Recently, I was engaged in a fascinating conversation.

A bunch of guys on my soccer team and I were discussing (of all things)… getting our hair cut!

It all started when someone made a comment about my freshly groomed crop. Well that comment led to another and before I knew it, an amazing set of business lessons came to the surface.

Here’s what I mean…

Every week I play soccer about 90 minutes from my home. That’s why one of the guys asked if I got my hair cut somewhere close to the field since it was obvious that I had it cut that day.

I replied by saying “no” in that I always get it cut at the local barber shop near where I live.

That’s when the first business lesson came up because then 4 other guys said the exact same thing. Apparently they always go to the same location as well.

What was interesting about this was the fact that even though some of us live quite a ways from “our barber”, we still go out of our way to get there every month.

I can even remember at university waiting to get my hair cut until I came home to visit my parents. I wouldn’t go to just “any old barber” because I wanted to wait for “my barber”.

Now ladies, this may sound odd that a bunch of guys are chatting about “their barbers” but I’m sure you feel the same way. There’s probably a hair dresser that you feel comfortable with and after he/she did a great job you kept going back.

Why is this?

I think it boils down to a powerful lesson:

Business Lesson #1: We will continue to do business with people we know, like and trust - especially if we are pleased with the products or service that we paid for (and this gets intensified if it’s a “personal” product or service like getting our hair cut - the better the experience, the quicker we become loyal fans).

But the conversation didn’t end there…

So now I was curious. Why was everyone so proud of their barber? What kept them coming back?

This is where things got interesting.

Out of all the guys participating in this conversation, almost all of them had the exact same answer. The reason they kept going back was because their barber did a lot of “little things” that made all the difference.

These were things like:

• Welcoming them when they came into the store
• Having good “manly” magazines like Sports Illustrated and Men’s Health in the waiting area
• Engaging in good conversation with the barber - most barbers remembered the previous conversations they had with the customer and picked up where they left off
• The customer didn’t have to “explain” what they wanted - the barber “just knew”

And then there was the final touch that every barber shop had in common…

They all finished the hair cut by using warm shaving cream and shaving each guys neck with a straight razor!

It was hilarious when one guy said this because everyone laughed and shared a moment of shock/surprise that they weren’t the only ones that thoroughly enjoyed this experience

So what’s the business lesson?

Business Lesson #2: Sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference in the overall experience that the customer has with you. Therefore, don’t forget about the little things!

It’s clear that we didn’t always go back to the same barber because the hair cut was so much better than any other location. We kept going back because we were comfortable there and it was the whole experience that made the difference.

The whole experience was made up of a whole bunch of “little efforts” on the behalf of the barber shop. When you add all these efforts up, it can make a HUGE difference.

From there I went on to discover how some guys have been going to the same place for upwards of 15 years (myself included). If that doesn’t demonstrate loyalty I don’t know what does.

Now the real advantage that the barber shop has over the rest of us is the fact that people naturally need a hair cut multiple times throughout the year. So this is not a “one-time” sale.

However, I think there’s another important lesson here.

Business Lesson #3: Give your customers a reason to come back to you over and over again.

If your customers purchase something from you and have a good experience, then they are A LOT more likely to want to purchase from you again.

Therefore it’s imperative that you find out how else you can best serve their needs.

How do you do this?

With things like surveys, questionnaires and ASK campaigns.

You want to find out what problems and challenges your customers have and then you want to help them resolve those challenges. That’s the “secret” to long-term business success.

The more you can be of service, the more valuable you become and the more loyal your customers will be.

Then the final lesson came when one of the guys said this:

“I’ve been going to the same place for over 12 years now and I’ve seen the price go from $10/cut to $14/cut, to the point now where it’s roughly $20/cut with a tip”.

When I heard him say this I just smiled.

So many times we think that price is the deciding factor as to why people will do business with us.

The reality is this could be farther from the truth.

Why do you think we are willing to pay an extra $1.50 to get money from an ATM machine versus going to the bank where we could withdraw money for free?

CONVENIENCE

In that quick example, people are willing to cough up $1.50 so they can get their money right there and then. Going all the way to the bank would take time. We want it now and we are willing to pay for it.

In the case of the barber, it’s hard for other barber shops to compete because for us guys, it’s clear that we aren’t just going there because it’s the cheapest place on the block.

We go there because we’re comfortable, they do a good job and even though we don’t go around telling everyone (although I am here!), we enjoy the experience that we have.

Therefore we have no other reason to go anywhere else. So in this case, do a good job for me once and I’ll be a loyal customer for years and years - that is VERY powerful.

That’s what leads me to our final business lesson…

Business Lesson #4: Test your price because there is a good chance that it’s not the reason people are buying from you. Then, find out the #1 reason people are buying from you!

With that said, if my barber all of a sudden jacked their prices up to $40/cut, I’d probably look elsewhere. However, I too have seen a price increase over the years and it didn’t stop me one bit.

(I know all the ladies are probably rolling their eyes saying $40/cut… that’s a steal!).

Anyway, who would have known that a bunch of guys discussing their barbers would have brought about so many business tips and lessons.

It just goes to show, you never know where your conversation will take you

Speaking of conversations, let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below. Perhaps you’ve got a great “barber or hair dresser story”. I’d love to hear it so feel free to share it below.

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About The Author
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Stu McLaren is an trainer, consultant and affiliate manager for some of the world's top internet marketers. Access his free training sessions by entering your name and email in the form provided below in the "Get Updated" section.

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Other Websites of Interest:
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IdeaSeminar.com
MarketingWebGraphics.com
GetStartedWithInternetMarketing.com
GetStartedWithInfoMarketing.com
BasicListBuilding.com

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