You know what you want… or do you? A proper consultation is the best start to any beauty service!
Here is an interesting point recently heard in a beauty industry customer service seminar. When asked, a large number of hairdressers felt they always gave their clients a proper consultation, however, when asking their clients, they felt they did not receive one…at all! Where is the disconnect? Asking, “so what are we doing today” is not a consultation. It’s taking an order, not properly servicing your client’s ongoing and ever-changing beauty needs.
What is a consultation?
In essence, a “consultation” is a professional conversation between the professional and the client that aims to manage expectations and outcomes throughout the service experience.
Here are some answers to FAQs to get the most out of your salon and spa experience:
Do I even need a consultation, if so, how often?
The answer is “yes” and every time. Now mind you, the depth and duration may change from time-to-time, but a “check in” is always good. Styles change, condition changes, seasons change, fashion changes, life changes, many things can impact not only how your hair looks, but how it functions. It is not always about whether you want to cut your hair off, but are we in “maintenance mode”, or in “restore and repair mode.” Even subtle changes may need to be addressed such as how it would look if you changed your part, or the current function of your shampoo or gel, but if they are not discussed, they can be overlooked, missing an opportunity to give you the best service.
What should I expect from a consultation?
Attention. This is about you and what you need. You should get specific questions about your hair, routine, products, skills, and expectations to name a few. Your stylist should listen as you speak. The questions should be to uncover what will look and work best for you. But you should also get professional solutions. These not only being about a cut or a color per se, but what the service will look like, how long it will take to achieve, costs, maintenance expectations, and follow up home care. You should feel confident that you have been heard and will get what was discussed in the way it was presented.
What do I bring to my consultation?
What is recommended (when possible) is to arrive with your hair in its typical styled state. This way we can see how well you do, possible style change opportunities, the condition in a relatively “normal” state, and how it looks when you have done your best. Of course, we can determine our plan of attack when your hair is in a less-than-desirable state, but if we can see a relative “normal” day for you, we can see where we can take you for the biggest “wow” factor.
Pictures are great. They are a “communication tool. They are not a menu. But we do want to see what inspires you. We suggest finding pictures with the “elements” of what you want. By this we mean finding an inspiration picture with the colors you like (and ones you may not like), the length you love (and perhaps don’t like), those bangs you have been thinking about, the layers you like, and the vibe you are going for. What will help us is if you have them saved in a spot where you can easily access them. Scrolling through a decade of thousands of photos on a phone will waste valuable technical time.
What do I say during a consultation?
You should be prompted with simple-to-answer, yet focused questions regarding your hair, routine, and likes and dislikes, and history. Some people do not know where to start or how to best communicate what they are looking for–whether through not knowing the jargon, the trends, or how to communicate what is “red” to you or “short” to you. Don’t be afraid to point where you like your layers, show us with your fingers where you want the length to fall, show us how you hold your round brush and dryer, we want to know how ever you communicate the information. That is why it is imperative that your stylist is well-versed in doing a great consultation. We will solve the mysteries and uncover solutions for you!
How much time should it take?
It should not take long. With the right questions and thoughtful answers, you can arrive at a plan in a handful of minutes. We don’t want to bash your past stylist, nor do we want that from you. It is about moving forward. A quick assessment can often tell us what we need to know, and yes, we can peek at your inspo pictures. But we want to make sure we have time to do the task at hand. So, if you feel you have a lot to say, and a lot to share, then maybe scheduling for a separate consultation may be what you need. But we get excited for a great change and fabulous visit as you do, so we want to take you there...now! We want to make sure we spend the time placing those awesome highlights in that new layered cut rather than just spend time talking about it!
If you're ready to go for your consultation visit Kenneth's Hair Salons & Day Spas or use our online booking system to schedule. You can also call 614-538-5800 and set up an appointment.
What makes us different? Kenneth’s Proprietary “Journey”
Each and every Kenneth’s technician is trained continually on the best service delivery possible by having them create our “Journey” for every client. We will ask a series of questions that will help us discover the best engagement, service plan, maintenance schedule, beauty budget, and home care regimen for you. This consists of finding out your likes and dislikes about your current style. We assess this through both verbal and visual cues. We look and we listen.
We will ask about how you maintain your hair at home. Both on the “my hair is everything” days and the “it’s a casual day, but I still want to look cute” days. Your home care regimen will change with seasons, trends, travel, and chemical/color service changes. We want to know how your beauty tools are working, or where we can step in to help.
We will share a technical plan. What we will do, how much time it will take today, the budget, future tweaks, adjustments, as well as maintenance, just so there are no secrets.
We will explore your current hydration, shine, and strength issues as well as any changes that will occur after the day’s service completion. If you blow dry your hair, use hot tools, color, perm, or foil–these will need to be addressed.
We will discuss how and when you style your hair. Do you have restrictions in your time, skill, or home care? Where can we help educate you and share our secrets? You cannot possibly have a salon-fresh look at home if you do not do or have what we use to get you there initially. But for those days when you just want to be casual or have style options, we need to discuss that as well. We will make sure you are armed with the style, skills, and products to look your best again and again.
Finally, we will recap and make sure we are all on the same page now and looking to the future. Does the time, budget, return visit, home care, etc. all sync up to a plan that meets your expectations? Are you excited? You should be!
Whether your first visit, or if you have been with us for years, we still want to check in, we still need to see if what we are doing is working–are you still thrilled, and if not, how do we get you there? A Kenneth’s consultation will eliminate the guesswork and make sure you look your best when you leave until we see you again!
Book Your Appointment Today
Ready to transform your look and find out what's right for you? Visit Kenneth's Hair Salons & Day Spas to find out how our expert stylists and technicians can help you discover the right beauty services that will make you look and feel more confident. Use our online booking system to schedule your next visit, or simply call 614-538-5800 and take the first step to unlocking the secrets to a vibrant, new you!