Hairspionage - The Stylists & Salon Owners that Spy on Us!

At least once a week someone comes in with more questions than necessary, more prying and more interest than a standard client. It's always funny when you realize the person or people in your place are spying for either their place, their employers, or their "future" business. 

Over the past 2.5 months that we've been open we've had our fair share of spies. Some were really cool, open, honest about their intensions and I was more than courteous providing information, where I got what, how much, etc... Others have been really shady and nosy. 

Last week was really interesting. An older couple came in, the woman first and headed off to get shampoo'd while the man came in after parking the car. As soon as he walked in he told me "This is a nice place, how do you feel about opening one up on the Main Line?" to which I responded "Sure!". The man proceeded to tell me that we can be partners and that he's already got the location. Long story short, it was the strangest thing I've ever seen, the woman left with her hair still wet (by choice of course) and the man gave me a business card and said he'll be in touch. WTF? 
   -- Update: Never heard from the man again, but I do understand they're opening a high-end Men Only salon & spa.  

How about the woman that was standing outside taking pictures prior to coming in for a blo/out. Turns out she owns a salon in the area. Or the woman that called in to "get information" and make an appointment that she later cancelled for a Keratin Express treatment, upon getting her email address I realized who she was and which salon she owns in Philadelphia. 

I totally understand it and I'm pretty cool with it, I have done it and continue to do it as well albeit not as blatantly. My intention is not to compete with every salon in the area, otherwise I would have opened up a full service salon and I'm pretty sure I would have earned clients away from other salons. I support competition and although it does bother me when someone tries to step on my toes, I operate with the belief that if you do something better than anyone else, you deserve to succeed.

I would totally prefer people to just approach me and either ask me openly or inquire about partnerships, I'm partnering up with people all the time! We also take in investors into specific locations whenever we can! For example our Rittenhouse location which is currently in the final stages of completion is still welcoming an investor that can have ownership of that location!

This industry is awesome! There is crazy amounts of potential and when treated like a real business rather than a mom & pop shop, it is very lucrative for all involved.

I'm not looking to leave it anytime soon, so as per the ancient proverb: "Come at me bro". 

Avi.

Hiring and Firing, It's Not as Tough as Everyone Thinks.

My hiring practices are pretty simple and logical. Given that I'm not a hair stylist nor have any styling experience I cannot judge styling technique. My judging ability is limited to what I feel is most important, the personality. I judge applicants personalities before they even pick up a blow dryer. I hire based on gut feelings, energy, and what I call a marketable personality. 

A marketable personality is a type of person that is easy to like, easy to talk to, and easy to be completely open with. Hair stylists provide a service, marketable people build relationships. I've sent home numerous applicants that although were great stylists, were not marketable. 

However, given that without a quality blow out it doesnt matter how personable someone is I wont make it in this business, I pay close attention to quality! I judge the length of time the blow out takes, the clients feedback, and the comparison of what the client thought they were going to look like to what they actually look like. I've begun to pick up some hints about what good hair stylists do. 

What I look for most in a quality hair stylist is confidence. I want every stylist at Blo/Out to be able to pick up a blow dryer and be 110% sure they are the best person to complete the job at that given time for that given client. Confidence can accomplish anything! When I was in the financial industry I tought my sales guys to always be confident. "Answer YES! I dont care if the correct answer is NO and you're not sure about it!". I never wanted to hear my sales people stuttering or pausing or referring to a manager. "Is this the best solution for me? YES!" It's much easier to come back later and say "Mr. Client, earlier when you asked about the solution I said yes, but after researching further I do believe the best answer would be No." 

Now it's pretty obvious that confidence wont make a subpar stylist into an expert but the lack of confidence really can make an excellent stylist into an unemployed one. In the short time Blo/Out has been in business I have seen criticism absolutely ruin skill. Shaking hands, being too meticulous, asking for confirmation over and over again, and taking too long are some of the results that criticism has had on some stylists that are no longer with Blo/Out. 

So hiring is one thing, what about my firing practices? Well, given that I'm super honest, blunt, and do not let personal feelings interfere with my business, being fired or let go at Blo/Out is not a drama filled event. I have very simple rules to employment:

• Never, ever be late! - Every Blo/Out team member knows that is my biggest pet peeve. Everyone gets one chance, the second time you're late you might as well turn around and go home. However, being late is not the same as calling me and letting me know that youre running behind. 

• No Bullshit! - I'm not a child and hopefully you're not either. Dont fuck with me. We're all adults. I'm not a fan of politics, rumors, or stupid decisions. If you think I'm not going to agree, you're probably right. 

• Give me 100% or go home! - I respect people that tell me "I'm having a shitty day, I would rather not be in there today than be there and not bring my "A" game". If you're a part of my team you better be the best you can be, otherwise I'll find someone who is. 

• Be ambitious! - Sounds simple enough, however people are typically too lazy to be ambitious. Give me a reason to promote you, pay you more, respect you more, trust you more! Being average is bullshit. 

My ultimate rule for letting go of someone is client complaints. I have a very narrow threshold of complaints that need to be met in order for you to be let go. It doesnt matter if you are the best stylist I have, something you're doing is wrong! 

I've managed to build the absolute best core team here at Blo/Out, they really are a part of the family, those that made the cut will grow and prosper with Blo/Out.

Yours,

Avi.

Philly Mommy Blogger Event Wrap Up @ Blo/Out

On Thursday, April 5th, Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar hosted a Philly Mommy Blogger Meetup showing them what we do and how we do it. The event turned out to be tons of fun and very informative for all parties involved. The mommies got a bunch of Blo/Outs, enjoyed some of our Blo/Me Mosas and our cake pops, raspberry tarts and chocolate birds nests. 

Along with all the Blo/Outs and baked goods we invited Nico and David from SEER Interactive, Philly's premier Search Engine Optimization agency to provide some helpful tips to the bloggers.

The following is a summary of the discussion:

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On Thursday April 5 Blo/Out Hair salon hosted a mom blogger event where Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Consultants Nico Miceli and David Karalis spoke to the bloggers about ways to get their blogs picked up by search engines. They discussed the importance of finding your niche market and writing to them since mom blogging is getting bigger and bigger. As SEO consultants Nico and David reach out via email to mom bloggers with lots of great offers from their clients and wanted the momtrepreneur ‘s to be able to put a face to their emails.

Below are the sites that were mentioned as good resources and SEO tools

MyBlogGuest.com – A site with forums of people looking for guest posts.

BloggerLinkUp.com – A newsletter that aggregates a list of people looking for guest posts and content

HARO.com – Stands for Help A Reporter Out, and is a site that connects journalists with people in different fields to answer questions for an article the journalist is writing

Google Key Word tool – Shows you’re the amount of search traffic different words and phrases get. Comes in handy when you’re planning out the key words you want to target for your blog.

Good SEO Blogs to follow

Beginners Guide To SEO
SEER Interactive Blog

SEOMoz Blog

Search Engine Journal

Search Engine Watch

Search Engine Land

Good Social Media blogs to follow

Mashable

Convince and Convert

Dachis Group's Blog

Nico & David are from SEER Interactive a search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM). The SEO consultants at the SEER Interactive have over a decade of dedicated SEO and SEM experience and the drive to help your business succeed. 

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The entire Blo/Out team would like to thank the Mommy Bloggers that attended, some of which include the following:

Nichole       | nicholeann.com & justchildrensbooks.com

Jeanine       | mommyentourage.com

Maureen     | qponcutie.com & mommytails.com

Colleen       | babybehip.com/blog

Barbara      | Homeroomathome.com

Randi          | http://sahmscrazylife.blogspot.com

Debbie        | www.Mamanista.com

Criticism should be embraced... sometimes.

Typically client criticism is brushed under the rug or hidden. I would like to expose it! I want to discuss the client criticism that we have received. 

So we've been open a month as of today and out of the 312 Blo/Out clients that have walked in (p.s. THANK YOU!!) and experienced our services, we've gotten two (2) complaints! I'm not sure how that statistic compares to other salons or other industries but based on my experience, that's awesome! 

I'm a customer service guy. Period. That's my forte, that's what I do! So I interrogate each and every customer and ask for their true and honest opinion. I embrace criticism! I love it! Tell me what to do to make you happier and I will! Tell me nothing, and nothing changes. If my need for the best customer service ever transferred from my professional life to my dating life, women would love it! 

If I order a meal at a restaurant and the result is complete crap, guess what, its going back! That is the same way I feel about every service or product. If for some reason a Blo/Out client is not satisfied with the service, we have the ability to correct the issue immediately or I will personally pay for your next Blo/Out. I never want anyone leaving my business unhappy! Ever! 

Having said all that, let me get into the 2 complaints we have received and why I cannot take them to heart. 

The first, a bitter woman came in for a blow dry prior to a "ball" she had to attend. She inquired about the length of time for a blow out and after telling her it was approximately 35-45 minutes she went back and forth for about 5 minutes on whether she'll make it or not. Once she decided to proceed, I offered her a Blo/Me Mosa, that day it was Mango Mimosa which is so far the crowd favorite. After tasting it she stated that it's disgusting and put it down.

I introduced her to one of our Blolita's Calvin. Calvin comes from some of the most prestigious salons in Cherry Hill, NJ and has been styling hair for over 8 years. Other than his talents, Calvin is an awesome guy (he has the transformers logos tattooed on his arms!) and a stand up comedian on the side. Calvin is probably what I would label a hipster. Calvin also happens to be black. Upon meeting Calvin, Client X proceeded to ask if there was anyone else available to style her hair. Maybe she hated the Transformers tats? Having no one else available at the time, she sat with Calvin and asked for straight hair. 

During this time another client was sitting right next to client X with her adorable ginger daughter. Attempting to entertain the child while her mother was being Blo'n Out I spun the daughter in her chair, let her chase me around the salon and finally let her sit at my desk drawing. Calvin asked client X if she had any children, her response: "Not like that!" What the hell does that mean?!? After her straight hair with volume Blo/Out was completed, client X asked Calvin to add curls. After adding curls, client X grabbed a brush and began brushing her hair out. When she finally got to the front desk to pay, her hair did not look like any of our offered styles or anything I would ever recommend to any client. During my customer service interrogation she kept shaking her head and repeating "Horrible", at one point nodding toward the child that was quietly sitting in the corner and repeated "Horrible!". After offering to have her hair re-done by a different Blolita waiving the price and offering the next one on me, she refused them all and stormed out only to send me an email later complaining that I did not follow up with her regarding her unhappiness. 

Complaint number two comes from client Z. A young lady with a whole bunch of hair that looked awesome when she walked out of here! Her hair was long, full and upon walking out she had loose sexy curls. However, during her Blo/Out client Z interrogated her Blolita asking how much he makes, how many people come in, why he doesn't get paid more and how can he be happy with the whole ordeal. I am proud to say our Blolitas love working with us, we offer a career not a job. Ever hear of a hair stylists with health benefits, paid vacation, 401K plan, guess what? We have! 

During that same Blo/Out client Z was criticizing the other stylists currently working on their clients and making faces at the other clients hinting that their hair was not being styled well. WTF? At one point she loudly asked her Blolita if another clients Blolita has ever done hair before. Wow!

I didn't think anything of it because I thought her hair looked great when she walked out and she didnt say a word to me when I inquired about her happiness with the Blo/Out. However, a few days later I was made aware of a social media post client Z made stating that Blo/Out hires unlicensed stylists off the streets and that the place is horrible and she would never come back nor recommend anyone to go. 

So... first of all every single stylist working at Blo/Out is licensed (even though we do not require it!) and has over 3 years of hair styling experience. Our place being horrible? Really? Designed by A&R Designs of New York, the Blo/Out location is nothing short of beautiful. Happiness is a very relative term, and I'm OK with that. 

The two complaints above are not meant to expose or insult client X and client Z. This post is about me staying true to my mantra of complete translucency, honesty and bluntness. I love criticism, given that it's constructive. Hating for the purpose of hating is just a waste of emotions that could be spent loving, laughing or being happy!

I ask everyone reading this to be honest with me when you're a Blo/Out client. I'm not giving out free Blo/Outs to everyone, but I will make sure we fix any major issues if they ever arise. 

Yours.

Avi.

Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar Video Blog Episode 1

Our awesome stylist Calvin answering some personal questions and giving us a bit of insight into the real Calvin! This is the first of many episodes we will be doing! Tune in for more personal stylist info!