What I Did After My Client Left Me

Syndicated Article:
By: Milady Pro

A few days ago one of my favorite clients came in to see me. You know when you look at your schedule for the day, you see that one person and cannot wait for them to arrive? That’s this person. The visit started like most. My client, we’ll call her “Kate,” entered the salon and we began the process of making her at home. She had a seat in my chair and I sat in the seat next to her. After a little small talk to catch up I asked her how her last visit went. Did the haircut grow out well? We’re there any challenges? Would you like to maintain or do something different? Kate tells me she would like to go a little shorter as she will be moving out of state in a few weeks. I was happy for her. This was going to be a great opportunity, but I was sad to see her go. We had been working on her hair, meticulously sculpting it into the perfect haircut, for several years now.

This is not my first loss but  it never gets easier to say goodbye to someone you’ve grown so fond of. I knew what needed to be done. I found out where Kate was moving to. I went through the Rolodex of hairdressers I knew, either in person or online, who’s style is similar to my own and when I decided on that person I offered to put Kate in contact with them. She was amazed! She had never imagined I would do that for her. Because no one else had. Not her doctor, her dentist, or anyone. Moving is a stressful thing. Think about uprooting your entire life, relocating it to a foreign place, and trying to live out he same pattern of events you were once used to.

I did this for several reasons. First, I wanted to thank Kate for choosing to do business with me for so many years. There are many other stylists our clients could go to. The fact that they choose us is such a great compliment to all our efforts, I felt it would’ve been a disservice not to help. I wanted to pay it forward to a fellow stylist. I’ve had hairdressers refer their clients who’ve moved to my area to me. It’s the best feeling in the world. It means a lot to us to get support from our peers. I wanted to do the same. Lastly, it’s just good business, period. I’m imagining Kate, in conversation with her friends, excitedly sharing how I eased her transition into a new city. That may be just the positive word of mouth that friend needed to come in and see me!

Later that night I reached out to my hairdresser friend in Kate’s new location. After I filled her in on the situation, which she graciously agreed to, I gave her Kate’s entire history. The shape of her haircut and past haircuts. Color formulations, retail history, challenges, and story. I wanted my friend to be prepared and Kate to feel comfortable. We live in a hyper connected world now. The way we communicate and interact with our guests has evolved. The way business is done is changing. The opportunities for elevated service are in abundance, we just have to know where to look because one day, you will have a “Kate” that leaves you too.