That talk with my mentor about color correction changed how I handle angry clients

I was complaining about a client who flipped out over her balayage at my chair in Nashville last Tuesday. My mentor Donna, who has been doing hair for 22 years, just said "you're not mad at the hair, you're mad at their expectations." It really hit different because she was right I was too focused on the technique instead of what they actually wanted. Has anyone else had a conversation that totally shifted how you talk to clients before you even pick up the brush?

2 comments

2 Comments

zarar6726d ago

You're not mad at the hair, you're mad at their expectations" is such a simple way to put it but it cuts deep. Did Donna walk you through how to spot those mismatched expectations before they blow up, or was it more of a trial and error thing after that talk? That line feels like it would save so many chairs from getting thrown under the bus.

miamitchell26d ago

Oh man, @zarar67 you're spot on about that line. It was a mix of both honestly. Donna literally had me write down what the client expected vs what they actually said out loud during our first few consults together. Like for reals, she'd make me write it on a sticky note and stick it on the mirror so I could see the gap clear as day. And yeah, I definitely learned some lessons the hard way too, especially with people who come in with a photo of a celeb and don't realize that pic has extensions, filters, and a pro stylist behind it. That mismatch is where all the drama starts.