Barbers bring out our best features. Nearly 15,000 Americans work as barbers. This is just a fraction of the people who help clean and supply barbershops.
Many people think that cutting and styling hair is easy. But barbers encounter many barbering problems, even the ones that went to barber school.
How can barbershop managers hire and train new employees? What do they need to do to find the right products and loyal clients? How can they stay on top of fashion and hair trends?
Answer these questions and you can circumvent barbering challenges in no time. Here is your quick guide.
Staff Shortages
When you have an opening, you should look for applicants as broadly as possible. You can post on LinkedIn and other job sites, but make sure you write a detailed description of your offer. Include your expectations for how much experience your applicants should have.
When you are determining salaries, look at the standard rates that other barbering institutions give out. You don’t need to go higher than them, but you want to go high enough to draw applicants in.
If you are struggling with recruitment, turn to a third-party recruitment group. Remember that you have the final say in hiring decisions. Take their advice into account, but run some interviews so you can make your own assessments.
Staff Training
You should only hire people who have been to barber school or cosmetology school. Ask for the resumes of all applicants and check to see that they got real degrees.
It is okay to hire people who have less experience. Give them advice on how to become a barber and how to choose a cosmetology school. They may need some time to determine if barbering is right for them.
But you do need to provide training for your staff members. You should bring in recruits and teach them about your preferred methods. You should also talk to them about current trends and how they can replicate them.
Training can be expensive, but you can reduce the prices. Factor in the costs of training into your annual budget.
Once you’ve done training, do an assessment of your new employee’s skills. This lets you determine their readiness and whether your training methods are valid.
Finding the Right Products
One of the most common barbershop problems occurs when customers demand particular products. It is important to have a lot of products on hand. But it is expensive to buy a little bit of everything on the off chance that someone will come asking for something.
Figure out what the most popular products are and stock your shelves with those. Study how your customers behave and determine for yourself what they really want. Talk to a product representative to corroborate your own opinion.
Buy as many wholesale products as you can. You can get lower prices and you may get deals, especially if you return to the same suppliers.
Developing Customer Loyalty
It is hard to stand out in the barbering business. Finding and maintaining loyal customers is your best way to make money.
Keep the contact information of all of your customers and send them personalized messages. Start with emails, though you can make phone calls if you get very friendly with them.
Make social media pages, especially on Facebook and Twitter. Follow local news channels and share stories that are important to your area and to barbering.
Focus on providing great content that they cannot get elsewhere. You can write essays or articles about beauty trends you like.
Making Customers Feel Welcome
Many people feel awkward when they walk into a barbershop. They feel like they won’t be remembered, or they assume that they look ugly.
You should greet each person who walks into your shop warmly. A smile and a wave of your hand may be enough. Whenever possible, you should memorize their name and greet them by it.
Make the waiting area as clean and comfortable as possible. Put out reading materials like magazines and barbering books. Supply outlets so your patrons can plug in their devices and use the Internet.
Keeping Up With Beauty Trends
The fast pace of beauty presents real challenges for barbers. You need to know how to execute the latest hairstyles and give advice on how to complement one’s wardrobe.
Read many fashion magazines and follow accounts on Pinterest. You can focus on haircuts, but you should be mindful of other things.
You do have room to experiment and try out different techniques. Emulate recent trends, but add your own flairs. Spend some time experimenting with different colors, textures, and angles of hair.
Have conversations with everyone about what you can do differently. Talk to employees and customers alike about the things they like in hair care.
Fashion experts advise people with short hair to get one haircut a month, while people with long hair should get one every three months. This may seem like a lot to some people, but frequent haircuts are good occasions to gauge current trends. Have conversations with your clients about what is going on in hair styling.
Find the Best Barber School
Barbers run into many different challenges. Hiring and training employees can be difficult, but you can go to a recruiter for help. Track the expenses you devote to training.
Get popular products and look for niche items. Keep in contact with customers and greet them as they walk in to develop loyalty.
Follow the latest news about fashion trends. Explore your own style while pursuing trends and give advice to your customers on how they complement their hair.
If you need some more help, go to a barber school. The Miami Barber Institute offers premium classes. Contact us today!