Salon Business
Learn tips, tricks and business recommendations from our top salon professionals.
01.22.2020
Working Efficiently with Assistants
When dividing and conquering, it’s very important to have assistants work in the entire back section or the entire front section, opposite of you. Section from ear to ear, not down the middle of the head. When two stylists are foiling or hand-painting, especially when face-framing, their techniques often do not match up evenly. From angles, to sections, and saturation – there is a lot of room for error or personal touches that the client may not appreciate if their hair is off balance.
If your assistant is one that is not a co-stylist helping you out, this is your chance to teach them everything! Remember the time when you were starting out, you want to be a sponge, do anything to help the staff, be seen as a professional, and become promoted to taking your own clients. You should be able to use an assistant to your advantage by gaining more time and in turn more clientele.
Having a positive attitude with your assistance will encourage them to do better, learn more, and watch closely. This includes showing them the ropes when it comes to dress code, you may have a set of rules that are important to you and it’s okay to tell them to the assistant. Does this mean they have to buy a new wardrobe, no. But this may mean they cannot wear belly shirts or jeans. Again, this is not an unwritten rule, it’s best for you to tell them up front.
If there is a certain way that you shampoo or blow-dry your clients, share! You want your clients that have been coming to you for a long time to trust the assistant you are putting them with. For example, if you offer a complimentary facial or 1 minute scalp massage, your client will be very disappointed to not receive the service you’ve trained them to love!
Lastly, set them up for success, like you at one time, no one wants to be an assistant forever! You should be clear about their place in the salon, do they need to assist a certain number of hours a week, sell a specific amount of retail, bring in one new client a week, or get positive reviews on yelp? Maybe it is education focused only and you have a curriculum plus amount of time they have to meet, if they need to have 20 hours of training and assist a minumum of 6 months, that is important to know for someone looking to advance in a few weeks.
Just remember, when it’s time to start applying hair color, section ear to ear and give the assistant the back!