Dividing Devices & Ditching Clients
So, at this point, your credit card may be melting from all of your expenses. We haven't even touched on product or color investments yet! You guys the fun stuff just keeps on comin'!
This is going to be a really short and a really sweet one.
GET YOURSELF A SEPARATE WORK PHONE.
Make sure that you have a way to completely disconnect from your clients, reps, and anyone else trying to get a hold of you on your "off time."
All of my media accounts for work are on my work phone only. If my week finishes on a Friday, I'll scheudle a post for saturday (we'll get to this too!), and I turn.my.phone.off. when my week is done. I start my work week on Tuesday, so Monday morning I'll turn that bad boy on and return phone calls or texts from the weekend. You are not required to be on all the time. Remember this. You need your time to refuel and replenish. Use that time. It will make you a better, happier, more well rested hairdresser. It's a win win for everyone involved.
IF you have clients who don't understand this, please be willing to reevaluate your relationship with them. I know, I know, It's hard. We often feel as though we're obligated to keep a client even when they don't repsect us, our time, or our boundaries. Would you let someone who treated you like this be a part of your close inner circle? No. Don't let clients take advantage of you. Create boundaries from the get go, stick to them, and I promise you that it will work so well that you won't regret it. Also, those clients that just don't get it? Let them go. You have better things to spend your energy on and you deserve to be treated WELL. More clients will come, and if you open space up for great clients they will show up. Pinkie Promise.
If you decide to let someone go, try your very hardest to keep things professional. There's a good chance that they will feel attacked, argue with you, blame you for some insane thing you never did, beg you to let them stay, make you feel bad or all of the above. Take a deep breath, and remember that they're probably hurt by you letting them go. Stick to your guns, but don't engage in arguing with them.
You: Hi (client), I noticed that you booked an appointment on (insert date.) I have really appreciated your business, but from this point forward I think it would be best if you sought out a new hairdresser.
Client: Wait? What? Please keep me! I promise I won't call and text you 23,343 times on your days off and get mad when you can't get me in on a Sunday if you keep me!
You: So sorry, but I am firm in this decision. Have a great day.
Sounds a bit cold, doesn't it? IF you make the choice to let a client go, make sure you have put a ton of thought into it. Please Please don't make these decisions on a whim becauase a client frustrated you or made you angry. Those things will pass. These are clients that consistently boss you around, make you feel little, are consistenly late, or just simply do not repsect you. It's consistent bad treatment. And by the time you finally make the decision to let them go, you will probably have already taken more than you should have. This was just one itty bitty example of how I would handle this situation. Make sure that you communicate in a way that reflects you, but be the firm, hold your ground you! You are awesome and you deserve to be treated as such!
If you're worried about a client leaving you a horrible review, or some other form of, shall we say, lashing out irrationally? Just don't. If this client was crazy/rude/mean enough to get fired there's a great chance that their craziness/rudeness/meanness is going to just SHINE through in that review. They're going to make a fool of themselves and you'll just get further validation that you made the right decision.
Separate Phones.
Bad Client=Bye Felicia
Downtime for you=HAPPY YOU.
HAPPY YOU=AWESOME HAIRDRESSER
All The Love
-Stevie