The power of details!

A man walks into a place of worship. He has one hand which is deformed due to an accident at an early age.

He prays to his God and says “Lord, please make my hand like my other one”

Within moments, he has two deformed hands.

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS!

Leaving even the smallest details out of any transaction without a doubt, can be our worst enemy.

Easy to do, I know. You have a job to get done, usually in a limited amount of time. Therefore, we cut corners or maybe we think….i’ll finish up on this later, I’ll remember etc. etc.

And then we don’t

The lessons I have learned in owning my Salon which, has proven to be absolutely true in most circumstances is…..details matter.

They matter in running your Business, they matter in finances and they matter with your clients.

I’m sure you have read in my prior blogs how my Salon was the primary salon for the Show host, Hand coordinators and Models of the Home Shopping Network.

We were responsible for 150 ladies on a monthly basis. We had to make sure they had the required shape, length and color on both their nails and their feet.

How did that come about?

I was working on one of my clients when I heard a guest at another table say something about her nails to her Technician. The conversation wasn’t exactly a pleasant one, however, I kept quiet and just listened.

When the Technician was done and the client was gone, I pulled the Technician aside and asked her what had happened.

The story itself is in-material. However, what I did do though is contact the client to hear “her” side of the story.

In short, my Technician was having a bad day, and got pissy at the client.

My first phone call to the client got me nowhere. Neither did the 2nd or 3rd.

Then a few days later, I received a call from the client. She had been out of town and unable to take my calls.

What came out of that phone call was a gratitude of attentiveness. Being aware of my surroundings while managing my own clientele. She was impressed I called, not once but three times. And, she was impressed with the details of the situation I knew of as well as wanting to rectify the situation.

When she did come back into the Salon for her free Manicure, she pulled me aside and informed me she worked for the Home Shopping Network and they were looking for a 2nd Salon to manage their team members. The first Salon was slacking and they felt like they weren’t getting the service they should be getting. Eventually, we were their primary.

That is just was example of how attention to details can make you or break you. We had a good 14 year run with HSN, and although they were only about 8% of my Business, my team and I profited quite well from them.

Nowadays, the “devil in the details” go far beyond Customer Service. It is making sure you are protecting your Assets between those four(4) walls.

It means we now have the Technology to take pictures. We have the education to properly consult with our clients. WE have the reason to make sure we get it right.

In teaching our Oncology Care Class, it is apparent to me how “lazy” (for lack of another word), our Technicians get in completing a consult form. It is apparent, our Technicians are primarily artist. Yet, although artist do pay attention to details, the consult form, for some reason ends up being shy of proper consulting, proper note taking and the attention to detail.

We live in a much different world than we did when I grew up in the Salon. We are a sue happy society and everyone wants “what’s in it for them”.

The urgency to make sure our Assets are protected, is greater than it’s ever been.

In fact, I recently read a story where an attorney visited a Pizza Hut. The city tax was just lowered by 1%. However, Corporate Pizza Hut had not changed their system to reflect the change.

The Attorney noticed it on his bill and requested his .12 cents (yes) back from the cashier.  The cashier stated he did not have the ability to refund his .12 cents because tax is a Corporate set up.

The Attorney now has a class action suit against Pizza Hut which will cost them a whole ton more than .12 cents.

It is so interesting to me what can upset a client. the littlest thing (to you) could be the most important thing (to them).

I just had a conversation with a client whom expressed her dis-taste in the “lack of detail” Mfg’s and Distributors pay in their ordering processes and their shipping. The attention to details have somehow gone by the wayside. I 100% agree!

I shake my head daily at the packages that come through our door. I wonder, how can they stay in business if having to constantly replace damaged items, re-send items which were shipped incorrectly or both.

The power of details is not just to protect you. It’s an image. It’s a reflection on you!

Whether the details are in the form of a consultation or the service you perform…..the devil will always be in the details.

The details will always reflect back on you.

What are some of the things you can do in your Salon……?

• First and foremost, your consultation MUST be extremely detailed oriented. This is no joke and I will go to my death bed preaching this. We can never EVER have too much information when it comes to protecting our clients and protecting ourselves.
• Details in attentiveness to your clients. What happened to the good ole days when we didn’t have a cell phone attached to our hip? I speak from personal experience….PUT YOUR CELL PHONE OUT OF REACH OUT OF MIND while attending to your clients.
• Salon sanitation. I shouldn’t even have to bring this topic up at all, never mind after what we experienced with Covid. Are you slipping? Is there dust on your shelves, toe or fingernails on your floor? What about coffee stains on your counters or dirty tools in sight to your clients? Are your windows cloudy, your overhead fan caked in dust or are there stains on your clothing?
• What about your service? Are you rushing through your client to stay on schedule? Did you miss a step because of interruption? Are you treating your client every time, like it’s the first time they have visited you?
• In managing your Business, leaving even the tiniest detail behind will leave whatever you are trying to do up for interpretation. Ever wonder why contracts are so painfully long? Details…details…details.
• In short, practice what I learned more than once in all my Business classes. Slow down and dot your “i’s”, cross your “t’s”

This is real. I have personally seen many things in my travel to various places which…..make me cringe.

YOU…..YOUR SERVICE….YOUR FACILITY

Should always look, feel and act like a ***** 5-star review.