Today I attended to a monthly chore which almost all guys have to go through every month. Sitting at a barber's place waiting for your turn can be a real torturous experience, but today it turned out be quite an revelation for me. I could never imagine that even a small neighbourhood barber runs his business using the same principles which any business would need to succeed.
I have always felt that barbers, tailors, cooks and craftsmen have a very monotonous work life, and they mechanically carry on their job without any scope of improvisation. We crib all the time about having no life at all without sparing a thought for people who follow a fixed algorithmic life day after day. Obviously the barber at this shop must have been experiencing the frustration of doing the same thing day after day. But unlike most of us, instead of cribbing, this one had found ways to keep his job interesting.
He knew his clients well. He welcomed everyone with a beaming smile. He talked to them, asked them about their work, and their well being. As, the guy infront of me in the hair cut queue took his seat, the barber said "Shall I try something new and better on your hair? I am bored of giving you a same hairstyle month after month?" The guy just nodded his head in affirmation and the barber had an interesting task at his hands. He made a few shadow moves close to his head trying to picturise what he wants to do to his hair. Then very carefully started trimming his hair. During the haircut, he asked his clients, the one on the chair and the ones waiting in queue for tea or smoke.
He had a sharp memory and remembered exactly where he had left the conversation a month back with each of his client. This personalised conversation definitely helps in the ego boost of people who love to hear about how awesome their new mobile phone is and how some xyz haircut would make them look like a filmstar. So, with the help of immaculate haircutting and talking skills, twenty minutes later, he had his client happily staring at his pretty neat looking hairdo in the mirror.
The client in a happy yet complaining tone said that the hair this time were left a bit longer, but they did look good. The barber, smiled and just nodded his head in acknowledgement. The guy got up, paid the barber for the haircut and gave a pretty fat tip indeed. It was now my turn for the haircut. He smiled at me and asked me to take the seat and started the same cycle again...
I was pretty impressed with the business and customer service skills of the Barber. With a new haircut, he ensured that he has something new to look forward to while cutting the hair. He knew that, if his client likes his new look, he would get an extra tip and moreover, he left the hair a bit longer, which would reduce his monthly haircut cycle to 3 weeks.
I never knew that a routine visit to a barber would help me revise my Business Lessons in such an effective manner...
Essentials for a Successful Business:
- Innovate
- Know your Customer well
- Retain old clients
- Constantly Scout for new ones
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