LOOK AT IT FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW

GREET SOMEONE WITHIN THE FIRST TEN SECONDS

EYE CONTACT AND A SMILE

BODY LANGUAGE

IF YOU’RE BUSY

IF YOU’RE BUSY AND SOMEONE GREETS YOUR CUSTOMER

IT NEVER HURTS TO HAVE SOME SORT OF PHYSICAL CONTACT

A WARM GREETING

NAME-CALLING

INTRODUCE YOURSELF

THE LOST FEW

TAKING THEM TO YOUR CHAIR

IN CONCLUSION

Barberhacks is the free online Barbering resource to help you Barber Better.When someone walks through the door it is one of the most important times in your service. Today we’re going to take you through 10 tips that you can use in order to make your customer feel as though they are appreciated and wanted in your barbershop.Hello, how are you? Simple right. Well, not quite so simple as it might seem.Greeting a customer in a way that they feel comfortable in your space differs from one person to the other, but there are certain guidelines that one can follow to help people feel more at home in your barbershop.Studies have shown that the anxiety level of a new client walking into a barbershop situation is high with ‘someone ignoring them’ listed as the major complaint. I don’t know when the last time you were as customer in a barber shop, but take a moment now to put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think about how you would react if you were ignored walking into a shop. I recommend that you go to another shop the next time you are on vacation and see how you are greeted, and take a look at the service you are given so that you can see what it is like to get a good or bad service.Everyone wants to feel important. It doesn’t matter if your barbershop is a walk-in establishment or by appointment only, you should either acknowledge someone right as they walk in the door, or have someone that greets them for you. Whether this is an apprentice or receptionist it doesn’t matter you should make sure everyone through the door feels like they are welcomed and appreciated. Do you best not to just yell hello at them, keep things tempered and ask them how they are doing and how you can help direct them.Look up and grab the customers eyes and if you are feeling up to a little smile, smile. This creates an immediate sense of welcoming to anyone that crosses through the doors of your establishment. If you are too busy with another customer let them know that you will get to them ASAP. Fair warning, don’t flash fake smiles, because those are insincere and people can see right through that. It’s okay to just acknowledge someone and let them know they are special, but if you can do it with a smile that is genuine, it will go a long way.Do your very best to turn towards the customer and have a relaxed but erect body posture. This instills a sense that you are confident in who you are, as well as ready to help the person that you have just turned to address.If you are busy doing a haircut and there is no one else around to greet a new customer it is okay to excuse yourself from what you are doing in order to properly greet someone into your establishment. Trust me this will go a long way into creating an environment in which people feel comfortable, and it will pay off. Ignoring your customers will be noticed when they sit down and are unsure as to what the procedures of your barbershop are. If you can’t do this make sure you greet them with eye contact and get to them ASAP.If you are in the back of the shop and one of your regular customers comes in in the middle of your haircut, be sure, once you notice them, that you give them a little nod or wave of welcome and if possible, let them know how long it is going to be until they can sit in your chair.Whether it is a fist bump or a handshake having initial physical contact with someone before you go right to touching their head and face is something that I recommend. Shaking hands may be old-fashioned, but the old-fashioned approach is understood as a proper greeting by most everyone.“Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, or “Good evening”, followed by a, “How can I help you today?”, or “How are you today?”, or any variation on this theme is a great way to start a conversation with someone. “Welcome”, or “Welcome back” is a wonderful way to start out as well. These greetings are to the point, and will help your customer feel great about themselves. If you have the time and want to be a little more inventive with your greeting, feel free to let loose with a “Good day kind sir,” or a “Very kind of you to come in today, how can we be of service,” it is all up to you in how you present yourself and your establishment.If you know the customer, say their name right away. Nothing makes me feel more at home than walking into a place and having someone look me in the eyes with a smile and welcome me with my name. That alone will get me coming back time and time again. If you aren’t good at remembering names, there are many memory tricks that you can work on, find one that works for you and start trying to implement it. I try and add people to my social media and then spend a little time browsing their profile. The next time they come in I have an idea of who they are and it helps me bring their name to mind.My name is…, goes a long way, and will get you a name in return.If you notice someone is looking a little off or lost, there is always a chance that they were ignored, or that they just didn’t receive the information that was given to them. Take a couple of seconds and make sure that they are comfortable, that they know where they can sit, where the magazines are (if you have them), give them the wi-fi password, or let them know how long they might have to wait for a certain barber, etcetera. This is not the ideal situation, but if you are attentive and LISTEN to what they want you will probably be able to soothe the problem over. With this situation, take a little more time than you normally would in order to properly help your guest, it will make them feel as though they have been heard and will once again make them feel important.Offer to take a jacket or sweater or hat, and hang it up for them if they are partial to that, don’t force it if they are partial to doing it themselves. Take them to your chair with a few kind words and hold the back of the chair as they get into the seat. And prepare yourself for the consultation. Don’t drape them right away, consult with them first. We’ll discuss the consultation next week, so make sure you come back for that.The greeting will put your guest at ease, so make sure that you talk with them right away, make sure that you look them in the eyes and if you have a genuine smile to give, give it. Say something welcoming, shake a hand, introduce yourself and take a name. Take a jacket, hang it up and take your guest to your chair. If you are busy with a customer when one of your guests come in, make sure that they are greeted, and if they are give them a nod and an idea about how long it’ll take before they’re tended to. With this routine, you’ll be sure to make each person that comes through the doors of your establishment feel as though they are important to you and your business.Thanks for reading again this week,Martin @crowbarber on InstagramFollow our YouTube channelEmail Mjmartinejohn@gmail.com with questions or for joining a mailing list for new articles