What is your point of difference?

What is your point of difference?

I believed by now every one of my hairdresser friends in Malaysia knew that I am currently working in Taiwan for a renowned beauty and hair product company. What I love about my current employer is that we share the same belief. They believe in growing through education and developing personal growth via different channels of trainings. I have attended a 3 days Interpersonal Communication Skills in July and a Train the Trainer refresher class in Aug and I never get tired of attending classes. There are various perspectives to look at whenever we are required to attend any sort of these classes however the price to pay to do so may be too much to handle to some hairdressers. Sacrifices such as getting out of bed earlier than usual, reluctant to spend the whole day in a class room, loss of income and traffic, to name a few, could become excuses.

What do you get out of these education and trainings? What are the reasons company spend so much time, effort and money just to organize them for hairdressers to attend where most of the time is free or from just purchasing products? The main purpose is helping us creating the point of difference and establishing the platform for us to be knowledgeable. Over time, not only you would realize the increase in business but also would change the way we communicate, the way we act and manage ourselves. There are over three thousand salons in Kuala Lumpur alone and the number is still growing. One question we should always ask ourselves is: Why do customers want to come to my salon? What is my difference comparing to the salon across the street or just next door? What makes my salon so special?

In the Train the Trainer refresher program, our speaker asks us a very compelling question. It went like this: What is the difference in the way we teach 5 years ago comparing the way we teach now? We are unable to answer that question satisfactorily. We could also ask ourselves similar question. What am I doing differently today comparing to 5 years ago? Customer’s demands and expectations are getting higher where we now need to have very strong power of communications, cutting techniques, power of persuasion and value for money products to cater to their different needs. Hence, these education tools are to help achieve just that because it no longer about teaching hair structure and haircuts now but implementing business strategies. Business modules such as Merchandizing skills, Retailing to men, Promoting Referral, Costing and Art of Consultation are all part of our commitment to hairdressers. More demanding programs such as certification in hair coloring, certification in hair cutting and even certification in treating hair are some of the tools available to creating the point of difference.

LG, famous for its flat screen plasma TV is launching a 3D TV for home, more people are using Iphone and artists and singers are launching their music on-line. All this happened for a reason and it is due to market demand and changing with time. Do you really think they will launch these products when there is no demand? We would be terribly wrong when we obviously observed the change in customer’s demand and needs but we chose to remain the same in the way we do our work, the way we think and the way we manage people or ourselves.

I am now using power point from custom made application on computer to draw head forms, hair sectioning, describing cutting techniques and color panels. I am discovering and learning a new approach to earn my point of difference in teaching. What about you? Are you willing to take this challenge?

When some people in the industry invite to attend a class, hair seminar or show in the future, just say “Thanks!! When and where please?” Like Forest Gump said “Life is like a box of chocolate, you will never know what you gonna get”

The Met Kuala Lumpur

9,Ground Floor,President House,

Park Royal Hotel,

Jalan Sultan Ismail,

50250 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-21481111