Returning to Work Post- Shutdown

First time around this shut down knocked us off our feet. It also gave us confidence in a weird way because we saw how desperate clients were to have their hair done. Returning to work in June 2019 was a whirlwind as we weren’t quite sure how long we would be open and our clients were frantic in fixing their grown out hair or home color. We also saw a huge panic amongst clients that didn’t belong to stylist before the shut down. New clients were figuratively banging down our doors to get an appointment, with no avail. Most of us broke our backs to accommodate everyone, all the while dealing with the mental and physical aftermath of inhaling chemicals again, standing on our feet for 10+ hours, bending over at the shampoo bowl, etc. After a few weeks of tears and pain, we adjusted… only to be shut down again…

Here we are facing the second return to work after another 1.5-2 month shut down. I think many of us have approached our individual situations a little differently than the first time. Many of us were still able to do house call haircuts here and there, maintaining some level of a schedule and feelings of purpose. Also, correct me if I’m wrong… but there are less clients hankering to get their hair done. Don’t mistake me, there are still those loyal clients that are patiently awaiting our return, but there are also more solutions now than in march 2019. Home hair color is on the rise, backyard sneaky hair has been going on, and maybe people’s expectations are managed.

The RESULT: my clients, myself, and i’m guessing, the majority of stylists are feeling a little less than in demand. When we were in demand, we felt confident in raising our prices, expecting respect, scheduling people out months in advance. Now, however, not so much. My inbox isn’t full, the texts aren’t streaming in, my IG has lost it’s appeal (mostly due to lack of posting) and confidence in a successful financial return is dwindling.

SO WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT???

Here is a strategy I recommend to reboot your confidence, return with power, and continue on your upward swing of success. In these moments, our feelings can override facts… so let’s fact check our circumstances so we may emotionally respond with accuracy.

Step 1:

Make 4 separate lists

• Clients that visited when you first re-opened

• Clients that were scheduled and needed to be canceled do to closing

• Clients that have reached out during shut down new and loyal

• Any clients that have visited in the last year that have not made it on the previous 3 lists

• Prioritize each list in order of importance (loyalty, ticket total, frequency, referral amount) the higher on the list of priority gets contacted first.

Step 2:

Scheduling

• Decide your schedule and stick to it this means hours and days

• Don’t overdo it to accommodate clients unless you want to burn out

• Leave one day per week for new client request or emergency appointments (you still want to grow in this time)

  • If the day doesn’t book up, you can fill it last minute with waitlisted clients, this helps them feel important and seen.

Step 3:

Pricing

• Is it time to raise your prices?

  • now is the perfect time (confused on how to do this? contact me for a complimentary consultation or read my blog on how to raise your prices)

  • color usage will go up due to quantity needed to accommodate re-growth

• Set your prices firmly

  • don’t “spend” peoples money for them

  • don’t feel bad that they lost their jobs and charge them less

  • do charge your worth

  • do provide quality + value for their money

Step 4:

Contact + Book

• Prepare

  • We all know how exhausting it is to organize this type of schedule so do yourself a favor and get organized before booking guests

  • Start as soon as tomorrow morning

  • Set aside 4 hours before you reach out to your guests. Treat this like work

  • Workout beforehand, eat a full meal, shower and get dressed, create a beautiful and relaxing space, light a candle and play some music

  • Prescript your text to save time.

• Contact

  • text (most client’s prefer this form of communication)

  • Call those few client’s that need to hear your voice (you know who these people are, most likely you only have a handful)

  • Draft out an email follow up for those few clients that don’t get back to you and send it 1 week after initial reach out.

By the time you finish this process, you should be booked out for the next month or so, and feel fueled up with confidence that everything will be okay.