The Mythical Client Bus

Wooo HOOO!  I'm done with beauty school, I've passed my board exam and I'm starting my first shift in the salon!!  It's so exciting!  My first paycheck is going to be HUGE!  I'll just get my station all set up before the salon opens so I'll be ready!  Ok, bring them on.... well I guess I'll just tidy the retail area while I'm waiting for clients to show up.  Maybe I'll just straighten the reception area.  UUGH!  Come on people come in already!!  Phone, please start ringing NOW!!!

If this is how you felt on your first day, you are not alone.  Many new stylists experience the same thing.   Finding and building a client base is part of your job.  It's often a requirement in chain salons.  So, how exactly do I make it happen?  The best way is often the easiest way as well.  Start out with a blank sheet of paper, divide the sheet into at least six boxes.  Inside each box number from 1-5 (you can always add more later) Lable each box with a category- friends, co workers, groups or clubs, neighbors, teachers, classmates (they should all be living) are places you can start. This is where it gets a little harder, you will need to find an address, either regular mail or email for these people.  Now that you have you list, design a post card or email that you can send to them with some kind of an offer or incentive to get them interested in coming to you.  Typically if you send out 35 emails or cards about 17 of them will either come to you for that service or give the discount to some one else.  That means you now have 17 more clients than you had when you started!!!

This brings us to the next big "secret"... what each one of those 17 clients will tell at least 3 of their friends about you, leading to potentially 3 new clients.  If you do an amazing job for those 3 new clients, they will each tell 3 more people.  Those 17 people that you sent your emails or postcards to have the potential over a year of bringing you over 2,000 new clients.

Is that all you have to do to get the client bus to show up?  Well, no.... you still have to search out and "keep selling tickets" to the client bus.  Just because you send out cards doesn't automatically mean that you will suddenly be booked.  That's where your consultation and communication skills come in. You need to keep the clients you have worked to get happy and make sure they are letting others know about you.  If they don't know that you still need clients, they won't help you get new people on your client bus.  

The mythical client bus doesn't show up just because you got your license and started in a salon, but it CAN show up if you start getting your tickets out there.  Send out post cards and emails, leave your business card when you leave a tip, maybe start a referral program as an incentive to get your steady clients to help you fill your bus even more.  The clent bus can be a myth, but with work and a little creativity you can find your very own client bus!!

Weird Words for Wigs and Hair Extensions

Weird words for wigs… vocabulary to help you navigate wigs and hair extensions

Angora- Goat fur/hair, fibers are finer than horse or yak hair, used to add bulk in full wigs or for shorter extensions, typically straight but can be permed or chemically treated to produce curl or wave and natural looking colors

Beads- Pre bonded/prepared sections of hair that are attached to guest’s natural hair in small sections to create length, add bulk or for accent color. Hair extensions are attached by clamping the weft section to the hair with a small aluminum or copper tube and crimping with a tool to secure.

Blended Real Hair- Angora, Yak and Horse hair fibers are used to create wefts or wigs; similar in texture to human hair but less expensive. Possible to color or perm, recommended to do a strand test prior to perming or coloring the hair weft/wig

Bonding- Small sections of hair or wefts are glued to guest’s natural hair, adding length, bulk, or accent to a hair design

Cap- a wig with hair that has been sewn or tied into a spandex base that completely covers guest’s scalp, offers full coverage for clients with complete baldness; often uncomfortable or heavy if guest has existing hair

Capless- a wig with hair that has been sewn or tied to spandex or elastic strips forming a base that creates the basic shape of a cap, but allows the guest’s natural hair to be incorporated into the wig for a more natural look; light weight and more realistic

Cascade- oblong base made of reinforced fabric to which hair has been sewn or tied to; attached by combs, pins or clips that adds length and curl to a design

Dart- horizontal alteration made by stylist to shorten the cap of a custom wig, stylist sews by hand, fitting the wig to the guest’s natural hairline

European hair- most expensive hair to buy, medium to fine in texture, available curly, wavy or straight, length can vary from 8-21 inches

Fall- similar to a cascade, oblong or round base made of reinforced fabric to which has hair been sewn or tied, hair is usually straight, adds length to a design

Fallen- hair that is taken from brushes or swept from floor after making initial hair wefts for extensions or wigs, cuticle may not all lay in the same direction, hair may mat or knot, least expensive type of human hair used for wefts and wigs; hair is usually coated with simethicone, paraben, guar gum or carnuba wax to prevent matting, shampooing removes coating and wig/extensions become difficult to manage. AKA- dog or doggy

Hair Piece- reinforced fabric base custom shaped and sized for guest’s need or coverage to fill in component area, smaller and more precise than a toupee

Hand tied- hair is attached manually strand by strand, to a nylon or spandex netting that forms the wig or weft base by tying, looping or crocheting hair; more precise and natural looking, most expensive wig

Horse hair- fibers from mane and tail are used for length and durability; hair is coarse, available from 6-24 inches in length

Human Hair- classified by region or nationality; Asian, European, and Indian

Indian- Human hair varying in length 16-24 inches, usually wavy, medium texture and most commonly used

J & L Color ring- hair swatches produced by major wig manufacturers allowing salon professionals to match wigs and hair pieces to client’s natural or existing hair; not as commonly used or available

Kanekolon- synthetic or plastic fiber simulating hair, available in a wide variety of colors including bright fashion shades; least expensive type of wig

Machine tied- hair is sewn into wefts with a machine to be used individually or is then sewn to a cap or attached to additional nylon or spandex bands and formed into the wig base.

Remy- hair extension wefts guaranteed to have the hair with the cuticle layers going in the same direction; price dependant on type of hair, animal, blended or human

Toupee- reinforced fabric or synthetic base customized for guest needs to which hair is tied, sewn or looped; larger than a hair piece can cover entire top of head

Track & Sew- guest’s natural hair is braided in small sections close to head creating a “track” for wefts of hair to be sewn to, creating additional length, density may be reduced; a can cause traction alopecia

Curl up 4 the food bank

Help me keep my students busy!! Every year at The School of Hairstyling, 141 E Chubbuck Road, Chubbuck ID we try to do something for our anniversary that gives back to the community. This year we are doing a perm sale and donating $1.00 for each perm done between April 3rd and April 7th 2007 to the Idaho food bank. This is our way of saying thank you to the community for supporting us, 4 years now, in our new location.

We will be doing door prizes and contests for our clients and students, I want to make this event as fun as possible, but I need help, from every one who can send some one in for a perm during our anniversary. I know every little bit helps, but I'd like to be able to give a significant amount to our foodbank since it serves so many.