The person who cuts your hair isn’t just some random guy or gal, they are a highly trained artist in the truest sense. The art of barbering involves how one cuts, shaves and styles hair, as well as how they interact with and get to know their clients.
The Art of Barbering: 6 Tips & Tricks for Barbers
1. Focus on Your Local Neighborhood
Most barbers work on locals right in their neighborhood so it’s incredibly important to understand the style and lifestyle specific to your region. Talk to people, get out and look around, check out the hairstyles of people young and old and take note. The better you understand your community, the better you can serve their needs.
2. Get to Know Each Client as an Individual
While the local region will influence styles and preferences, each client is an individual and it’s important to get to know them on that level. Learn what each client prefers, maybe even what kind of music they like or don’t like. That way you can tailor each experience to their needs. No one wants to stray from a barber who “gets them.” After all, it’s hard to find someone who is good at cutting hair and personalizes their services to you.
Tips to learn more about your clients:
- Let your clients talk and be there to listen without offering too much of your own opinions.
- Take the time to learn their family member’s names as well as the names of people they talk about a lot, so you can keep up with conversations and ask questions about their loved ones.
- Jot down notes about each client after they leave – include names, upcoming events they talked about, and so forth. Before their next appointment you can quickly reference these notes and ask the appropriate follow up questions.
3. Never Stop Learning & Growing as a Barber
It’s important to have a solid foundation for the basics but it’s equally important to never stop learning even if you already know a lot.
Barbering is all about smooth and direct style, no matter if the client in your chair wants a modern look or something more classic. Still, there’s always more to learn. In part, because current trends are always changing. Stay on top of your game by continually taking classes, creating a network of other barbers you can learn from, and staying on top of celebrity hairstyles and hot trends. That way you can better serve your clients and keep things fresh.
4. Remember, Everyone Wants to Look & Feel Good
The world is made up of unique individuals, but at the end of the day we all have one thing in common: the desire to feel good about ourselves. Make your clients feel good by giving them a great haircut, building up their self-esteem and making them feel like they are important.
5. Know Your Products
Clients want suggestions for good products that’ll keep their hair looking fly. It’s up to you to experiment with different products so that you can offer solid recommendations for unique hair types, styles, and preferences.
6. Create Your Own Style
Stay true to your style as an artist. From the ambiance of your barbershop to the ways in which you style hair, the key to every good artist is the ability to differentiate oneself from the competition.
Take Your Barbering Skills to the Next Level
Avenue Five Institute offers an 11-month barber career training program where you can pick up the skills necessary to nail the art of barbering. From practical training to hands-on experience, our comprehensive program will prepare you for the state licensing exam as well as a career in this exciting and growing industry. Click here to learn more!