Ensure training continues throughout a hairdressing career

Published 28th Mar 2013 by bathamm
Ensure training continues throughout a hairdressing career

Ronnie and team.jpg

The path to becoming a confident, skillful hairdresserdoesn't stop the minute a young hairdresser is deemed fit to run a column ofhis or her own, Ronnie Marshall is owner of Byron Hairdressing in Kirkcaldy, Fife, and an educator for L'Oréal Professionnel. Yet, sadly, all too often it seems as if both the stylist andthe boss would like to believe so. All training and mentoring grinds to astandstill, and the hairdresser is abandoned to the vagaries of businesswithout a backward glance.

But what are the repercussions of such an attitude?Ingrained bad habits can develop, confidence can wane and creativity is stifledunder the pressures of growing and sustaining that column. Passion tranformsinto an 'it's just a job' mentality, and the hunger to make people beautifuland to keep on improving as a stylist is lost.

In other sectors continuing professional development is anexpected part of the job, be it through external courses or in-house mentoring.Many top salons subscribe to this approach. But, not enough.

One of the recognised touchpoints of stylist development isthe two years immediately after graduation to a full-time column, whenconfidence can be dented, sometimes never to recover. At this point a coursespecifically for new stylists or targeted internal support can be the turningpoint.



Top tips on motivational training

1. Work on that consultation: Keep guiding new stylists onhow to talk to clients; look at scripts they can personalise; provide visualimagery they can use as a tool; role play situations and build their confidenceso they suggest changes and enhancement to even the most resistant of clients.

2. Build on what they know: They should know the classichaircuts and feel most confident about them, so use those skills and developthem further by talking about and demonstrating subtle changes and easytechniques that will enhance a haircut.

3. Talk the talk: As every experienced and successful hairdresserknows, it takes skill to keep the conversation with clients going, so work withyour young members on how to talk about the haircut and cultivate clientconfidence. Get them thinking about other subjects and how they would keep theconversation flowing. Encourage them to avoid talking about themselves toomuch, a frequent flaw in the young.

4. Colour coded: Being good at colour takes bravery andpractice. Young stylists should be encouraged to experiment and take risks withcolour on models and mannequins so they are confident doing it on clients. Themore confidence they have, the easier they will find it to introduce the ideaof colour and persuade clients to take the leap.

5. Reinforce retail: Constantly revisiting how to sell toclients gently will never be a waste of time, but it must start with knowingthe product line and understanding how to use each product. So make sure yourun regular, monthly team-building classes where young stylists are encouragedto present models just as often as your more experienced members.

bathamm

bathamm

Published 28th Mar 2013

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