When you’re a salon worker, you get comfortable with your regular clients. It’s almost impossible not to. After all, you’re cutting their hair, waxing their upper lip, or giving them a massage. It’s personal, even if it’s not intimate. And as with every relationship, the more personal it becomes, the more comfortable it becomes, and there’s always the possibility that you’ll get too comfortable and step on someone’s toes.

As you get to know a client, it’s good to let them into your life in little ways similar to the way they let you into theirs. At the same time, some things are just too much for a professional relationship, even if it’s a long-standing one. Here, we’ll discuss some behaviors that are always inappropriate when you’re in a professional role at your salon in Lawton.

Be on time. Let’s start with the easiest one first. Don’t be late. Nothing says “I don’t value your time as much as I value my own” like showing up late for an appointment or making a client wait while you finish up a call or have a smoke break. Everyone messes up. You have car trouble or you find yourself stuck because of a train you didn’t expect or you need to take an emergency phone call. As often as you can, however, be on time—or better, early.

Be prepared. Related to the above topic, you never want to seem unprepared for an appointment, and you definitely never want to make excuses. We all have busy lives, and your clients are moving their schedules around to make time to see you for your specific services. Being prepared at the time of their appointments shows that you respect them and their time.

Keep it to yourself. Clients can be frustrating, but even if your least favorite person in the world just left your chair, you never want to speak negatively about any of your clients to another client. Similarly, you should never discuss anything a client has told you in private, for obvious reasons. Also, never complain about how little someone else tips you for your services. In fact, you probably shouldn’t talk about money, good or bad, in front of any of your clients. First of all, it’s none of their business, and it may also affect their impression of you. It may even negatively impact how they pay you or tip you. It’s better to just keep quiet about it. Additionally, you never want to insult the competition, especially if a current client has used them in the past. They might feel insulted by your insults!

It’s all about the client. Don’t stand there looking at your smart phone. We’ve all been cursed to live in interesting times, but whatever is happening on social media, YouTube, or in the news can wait until you have finished with your client. That’s not to say that a glance at your phone on the counter when you receive a text message is bad. You can always look to make sure that you’re not getting an emergency text from your kid’s school. That’s totally acceptable. But unless it’s truly an emergency, don’t be on your phone when your client is in the chair.

Keep your cool. We all have problems, and we all have bad days, and sometimes we have to deal with them on the phone. That’s something that can be done after hours on your own time. Don’t get into an angry conversation or a shouting match in front of your clients.

TMI. Sometimes you just need to keep it to yourself. Don’t talk about your finances with your clients, as we advised above. The same goes for your relationships, especially intimate details. Your clients don’t need to know about how you hooked up with your ex or about how your Tinder date went. The same goes for your medical history or any health problems you may have. You don’t need to share what you did at that wild party the night before, either. If it’s something you wouldn’t tell your kid’s elementary school teacher or your mother, you probably shouldn’t share it with your client.

Nod and listen. Speaking of TMI, let’s face it: When some folks sit down in the chair, they feel comfortable talking about whatever is going on in their life at that time. Let them talk. Interrupting somebody can be very frustrating for them. Your job is to listen. Remember, you’re not a psychologist, even if people treat you like one. But in the end, your clients aren’t really looking for answers. They’re just looking for a listening ear.

Don’t kindle the fires. As we said above, you’re not a psychologist. Your job isn’t to offer advice. People who sit down in your chair may have relationship problems. They may have problems at work or problems at home. They may be looking to talk through it with someone. You can listen and you can empathize or sympathize, but telling someone they should break off and engagement or walk off the job could lead to a real disaster for them and you. Just keep in mind that an hour-long haircut doesn’t give you enough time to know everything about someone’s life or their situation. They might not tell you everything. If you offer advice, it’s going to be you offering it without all the relevant information. And think about it this way: What if they take your advice and it doesn’t work out? Who will they blame? You could lose a client over something like that.

It’s not funny. Don’t repeat that questionable joke you heard from your uncle. Don’t share that off-color meme from Facebook. You don’t know your client’s politics, and you don’t know what will offend them. Limit your comedy act to your friends after working hours. The same goes double for politics.

Salons de Beauté is an ideal location for stylists and other beauty professionals looking to own their own mini salons in Lawton. To find out more about our reasonable leases and ideal location, contact us today!