Body Language Your Clients Will AppreciateMay 10, 2020People in the salon business know that verbal communication is only one way of communicating with your clients. Clients are hyper-sensitive to body language; it plays a vital role in delivering a wholesome salon experience to your customers. In a study conducted on different forms of communication, Dr. Albert Mehabrian found that 55% of how a message is understood is determined by hand gestures, posture, facial expressions, and other bodily movements. Words, on the other hand, only contributed to 7% of understanding! Body language is particularly important in the salon industry because clients seek cosmetic services to improve their aesthetic appearance. The process of looking better begins with feeling better, and that’s dependent on how cordial and accommodating a salon’s staff is. Business marketing should not be restricted to attracting traffic to your salon; it should also employ tactics that retain them for a long time. Body language can do just that. People strive to meet modern standards of beauty and turn to salons for help in this regard. A good salon is supposed to motivate people to achieve their life goals through grooming and not make them feel bad or shame them. Even if you didn’t intend to be rude to a client, you might come off as curt if you don’t take your body language into consideration. Here are a few things about body language you should be careful about. Body Language and Intentions Have you ever felt that someone’s hug meant more to you than their words? This is a perfect example of how physical actions sometimes communicate so much more than what we say. That’s exactly how a salon business works. You mean well for your clients, but your intentions might not always come across accurately. This is why you need to complement your words with physical gestures that show what you mean. Listeners can misinterpret your words, only understand their meaning partially, or completely take them the wrong way. Body language fills in the gaps. If you—as a makeup artist— are in a bad temper while rendering services to a client, it’s invariably going to reflect in your tone, gestures, and words. You may not realize it, but you might be sounding curt or dismissive. Since clients will take what you say at face value, you need to be extra careful with your words. The onus of responsibility is always on you. Female Clients Even though male salons are growing in numbers, the ratio of female to male salon clients still favors women. This means that salon owners and the styling team have to deal with more women on a daily basis. Therefore, they need to know how women react to body language and tailor their communication accordingly. Harvard University psychologists found that women are more sensitive to gestures and emotional cues than men are. They’re more likely to pick a discrepancy between what is said and how it’s said. Therefore, salon owners need to be extra careful when dealing with female clients, because they can be extra picky and more observant. Since spas and beauty clinics get a greater number of women, they have to work on their body language communication even more. It’s better to be careful than have angry/disappointed/dissatisfied clients who’ll never avail your services again. Facial Expressions Smile Even though it’s the normal thing to do, it’s not easy to remember to smile for each client. When dozens of them are walking through the door at the same time, it’s hard to offer each one individual attention. It’s quite likely that you’ll forget to smile fully when you’re having a bad day. Not every smile is as warm and welcoming as the one which reaches the eyes. A simple curve of the lips just won’t do, because clients are looking for a warm welcome and not just amiable conduct. Eye Contact Just maintaining eye contact with your client can go a long way. A client who feels that they’re heard also feels more engaged and important in a salon setting. It’s tempting to multitask while talking to a client, but that makes them feel insignificant and disrespected. This is more important when a client visits a salon for the first time or is there for a consultation session. Since both these occasions have little to do with actual services and more to do with conversation, it’s especially crucial to maintain eye contact throughout. Gestures Even though you may perfectly understand what the client is saying, they might not know this unless you make it clear. They’ll need assurance to trust your judgment. You can show this to them in a number of ways: Nodding your head from time to time Tilting your head to one side Leaning forward Changing your facial expressions according to the conversation, for e.g., raising your brows in surprise or smiling for reassurance These gestures communicate a lot more about what you’re saying or how intently you’re listening than you might think. But negative cues can be as potent as positive ones. For instance, resting your hands in your pocket in a nonchalant way or rocking on your heels can convey a non-serious attitude. There’s no bigger deterrent for clients than unfriendly/unprofessional customer care service at a salon. Arms and Legs How you move your arms and legs also makes a lasting impression on clients. Things like fiddling with your hair, covering your mouth while you speak, or touching your face too often can be a rude distraction. They show that you’re either nervous or not serious and professional about your job. Keeping your posture relaxed and your palms open and slightly upward facing can make you look friendly, professional, and approachable. Similarly standing with equal weight on both legs and resting both feet on the ground while sitting make you seem comfortable to talk to. Shivering or tapping your feet constantly on the ground can also giveaway your composure. Keep it still and steady while addressing an audience. Looking for ways to create a more impressive rapport with your clients? You need us! Salon Income Boosters help increase the income of hair and beauty salons by improving salon retail merchandise. Through marketing strategies for better income generation, we assist salons in better managing crowds of customers with standard services for everyone. We also help new players in the salon industry with navigating through the initial stages with proper investment plans and consultations for their budding business. If you need to increase customer turnover and get long-term clients, get in touch with us soon!