How to handle criticism with Style

As a hairstylist, I love the relationships I gain with my clients. Since I am a perfectionist I usually am good to please my clients, and I strive to listen as closely as I can to their needs and wants. After graduating hair school, I made it a goal to please every person that sat in my chair. (Which is a crazy goal) I was young and naive in the sense of thinking that was possible...Like EVERY person that sits down is gonna love me! HA! There were a couple rude clients in hair school… I never understood since they knew they were coming to a school to get their hair done!

Last week at my salon, I got the pleasure of serving one of the rude ones. I was amazed at how quickly I reverted back to that young girl, scared & feeling awful that someone wasn’t pleased with something I did. The gal had never been to me before, and had told me how most of the stylist’s she has had never do her hair right... (So already we're battin’ a thousand because she's in her late 40's) EEK!!. So literally nobody has ever done it right?? I'm thinking to myself…How in the world am I gonna get through this one?

So I proceed with the cut… we got done, I styled it and she said it was cute. I took a huge deep breath waiting for her to lash out on me, but she didn’t. With-in the hour I got a call…She wasn't happy so I invited her back in to look at it and see what we could do to make her happy. She came back in guns blazing; she was rude, demeaning & most of all she was not working WITH me, just against me. So 45 minutes later, its 9pm, I’m exhausted and she's still crabby... Shocker I know! I hit a wall. (Not literally…lol) I usually can take on a great challenge, but I did nothing that was drastic enough for her to carry this attitude around.

By the end of it, I suggested that she pre-book with someone else and she said "no, I'll keep my appointment with you!" NOW I'm going crazy, like lady you've been dishing me all this crap for the last 45 minutes and now you wanna do this AGAIN in 4 weeks!!!! So there will be a knot in my stomach for the next 4 weeks till I see this dreadful woman again. And wouldn’t you think if I did so "bad" you would go to someone else, so I guess at the end of the day I'm not that bad, eh?

My Point: Whether it's at the salon or in your office, or where ever, there will be “these” people. They lurk around waiting to pounce on someone and let them have it. It seems the sweeter the spirit you have the easier the target you are. Don’t make a scene or say anything inappropriate, just take a deep breath and be as classy as possible for that will drive them crazier that they don’t get to you. I was honest and straight forward with this lady, and told her pretty much that we aren’t a good fit! And she STILL wants to come make me miserable in 4 weeks. Lol...so lesson is...find a hairstylist you LOVE & click with!!! It's one of the most important relationships you can have! And for the Haters that will always be there…You only make me better

You know that haircut was good…... the Youngest