But Why By David Watts

There is a skill in life that is solid in childhood, then for many, it mysteriously fades away. Losing this skill is costing us the opportunity to have more meaningful conversations. It is stopping us from having the best business we can. It is limiting our relationships with our teams and restricting our possibilities with our clients. Have you guessed it? It is simply asking questions.

Remember when you were four? You had and instinctive desire to know everything, there was not an answer that could satisfy your curiosity. Even when something was explained in detail and logically, you always had one more question…but why? Two simple words, however two extremely powerful words.

Questions give you more detail, that detail gives you a greater understanding, then you can then make better decisions with the information you have. How many times have you wished you knew a little more before you acted on something? For me the answer is PLENTY of times!

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

My Grandma used to tell me this a lot, probably because I talked too much. Realistically this is every hairdresser I have ever met; it probably comes naturally for you. To be successful in this industry you must love people and be confident to talk to them. Although if you want to take your success to the next level, you need to ask more questions, listen carefully to the responses, then act on what you have learnt.

By the way, I need to throw this out there early, this is not easy to do (well not straight away.) Life is so much easier when you run on autopilot, getting through each day without adding any stress, it is your natural response. Unfortunately, you end up in the same place you started. Throw more questioning into the mix and suddenly you are more innovative, more creative and more willing to implement the changes your life or business needs. How do you ask more questions?

How do you ask more questions? Look at the six spunky salon owners in the picture, get familiar with them, they are your new best friends. Their names are who, what, when, where, why and how. Their names are deliberately different to yours as they are the prompts for you to ask more magical question

Asking questions using these words will essentially change the perception people have of you too, it will make them feel more valued. People love to share and will often present that key information you hadn’t yet considered. It also allows them to answer without your thoughts influencing what they say. This is critical when trying to get a variety of ideas.

Can questions framed with these words still be lousy? Absolutely they can, they are not a magic wand for more productive conversations, rather a tool to help you uncover more information. Some of my favourite follow up questions do not use any of these words. “That’s interesting, tell me more about that” or “I’m not sure I understand, could you give me some more detail.”

This article is about your salon, I am not asking you to uncover from people, “what is the meaning of life?” You need to be asking questions for things that require action. Your questions need to be difficult enough to provoke interest yet easy enough for people to want to answer. At the end of the day, you want answers, you just need to make sure you are asking the right questions to get them.

Ask better questions Get better answers.

When considering your clients, the area where improving your questioning will make the most dramatic difference in your salon is during consultation. If you have ever worked with a coach or attended a sales training day, you know that consultation is key to your results.

The word consult simply defined means, to seek information from someone. How do we get that information? By asking magical questions. Numerous surveys have shown that the one thing clients want more from the stylists is better consultations. How do we give better consultations? Yep, better questions, you need to uncover the good, the bad and the ugly about their hair.

Your doctor is likely a great questioner, they need the information you have in your mind for them to solve your problem, they want descriptions of EVERYTHING. I often tell my clients to be more like their local GP and watch their salon flourish.

A great activity for you and your team is to start asking questions of each other in your team training sessions. Here are some BASIC questions on customer service:

What does good customer service look like? What does poor customer service look like? When have I received good customer service? When have I received poor customer service? Based on this, how can we improve our customer service?

There are no right or wrong answers, even on this basic topic. It is thought provoking and brings new ideas to the table. Inquiring about both sides of an issue will give you a better understanding and allow you to make more informed decisions.

What now? Use your new best friends, talk less, listen more and watch yourself flourish with new ideas, innovative concepts and greater creativity.

A salon owner and support coach on Team Chrissy – The ZING Project. David has a diverse background in sales, marketing and operations and is passionate about improving the professionalism of the industry. Contact David via email davidsc@zingcoach.com.au or DM on Instagram @davidwatts_zing