Overpromising And How To Avoid It

This one goes out to the salon and shop owners out there.

Overpromising is rampant in the hair industry. I’ve heard of examples ranging from little things to the insane.

Here are two examples where I was present.

First, a salon owner was ready to offer a stylist a car to join her salon—an actual fucking vehicle. What is happening? How desperate do you have to be to be offering up a car?! Are you a freaking pyramid scheme? 

Second, and you might not even believe this one even though it’s one hundred percent true. I was in a meeting where an owner promised an all-expenses-paid trip to China to a stylist. A-trip-to-China! All I could do was sit there and think to myself, “This business needs to be closed, and this person needs to be locked up.” I wish I were exaggerating; this shit happened.

Overpromising comes from fear. Owners become desperate and therefore willing to do almost anything to either keep or hire staff. It’s this odd paradox because if you just did the right things for employees, you wouldn’t need to create all of this smoke and mirrors stuff.

Here, let’s try to fix it. 

Take a piece of paper and write down everything you offer. We offer tons of freedom, for example, so we highlight that when talking to potential stylists. Make sure to put some thought into this. Include your pay structure, core principles, brands you use, etc. The more transparent, the better. 

If you don’t want your pay structure out there, it’s because you don’t believe in it. Read that again.

Next, identify your business’s key ‘strategic differences.’ What separates your business from the other two hundred and fifty-seven salons in town? You have to be honest here! Don’t just say things like “We value ongoing education.” if you don’t. That is one of the top things I hear from stylists looking for a new place. Avoid anything that you’re not clear about and ready to stand behind because the second you do that, you’re overpromising. 

Once you’ve got your lists complete, you can begin to edit things. Soon you’ll have a concise and comprehensive offering that you can present to potential hires. It’s transparent and conveys what you offer without going down the road of overpromising. Now you can do business with integrity! 

If someone isn’t willing to accept your offer, then they’re not a good fit. It’s as simple as that. Unless something makes sense and applies to EVERYONE, don’t change this or make accommodations for a single person. 

Let’s avoid the sign-on bonus too. Too desperate. Believe in what you’re doing before others will follow.