At Great Clips, we stress how important communication is for building and growing a thriving business.
Communication is important on several levels: How we communicate our values and brand to the public, and how salon owners and managers communicate with—not to—their employees (more on that, later).
But the core of our franchisees’ success is Great Clips’ commitment to communicating with our customers. I’m convinced that’s why customers keep coming back and entrusting us with their hair (which is, after all, not just a haircut, but rather a big factor in how people form a first impression about someone they’ve just met!).
We’ve gone to great lengths to create a communication strategy at Great Clips. At the heart of every form of communication—from personal communication to a 30-second radio advertisement—there is a story, a message. Having a strategy used by everyone across markets ensures that we’re all conveying the same story, the same message. That contributes to brand consistency.
One of our roles at the corporate office is to provide Great Clips franchisees with the tools to teach their stylists how to connect and communicate with their customers. That allows them to effectively communicate the Great Clips message not only in words but also in attitude and body language.
We’ve created a step-by-step guide, an informal script that stylists can put into their own words. The steps are really just an outline of common courtesies, things that might be overlooked but that make customers feel connected, cared for and in control. That’s what sets Great Clips apart from other salons.
One Great Clips franchisee is so committed to this customer-connection playbook that he makes a guarantee to his stylists: If they follow the steps, they’ll be rewarded in three ways:
Their customer return-rate will increase
Their tips will increase
Their end-of-month and end-of-year bonuses will increase
And it’s not just the stylists who are rewarded—it also affects the overall success of the business in everything from customer counts to employee engagement to staff productivity. I hear it often from our most successful franchisees: Use the recommended franchisor resources and your business will grow. That’s what this franchisee is telling his stylists: Use the tools you have available and you will be successful—he even guarantees it!
So what are the three things that happen when you communicate with your customers? They come back, again and again and again.
What’s the biggest return in your business when you effectively communicate with your customers?