Why Your Retail Isn’t Moving And How to Fix It In 3 Steps

You know it's not going to flatter their tone . You know the maintenance is going to stress them out , but you freeze because they're sold on the dream and you don't want to sound like the fun police . You know that's what today's episode is all about how to diagnose like a pro .

So you don't have to convince you , get to lead like a pro so you don't have to convince you get to lead .

So if your team doesn't know how to diagnose properly , they are unintentionally damaging the guest experience and listen up , that's leaving thousands , thousands of dollars behind . You know , this is the moment where your beauty pros stop being just a service provider and they step into their true role . Is that beauty guide ?

And when that shift happens , the entire business changes .

, not by biology . They're skipping the one step that actually makes a client say wow , this person gets me . You know , diagnosis is where your value becomes undeniable , it's where your price makes sense . It's where your guest says yes to a product without you even having to pitch it , because when a client feels understood , they don't need convincing .

They trust you , they follow your lead , they tell their friends and they stop price shopping salons because they know that they're going . What they're going to get with you is personal , it's not just generic , you know . So let me tell you a story .

You know , back in the black , very pearl days yeah , those ancient times where , you know , we thought a track ball was so cool . You know , I was setting up my phone and I accidentally saved my name is Linda cool . You know , I was setting up my phone and I accidentally saved my name is Linda .

You know , I blinked twice , hit the wrong button and boom , linda was born and for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to change it . So every contact , every BBM , every group thread . It all said Linda . And here's the kicker to this day I still have friends who call me Linda . Why ? Because nobody ever corrected it .

It became part of my identity even though it wasn't accurate . And that's what your clients are doing right now , walking around with the wrong hair color , the wrong cut , the wrong products , and nobody has taken the time to say , hey , that's not actually you .

You know , diagnosis is the moment when you help someone remember who they are and reveal what's been hiding underneath . You know that's not selling you guys . That's sacred .

So these three steps are what we teach inside salon business school and they're about to change everything . Um , how you coach your team , everything about how you coach your team . So the step number one first is the color analysis , and this is more than just seeing a shade . This is not . Hey , do you want to be warm or cool today ?

Can you imagine asking a client that do you want to be warm or cool today ? Like , uh , what does that even mean ? Right , this is actually the science of identifying undertone , seasonality and energetic harmony . And here's the thing your clients have no idea this exists .

You know , when you hold up color flags , when you point out the clarity in their eyes with the right shade , when you say this color won't look , just won't look . Let me say it again this color won't just look good , it will feel right . You know you create a moment that client will never forget .

You know , we once had a client say I didn't know red could look this good on me . I always thought I had to avoid it , but now I wear it all the time . I get so many compliments and I feel like me again . And that client didn't just buy the color service , she bought the lipstick , the gloss , the you know everything .

Um , because when you show someone what enhances them so powerful , like if you truly show someone what enhances them , you unlock desire and that leads to action .

You know , architect of their confidence , you know , because haircuts aren't just about what's trendy , they're about proportion , framing , balance . You know , because what we know is beauty has math behind it .

And when you stop and say , let me take a moment to study your face shape before we decide on a cut or layers , you know you interpret their pattern of just like . You're no longer just copying those Pinterest images and you're actually starting to co-create a signature look . You know , and that's when they say no one has ever done that for me .

Guess what happens next ? Rebooks , raving fans , referrals , because now they're not wearing

a haircut , they're wearing a design just for them .

So we , we aren't more stylists . So if you think about it , like , why aren't more stylists asking questions like you know , how long do you have to style your hair in the morning ? Or another good one is like do you go to the gym or are you outdoors a lot or are you trying to ?

You have a special occasion , are you trying to grow out your hair , you know , to a certain length , or you're just trying to maintain your look ? And so when you ask those questions , you , your recommendation actually sticks because it actually fits to what's important for the guest .

You know we had the um , a service provider , run the script on a guest who used to say no to retail . Every single time You've ever had those clients in your salon Like no , no , no , no . But this time , after a few lifestyle questions , she said you know , honestly , I'm just tired of my hair Always feeling dry by day two . Boom , there's the diagnosis .

It's the diagnosis is actually dry ends . And then you get .

Then you're able to get the prescription , which is going to be a hydrating leave in or a soap pillowcase or whatever you may feel is best for her , and at that time the client bought both and she messaged the salon a week later and she said this is the first time in a year that I woke up and didn't hate my hair .

You know , that's the power of asking the right questions .

As a salon owner , I don't want to sound pushy , but here's how we reframe that , because you're not pushing anything . Reframe that . Because you're not pushing anything , you're showing what's possible . You're not selling products . You're restoring identity . You're not forcing the sale .

You're freeing the guest from decision fatigue and security and even like underwhelming results , you know . So if your team is stuck in this belief that talking about products or upgrading a service is salesy , then what they're really saying is I don't believe what I have is worth offering . You know .

But when your team believes in what they're doing , you guys , that's when they're unstoppable .

You can honestly get these on Amazon . I think the last time we

checked were they 20 , $25? . Lindsay , do you remember ?

And go at a salon meeting and the room lights up . You hear people say things like hey , I never realized buildup could cause thinning , or I didn't know what that white flake actually was until now , or like this makes it so easy to explain to clients .

And then you can give bonus points , not just for the right answer , but for how well they deliver it , because that's really important as well . You know , are they persuasive ? Are they confident ? Are they helping the guests see the value ?

Because when a beauty pro or service provider can do that , they're not selling , they're enrolling people in their own transformation .

You know , I want to show you the little debris that's sitting down there by your lash line and if you cleanse that , your lashes will last longer . You know , helping them through that diagnosis portion , no matter what area of the beauty industry you're in .

And you know , I think one of the most important things that we need to do is we either need to track it or trash it when we're doing stuff , because you know we have to know if it's working . You know . So we need to know are all of the beauty pros doing the three parts of the diagnosis the color , the shape , the lifestyle ?

You know , are they upselling the full look , not just services ? You know our clients rebooking faster and buying more retail , because diagnosis is a teachable skill and if you track it you can grow it , but if you skip it , you stall your sales . People look for another salon . You know that's how you keep eating through .

You know that industry statistic of only 24% of new clients stay , you know . So this is so simple . Do not sleep on it today .

You know everything's looking put together and I remember us sitting at a table and at that table eating dinner and there was a group of people beside of us and we got into the conversation of color analysis and these are very affluent , successful people .

You know some of them running really big companies , and you know they were like , well , what do you think I am ? What do you think would look best on me ? Like , oh my gosh , I've been told winner by , you know , you know another company and I never thought that was true for me .

And so , like , we spent the the entire conversation helping them create a complete look , and so that really got me thinking in that moment .

You guys , people really want this , they're craving this and we get to be the environment , we get to be the place that creates this for them and , like Lindsay was saying earlier , that's what's really going to truly create that . You know that raving fan , that that um .

You know that client that refers every person they meet to you because you created that transformation for them .

and teach inside of our salon , like you know , just even one of the people at the table that I was talking to when we were talking about color analysis , you know she was like I'm just so low maintenance , I just wear my hair up in a ponytail all the time .

Well , let's look at what the most flattering spot is for your ponytail , and so we just kind of adjusted where she was , you know , kind of wearing a mid ponytail and , you know , based on her face shape , if she wore a high ponytail it would lift her face and really enhance her face shape .

And so she just messaged me the other day and she said , wow , I can't believe what a difference it makes , like in pictures and on video . And so you know she was really grateful and you know this was a simple dinner conversation , like Jen mentioned . People really do crave this , you know .

And if you're ready to shift from random recommendations to a repeatable revenue generating system , if you want to equip your team with real consultation confidence , we have an amazing gift for you . Go ahead and text the word diagnose . That's D I , a , g N O S , e , 2 , 4 , 6 , 9 , 2 , 8 , 3 , 5 , 5 , 9 , 0 .

We'll drop it in the show notes so that you can send that over , and what we'll do is we'll send you our salon owner training guide . And what we'll do is we'll send you our salon owner training guide , the three-step diagnosis system that sells without feeling salesy , completely free . You guys , we love you .

We want to send it to you for free , and inside of it you'll get scripts your team can start using today . You know , color analysis , teaching tools , face shape cheat sheets , lifestyle coaching prompts , retail recommendation , training and a framework to measure and track results .

And watch your team go from guessing to glowing , Because when you teach your team to diagnose with confidence , your guests leave saying I never felt more like myself .