February - Stylist and Salon Newspapers

Staying Ahead of the Curve
Blue Highways
Jerry Tyler
When the world of fashion moves, the
beauty industry moves. However, we have
three choices how fast we move.
We can “go with the flow” and move at
the same pace. Those who wish to move
with the masses and stay mainstream simply
need to keep putting one foot in front of another
and they will inevitably keep moving.
There are some who wish to merely
stand still, hoping that wherever they are,
the world as it moves will, at some point,
come back to where they are, with no effort
on their part.
Then there are those who are proactive
and use their foresight to learn new techniques
for the fashions that direct us forward.
If you are a “hands-on” professional,
you have the flexibility to stay ahead of the
curve and run ahead of the pack.
All three of the above approaches to how
we evolve do not only determine how our
action plans play out, but the rewards hat we
reap. It comes down simply whether, by virtue,
we are proactive, reactive or non-active.
We can assume the services we provide,
accompanied by the products we use, produce
the end result, our “product.”
The focus here, whether our product
is cutting edge, classic, fashion forward or
retro, requires our immediate attention with
immediate results in play. As we build our
business, one client at a time, the one with
the most clients wins, at any level of the
market from the mass market $15 haircut or
the $150 celebrity do.
As long as the satisfaction level of the
client has been exceeded by the price point
both the client wins and we win. And too
often this is where the game ends with
round two: the hope for return request visit,
a maybe.
How can we assure we can count on the
return of the satisfied guest and have enough
future clients to fill our chair for that first
taste of our talents?
This challenge goes beyond the point of
initial or future service. This requires other
techniques that, while our talent and creativity
could be considered hardware skills, the
solution to this challenge seems like software
skills.
Assuming we have the ability to wow
potential clients, we need to get our future
clientele to notice us and choose us. How
do we achieve that reality beyond wishful
thinking? And more importantly, how do
we communicate the value of our “product”
that will create a demand for our brand and
allow continued positive growth?
The key here is marketing: the branding
and promotion of your product – which is
your services and the products you provide.
There are two key areas of marketing.
Both are methods of promoting you and
your brand. The first is advertising. The
second is networking. In the past the focus of
almost all promotion of products and services
was advertising — reaching the masses
or target audience to gain their desire for the
advertised product.
This is still a viable tool in promoting
your brand but today, the emerging giant in
communication and promotion is networking.
The reason is because, while advertising
promotes ideas and products, networking
“connects” us with our desired market or
consumer as a means of communicating
directly with our intended end user.
Three primary forms of networking are:
•
•
Personal Networking
Business Networking
Social Networking
•
Personal networking is the oldest form
of connection and is still today the most
intimate. It’s the personal phone call, the
one-on-one meeting, talking to a gathering,
letting people see and feel who we are and
what we are about in a personal sense.
The positive here is with the tech-driven
age often void of human touch, personal
networking is on a primal level sealed with a
handshake or the sound of a voice. The limit
here is you can only be so many places and
with so many people at any certain time.
The next area is business networking. In
the tech-driven age there are now numerous
broad based and specific business networks
where we can connect and exchange with
endless business potentials. These can range
from Linked-In to The Beauty School
Network and Behind-the-Chair which are
beauty industry focused networks.
Social networking sites such as MySpace,
Facebook and Twitter are great social
networks where many salon professionals
post their portfolios, updates on their salons
and recent achievements in a less businesscentered
environment that is interactive and
fun. It is also a great way to reconnect with
former colleagues and get new potential
opportunities.
It is with this effective combination of
our hardware, software and high tech skills
that we can all enjoy the abundance we
deserve and guarantee our success.
Jerry Tyler’s column Blue Highways is his “Road Less Traveled” perspective
on the solutions and challenges facing the beauty industry. Jerry Tyler
has been a stylist since 1975 serving as the former artistic director for
Vidal Sassoon Academy and currently as Director of Education for Carlton
Hair salons. He is also a licensed cosmetology instructor and has served
as President of the California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology.
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