultation, and it’s important you inject your flavor and style to it. After all, you’re trying to establish rapport with your client, and the last thing you need is to come across as robotic.

 

You want to be yourself as much as possible.  The people that enjoy your conversation and haircuts will always stick by your side.

 

If there are people that come by get a haircut and never come back, don’t worry we all have a certain type of person we would like to cut and style our hair. Do not take it Personal.

 

From the moment that the client steps in, you should already be communicating with them and be sure to make them feel welcome.

 

Personalize your Services

 

To personalize your service, you need to remember to use your client’s name and maintain friendly eye contact.

 

Rather than stand over your client, you may also want to sit down next to him or her to make them feel more comfortable.

 

If you’ve met the client before, you can talk about topics that may have been mentioned during their previous appointment to ease them into the haircut.

 

You should also always listen to your client’s ideas and thoughts before incorporating your own. The last thing you want is to force your opinion on them or make them feel uncomfortable.

 

Double-check that You Understand their Needs

 

During your consultation, you want to maintain eye contact and find out a little more about what they need. You should always express interest, ask questions if things aren’t clear and make suggestions once they’re finished.

 

After the consultation has been completed, make sure that you’ve understood the client’s needs and concerns. You should provide a summary to the client to ensure that you’ve got everything right.

 

This paraphrashing is the most important part of the client consultation, because it will ensure that your clients perspective is translated into your persective and then reiterrated back to them for confirmation.

 

Check out the video below to see how critical it is to ensure you paraphrase and double check with your client on what they are picturing in their head.

 

 

 

 

Once that’s confirmed, reassure them that they’ll look great and proceed to work your magic.

 

Be Attentive

 

Before you proceed to cut your client’s hair, you should ask for permission and make sure that they’re ready to continue.

 

Body language is extremely important, and so if you notice that your client is uncomfortable in any way, you should ask and adjust accordingly.  Let your clients know that at any time if they feel uncomfortable to let you know, that you are there to be at their service.

 

If they need to use the bathroom or need a drink of water during the consultation or the actual haircut, make sure they can easily let you know, for their comfort.

 

After the services have been completed, remember to thank your client, see if they would like to book before they leave the shop and you can also send them a follow-up email or thank you card.

 

If your client has made some significant changes to their hair, there’s also no harm in giving them a call and making sure that everything is under control.

 

Questions to Ask

 

If it’s your first time handling a client consultation or even if you’ve done this a million times, it’s always helpful to have a list of questions on hand that you can refer to just in case you’ve forgotten anything.

 

Try to also use open questions instead of closed questions. With closed questions, you’ll usually only get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, while open questions facilitate a more comprehensive discussion and quality feedback.

 

Below are some questions that you can ask your client:

 

1)    What hairstyle and haircut are you hoping to achieve today?

 

2)    What type of haircut appeals to you the most?  Examples:  Mid Fade, Drop Fade, Low Fade, Bald or Shadow Fade!

 

3)    Do you want to look through some haircuts together to get some ideas?

 

4)    How often do you shampoo/ blow dry/ condition your hair?

 

5)    What are some concerns that you have in regards to your hair?

 

6.  Do you want a haircut that is easy to maintain?

 

7.  Do you mind Blowdrying your hair every morning before work?

 

8.  What is your end goal for your hairstyle if you are trying to grow the top out?

 

These are just some questions to get you started; your questions should be tailored in accordance with your client’s answers.

For example, if they have short hair on top and through the client consultation questions they say they want to gow out the top, ask what their finish line haircut and style they are looking to achieve.

 

That is if they are trying to have a Spikey Hair look or a Combover.  The answer to that question will lead you into your haircut today, to see how you need to cut it.  Whether you need to start an Undercut or Fade all the way through the top.

 

Another example, if your client is coloring their hair, then you might want to ask more questions about that. If you’ve seen your client multiple times, you may also be asking questions that are a little different and tailored to their usual preferred haircut.

 

Either way, it’s essential that you pay attention to your client’s answers and take detailed mental notes of the client’s information. You want to make sure that you have a good idea of what they want, their hair type, their personality, as well as any style requirements that they might have.

 

Conclusion

 

A client consultation plays a pivotal role in providing exceptional service for your client. If you’re able to fully understand their concerns and what they’d like to achieve, you can provide the client with what they want, and they’ll leave a happy customer and return for more.

 

Barbering is more than just a great haircut and style, it is your personality blending in with the clients and achieving a great conversation and time.

 

If you have any questions about A Client Consultation, make sure you leave your comments down below or contact me personally at the About Us Page with my direct email.  Thank you!