18.21 Offers a Total Men's Grooming Experience

Aug 17th, 2017

August 18 is National Men’s Grooming Day! 18.21 Man Made Grooming is celebrating by offering education to salons & barbers.

It is time to offer your male clients a total grooming experience that will go far beyond just a haircut and shave. There are many small touches you can add to your haircare services that require no extra skill and cost you nothing. Brothers Angel and David del Solar and partner Aston LaFon founded 18.21 Man Made as a brand dedicated to luxury men’s grooming.

The company provides education on how to provide elevated services which they call The Noble Experience. They instruct on how to provide a thorough and thoughtful consultation, how to pre-book services, how to increase referrals and build client loyalty. They also share how to effectively style coach, so clients can create their looks at home. The company emphasizes the need for salon professionals to become the guru their clients are looking for and are currently finding online.

Become An Influencer: LaFon says, ”What is happening in the beauty industry now is that many people are trying to follow an ‘influencer’ on social media platforms. These are non-professionals giving tips online for everything from hairstyling to makeup, fashion or fitness. They are not in the industry, yet they are giving advice that consumers are looking for because they are not getting it from their hairstylist! We watched a video of an influencer showing viewers what type of brush to use, how to direct the dryer to shape and smooth the hair. Then he pointed out that after using the heat to style the hair, to blast with the cold button to set it. Most of the comments in the feed were people saying they’d always wondered what that button was for! I have been working with salon professionals for years yet have never seen anyone share this tip before and it clearly resonated with viewers. What these gurus have realized is that the pros are skipping these tips during the service and that people want to learn how to recreate their looks at home. The scales are becoming tipped towards these individuals in the digital world, as they are earning expertise and gaining the confidence of the consumer. We need to turn beauty professionals into the influencers with their own clientele.”

Begin With A Hello: The total grooming experience begins with simple customer service in the form of your greeting. Consider whether you are maintaining your standards in a consistent manner. Just as in a restaurant serving your favorite meal; you want to have the same enjoyable experience each time you visit. LaFon shares, “Something as simple as a warm smile and greeting can make your client feel extra special or completely disregarded. If you can give your client an honorable greeting they will really remember it. Typically over time though you may become more and more casual. The first contact may be a firm handshake and warm eye contact. The next time you may quickly shake his hand and then downgrade that again on the next visit because you have bonded with the client. In time you’ll find you’re getting so comfortable you may just have the front desk send them him to the shampoo bowl and meet him at the chair. You may even let your fellow hairstylist work on your client in time and lose them entirely! If you don’t make them feel special, they will try to find that experience again elsewhere. Always greet your client with a firm handshake and good eye contact, with a warm greeting that shows a positive message and makes them know you are happy to see them again! Female service providers need to also project a strong greeting that shows the affirmation of confidence.”

Easy Coaching: Many hairstylists and barbers are providing a great haircut, yet not taking the time to style coach their clients. Coaching can become secondhand, with a bit of practice. LaFon says, “Simply put the products into the client’s hand as you are styling the hair. Show him what you are doing and explain why. Put a bit of Clay into his fingertips, showing him how to work the product and how to buff it into his hair, pointing out how thick his hair is looking. If he wants a sculpted look, show him the vented brush he should use, how to hold dryer and direct the styling. Hand him a wet towel to rub his hands and show how water soluble the product is. Show him how to use hairspray to lock in his style and keep it fresh all day, spraying one side for him and letting him do the other. It’s no different than coaching someone in how to play a sport! When the client leaves your appointment he will know how to recreate the style effectively at home, as you have given him the tools he needs to do it. If your client ends up wearing a man bun because he doesn’t know how to style his hair or his pompadour is lying flat, you have not finished his service! He will be receiving compliments on his looks that turn into referrals and business growth for you if he can style his hair himself.” These types of additional customer services do not take any additional skill or money. They all combine to create a total grooming experience that will make your clients feel special and encourage them to return!