Spotting Red Flags: Essential Tips for Hairstylists

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Today we're gonna be talking about the red flags to look out for being behind the chair. So I have my notes on my phone and I'm just gonna go through the list that we created. So one of the first ones to look out for is chronic lateness. If there is a client that does not respect your time and they know that time is money in the salon, it is, going to set up your day for failure and let you be behind and maybe who knows, even get out late. So it's just, they're not respecting you. They're not respecting you and your boundaries, and your time. Mm-hmm. Um, and it's. That is one of the things to look out for, and we understand that life happens. Mm-hmm. There might be traffic, there might be. You got outta your job late or something. And those are understandable, however, just give us like a heads up. We're very understanding people. Yeah. As, stylists. And we are natural empaths, and we do get it.. well, I've had clients that, would be late, like, late late, 'cause sometimes I have them coming from other places. Mm-hmm. Other cities. And the one had done it a few times and I then I started charging her. So, um, the clock started going when her appointments started. Appointment started. So as soon as I did that, and she was charged for an hour on top of it. Then she wasn't late anymore, but it would be Are you almost here? Yeah, I'm 15 minutes and meanwhile she's leaving Philly and I'm like, okay, yeah, you're not gonna get, we're in Jersey just for full perspective here. So Philly's like two hours to two and a half hours from here and usually traffic. So she's telling me she's 15 minutes. Um, which again, that's funny. It's not, yeah, it's not valuing someone's time. Like at that point I get you don't wanna have to cancel your appointment, but make it a priority that you're going to be here on time. I have driven to people's houses and they weren't there. Oh. Again, the 15 minutes, I feel like 15 minutes is a red flag for me. As soon as they drop the 15 minutes, it is not 15 minutes. Add time to it. Yes. And eventually it's like you just gotta get to a point where you're like, okay, this is not the client for me. Because I always try to, when that happens, and trust me, my clients are like family to me. They really, if I'm running behind, they're usually okay with it and vice versa. So there's a little wiggle room. But when someone's constantly doing that, I then put my mind to the rest of my clients in my day. And that's not fair to them. So I get it, you are trying to make as much as you can and you counted on that and all of that kind of stuff. If there's somebody that's always late, what you could do is require, a deposit. A deposit, um, for it. And if they are with. A half hour late, let's say, and you can't accommodate them anymore, which means you can't do the best work that you know you can do, which again, is our reputation. Then they get charged for their full appointment, set that up or just being like, you know what? I had one client and him and his family, each of them would be notoriously late and they would not care if other people were waiting and they would drag it out. And I finally said, the one time I was running. 10 minutes late, and he was like, well, you need to call me and when you call me when you're ready, then I'll leave irony. I'll leave my house and I will come there. And I was like, you know what? I don't think that I'm the stylist for you. I said, I have an extremely huge following. And sometimes that happens just like you're late and I accommodate you. Sometimes other people are. So I recommended, if you want, there's other stylists here that are less busy that you can go to. And if not, then this is where the relationship ends because I was not gonna put myself through that anymore. So lateness red flag? No. And oh yeah. I remember I had another one who would be late all the time and she goes, well, I'll just buy you dinner. And I'm like, I have a family, I have a child. I wanna go back to my family. Like I, that's not. You can't feed me to make up for it. And like, and that was it. After that, I certain days I wouldn't book her. So I wouldn't book her on a Saturday. I wouldn't book her at night because I did not wanna have to spend my whole night here and I didn't want it affecting my other clients. So that's something you can do too. If you're not quite ready to let that person go, then maybe you book them on a day, that's slower and it's only a morning appointment. Mm-hmm. Or something like that, you give them another chance. But, and we will have another podcast episode about firing clients. Mm-hmm. But to add to your to the stories, there was a client that I had that I ended up firing because. She was in for my whole day, my entire day, and it was a, cut, a color, full foil, hand tied extensions that were custom cut and colored and blended into her hair. Then she wanted it to be styled. She ended up, her appointment was supposed to start at nine 30. Mm-hmm. And she did not show up until almost one o'clock. And it was like, and I had blocked out my entire day for her because I knew it was going to be a huge, huge project and like I needed that time and she was paying a hefty amount, so I wanted to make sure that I was devoting my time to her. And. The feeling of respect was not mutual, and she was in a really bad mood and taking it out on me. And I looked at you and I know the story. I was like, I don't deserve this. I'm like, there are other people. She was driving me insane. I was close to saying something. I know you were biting your tongue, but I was like. The level, the respect has to be mutual between a client and a stylist. And if you don't feel like you're being respected, it is more than okay to say something. Oh, yeah. To stand up for yourself because you deserve that. You deserve to have clients who are willingly here on time and. Will give you the extra mile or maybe will bring you Starbucks as like a nice treat. Mm-hmm. I have clients that do that all the time. Yeah. What do you want from Starbucks or whatnot, and. Those are really sweet people that you wanna truly hold onto. Absolutely. And, and let go of the ones that don't respect you. Or your time. Or your time or your families that you have home. She had me have butterflies. Yeah. In my stomach. Like I had anxiety about doing my, well, now you're rushing everything. Mm-hmm. And then you're thinking, I'm not gonna get out now, because now she's starting. So I'm gonna be here all night. Yes. I didn't leave till 10 30 that night. I remember too. Se texting you pictures of the final reveal at like 1145 at night, and you're better than me. I would've just been like, I'm sorry, I can't take, I would've left. I would've left. To be perfectly honest, at this point in my career, in life, I would've been, doors would've been locked and been like, I was here on time, but where were you? Yeah, but it was like. To me, what comes across as that is like, this is our career, right? And they all have careers, and they all have jobs and everything, but for some reason in their head it acts like we're playing like two girlfriends, just playing, doing, yeah, just a hobby. And that's not what this is. So it's like that shows right away that that person is never gonna respect you, respect your time, or respect your, our industry of what you do. So, and guess what? There will be another client who will pay for your time, who is more than happy to show up. For you and rally around you that is better deserving of that spot than somebody who's treating you like absolute garbage. Well, and you know the behavior, right? Yes. So you have to think too, if you're in a salon, there's other clients. Other clients are seeing that behavior that doesn't look good for you. It doesn't look good for the other stylist and their clients. It's like, you don't want that in here. Like get it out. No. Get it. That negative energy out sometimes. Certain jobs are just not worth the money. And it sucks. 'cause it is. It's a lot of money that, that's a big long service, but sometimes it's, you gotta walk even worth it. Walk away. Yeah. Yeah. Flag number two. Are you ready? Yes. Constantly cancel. Oh yeah. Red flag. Red flag. Red flag. I have had that, I had one lady that would do that to me repeatedly and it'd be about a three, three and a half hour appointment. It would always be after she got outta work. So it'd be like a 5, 5 30 appointment. And I, this time, this appointment career, I always had multiple people at once and she would either just NoShow and then she'd act like it never happened and she'd call again for an appointment and they were like, oh, well you realize you were supposed to be in last week. No, it wasn't. Now we have software, we have, own your own notes, your calendar, they're getting text reminders, they're getting email reminders, all that kind of stuff. So eventually after try Guess Like Me Ladies. Yes. And it was like she was acting like it never happened. Right. So, uh, I think it was like the third time it was said to her before booking, 'cause she would like pre-book her appointments. And I even said to her, you don't have to pre-book if have some time like where you don't know if you could make it then just. Book it when you know you can. No, no, no. That's never a problem. I'm always here. So she pre-booked, but we did tell her that we had to take a deposit because it was, again, this huge chunk out of my night, which there was a, I had a waiting list of people, like I didn't need to be sitting around there. So she got so offended and that was the end of it, which I was happy and grateful about. So red flag and the delusion of the woman was red flag too. So I was happy to be done with that. De yes. And it was, again, you know those clients, you do go above and beyond for, you know. Mm-hmm. She had a sick dog. I had a sick dog time. I was like, always, how is he doing? How is this? Like, checking in with her, but then she couldn't even show up to her appointment. And that means what they don't understand, you know, I'm not getting paid. I'm not making anything in that time. So that's like, you're now messing with my livelihood. That's not right. Right. Red flag. Asks for a discount? Ugh. No. No. That again, there's been so many stories with that. Yes. In the beginning when you are trying to build your books mm-hmm. And everything you do Again, kind of not feel confident. Yeah. And you're like, okay, well maybe I should undercut just to get them in so that I can have either content for my portfolio or to feel better about my work and just have somebody in the salon to look like I'm busy. It's, it's a no go because the people that want discounts, and this is what I've learned throughout all these years and doing stuff and trying Groupon years ago and all that, they are not your people. They're not gonna stay. They are looking for the next discount. They're like, they're salon hoppers. They salon. That's what I was just gonna say. Yeah. They just go wherever the next deal is. And what I've learned is no, like we don't have to give discounts and stuff costs money. So I can see if there was a client that referred you, all these people and you wanna give them a free blowout. Yeah. Because they're bringing money into your book. Right. You'll, you're giving back in a sense, the ballsiness to ask for discount. And this is where I feel like, I would see it a lot where if you had. I always had, regular commissioned stylists, but they would try to bully the stylist, right? So I was like, mm-hmm you, I'm the big bad owner. My owner will not let me, blah, blah, blah. You know, throw it on me because they try to take advantage, and especially to the newer stylist. And I go, Nope. You just say your owner doesn't allow that. And this is the prices are the prices. And they try to do that when you're a salon owner or when you're an independent contractor because they feel like, oh, well you can control your prices and you can do this. No, you have to stand your ground and that is not the client for you. Yes, you'll find a client who knows your worth and values it. There's sometimes where I have clients like, oh my God, that's it. Like they expected more pricing, a higher price, so there's nothing wrong. 'cause some people have no problem and some people don't. And there was another stylist that I watched had posted something and it was that I'm not too expensive, I'm just not in your budget. Mm-hmm. And that like really clicked. With me because it's so true. Everybody, number one, spends their money different. Everybody makes different incomes. Some people like that's what's important to them is their hair. And some might be they go to Walmart and they spend hundreds of dollars on crap. They don't need, Hey, everyone spends their money differently. But just because somebody is saying that price is high, that price is high for you because that's not in your budget and that's okay. You know, there's other stylists, there's other salons that may be in your budget. But my education and my time and everything I've put into building myself up as this artist, that's what those prices, that's what you're paying for. So find another place that's in your budget. And also too, it's like when, again, bringing it back to the beginning of the journey, you feel they kind of feel mm-hmm. That, you are new, so they're gonna try and take advantage of that and throughout the years, you develop your backbone a little bit more each year and have that thicker skin to stand on your, own two feet to make sure that that doesn't happen to you ever again. Well, and it, what happens is when you do it right, and I've, I've done it in my career, I've done it. If I know I've had clients, you know, going through a divorce or hard times. They will expect it. Mm-hmm. So it's like once you back yourself into that corner of now maybe you're taking 20% off of their single process or something. When you go to raise that back to their regular price, maybe now you know it's time, it's been a year. Or maybe it's like, okay, I'm now building and I'm bumping my, I'm getting bumped up to another price tier, whatever it may be. Nine times outta 10, those people will leave you. So it's like they are only, they're not loyal to you. They're not loyal. They're only there for that discount. Mm-hmm. And once you raise it, then they're like, oh, I'm outta here. So you feel sometimes like, you're helping or you're doing a favor or whatever. No, it's, it's not rewarded. I agree. The next flag that we have written down, doesn't respect your boundaries and disrespects you as a stylist. Red flag. Red red flag. And again, red, red, red flag. This is. Todd Prody, you need to respect yourself. Mm-hmm. And you need to respect your art and your career and everything you've put into it. So you can't let somebody take that away from you. These stories pop up all the time we read from other stylists that have this. And, it could even be just the way that somebody makes them feel and they are putting them down or criticizing them behind the chair. That is something that you should never tolerate, whether it's at work, whether it's any, I don't, I wouldn't tolerate anybody talking down to me or talking to me that way. And you don't need to. It is very scary, especially if it's slow and you're like, oh my God, but I, I need this money. But you also have to protect your own confidence and your own sanity a hundred percent. If your own sanity is. Priceless. Like, yep. If you lose your marbles, then how are you gonna take care of any of your other good, loyal clients? Absolutely. And it, what I always bring my mind back to is even if I'm like, okay, I can handle her, or I just know how she is and I can deal, you have to think about the other clients in the salon are hearing all of this and they're sponges. It makes them uncomfortable too. I definitely have had those clients where people dreaded and then she'd start with them too. Like, oh God, she's here. Don't book me around when she's here. And it was like. I was so happy that when I finally am, like I fired her and I was done. I felt like a weight lifted off of me. And you know what? New people come in and replace it. So it's like sometimes you have to let those ones go and get another person in because it really just, it brings everything down. So, and again, you know, one of our other episodes we talked about suppressing things. You might not even realize how much that her comments or her behavior was really affecting you. Mm-hmm. Until later on when it comes back up and you're like, wow, I didn't realize that. You know, it really was wearing on me. And when you're a newer stylist, people like that make you second guess yourself. And that's always when I would make a mistake. Mm-hmm. Behind the chair, whether it was a color mistake or whatever was, 'cause I was listening to them and like they shook me up where I was like, I now wasn't doing what I knew I needed to do. So they're just toxic all the way around. So get them out of there as quick as you possibly can. And at the end of the day too, clients come to the salon to. Look good and feel good, right? So if you have those big balls of negative energy from those red flag clients, essentially you wanna weed them out fast because it will bring your whole faster, it will change, changes the energy, it will change the morale and everything. So not worth it. Sometimes too, people actually have been doing where they're warning other salons in the area. That's a go-to too, if so and so calls you. That is not, your client. It's not your client. I think it's just so important that we really do, try to make it a point to value ourselves. We are not just here slaving away on people's hair like we are people. We do not deserve any disrespect or being talked to or treated like that ever. And I have said it, I have said it to clients where I'm like, I am not going to tolerate your behavior. I am not gonna put up with this and I don't need to, and I will kindly ask you to leave. They'll usually wanna come back. They'll usually beg you no stand firm, 10 toes down. You are not dealing with it. Or you have those, uh, crazy clients where they'll. Book under a pseudo name. Oh yeah. There's some that's, and they come back and you're like, you are not. I love, we're not, but I love when they deny it. That's the funny part. You said, you love when you deny it. Yeah. When a pseudo client comes in and you even blacklisted them from the salon. When they deny it and they act like you're the crazy one, like, no, I've never been here before. It's like, yes, you have. But they do. I guess they try to get away with whatever they can get away with. Yeah. I hear you on that. It. Wild to me. Some of the things that we've experie, some people scare the hell out of me. I know. Very concerned for humanity, some of these people, but this is why they're not welcome. No. But it gives us interesting stories. Yes, it it absolutely does. But it also, I think of it as, it gives me a lesson as to how to handle certain situations. Mm-hmm. And communicate. So every. Situation that has happened thus far throughout my career has given me growth in standing on my own two feet. And, you know, when we first met, I didn't have a backbone Yes. For shit. And now you're like, who is this person? Definitely, sometimes I still feel like I, it's in the process of growing a little bit more. But I've come a long way from. From where I started. So, which is so important, and I hope you know, stylists listening to this, if you are feeling that or you're discouraged it doesn't mean it's gonna stay that way. You know? Like you will. It gets better, it gets better, it gets better. Like with anything you keep going. You keep building your confidence, your intuition grows where you can kind of sense and tell, is this client good? Is it not good? Just stay with it and you'll keep growing stronger and stronger. And newsflash, if you have like a pit in the bottom of your stomach and you have this chronic late client, or. Problem client coming in and you have that feeling in your stomach. It's time to let them go. Yeah, absolutely. It's not worth it. No, it's not worth going through all that. No, you don't have to. Right? You don't have to. Exactly. Indecisiveness. Oh yeah. Red flag. It's a red flag. It's, it's very hard. I noticed it too, I've had some brides that are that way and it's like, okay, I need some sort of direction here, and they'll pick things all over the place, like up, down, this, that, and you're like, high bun. Yes. Half a half down. You don't see the connection in any of it. So yeah, I feel like indecisiveness is. Probably one of the toughest things because at the end of the day, you're like, okay, I, you still wanna make them happy and you know you do good work them. Yes. But it's knowing that, okay, we have to try to narrow this down, which is very hard and sometimes time consuming. What I do now is if I'm finding that it's all over the place, like I will say, okay, we have to really figure it out. If you have a client showing you. You know, I, I wanna be red, but then I wanna be blonde, but I want, you gotta kind of have to just steer the ship a little bit with it. Um, and sometimes I'll say, you know what, maybe like, let's take a breath and we can reschedule another consultation or any of that. Or if you're feeling that vibe. From them, whether they're texting you and they're a new client or they're on the phone with you then you could say, let's, we gotta kind of narrow it down. I don't really like to make bold changes on someone until I know they're a hundred percent certain this is what they want. And I also communicate with them like, okay, if you do this, the end, y'all are gonna need to do this, this X, Y, and Z, like you're upkeep is gonna be this. Or that sometimes is enough to change their mind. If it's a bride and it's their wedding's in August and it's gonna be hot, I might be like. It's gonna be really hot. How do you do with your hair on your neck? How do you, you know, are you gonna be outside? Is your ceremony gonna be outside? That sometimes can switch them into a different gear, but sometimes indecisive if you, if it's like that every appointment, red flag, it's just not worth it. And it's not worth the time waster that it is. I agree. And then again, if, if a bride is indecisive mm-hmm. And they're saying, well, maybe I wanna wear it all down for the ceremony. Mm-hmm. But have it up for. The reception. Okay, well then you might wanna book us for a second look two Yes. So that you can have best of both worlds and have two different styles. And then who knows, maybe you're gonna wanna change into a reception dress after the ceremony dress. Yeah. So that you can be more comfortable and break it down on the dance floor. You can have best of both worlds. Yes. With that, it's just a matter of communicating that to your client. So pretty much it's really Yeah. Mm-hmm. Just communicating their options. And then, like I said, if it is somebody that's always indecisive and you're always having to do this, you know, half hour, 40 minute consultation before everything, sometimes Oh yeah. They just become energy suckers and that might not be the client for you, so. It, you have a choice in it. If you think it's something you can deal and work with, great. If not, and you wanna give 'em the red flag, then give 'em the red flag. Give 'em the red flag. All right guys, well thank you so much for tuning into this episode. We will have the free resources in for you below, and we're gonna have a part two of listening in on those dialogues and conversations in the beginning of those consultations. Um, things you need to look out for. So stay tuned for part two. That's a wrap on this episode of The Main Event. We're all about empowering our community and supporting each other, so if you love today's conversation, share it with a fellow stylist and let's grow together. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a review and connect with us on Instagram. At the Main Event Show or our YouTube both linked in our show notes below, got a topic you want us to cover, send us a dm. We'd love to hear from you. Until next time, keep creating, keep growing. And remember, you're a part of our family now.