Process Hair Magazine May / June 2004

Is the Price Right?

Compressed Color Processes and Speed Services
Prices are changing because of technical adjustments, too. The old approach to hair color treated the base shade, highlights and gloss as three separate steps. Today, neither clients nor colorists have four hours to spare, and the new approach is to treat several steps as one, which affects pricing.
  " Now, we apply the base, add the highlights right over the top and process the two together," says Henry Amador, Creative Director of the  Elite Group Salons in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. " This is about two hours faster, and we charge the client about $ 100 less. They realize a savings; we can service more clients."

" Today's savvy, sophisticated clients are asking what's the real difference between a $200 moisturizer and one for $20,"
 comments Amador. " The same is starting to apply to the Master hair Cutter who charges three times what someone else does. Clients see the value in a $250 service, but they don't really see the difference between $250 and $600. I've had a number of clients tell me they got just as great a look from me as they did when they spent $450 elsewhere."
Amadors point: The better educated professionals of today can and should charge more for  artistry and experience, but there is a limit, because all salon professionals are better educated than they were 10 years ago. Don't price yourself out of your market, he says; focus on staying competitive with nearby salons that have marketing stances similar to yours." you must maintain your client base and continue to get referrals,"notes Amador. " Big spenders in particular are the clients you want to refer friends, yet first-time clients are often treated better than VIP's. We have special events for our VIP's and regularly send them gift packages."
In other words kick some of those high tickets back into investments that keep the big spenders in your salon, and your prices will be justified in the clients' minds.

Process Hair Magazine   November / December 2005

Designing Minds
10 ways to make your salon's cuts and colors work together.

Condense The Process
Because every cut should be accented with color, those who do it all must devise a plan that involves condensing the process, says Henry Amador, Creative Director of the Elite Group Hair Studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The four hour salon visit is a thing of the past.
" We never do the base and the highlights separately; we do the highlights right over the base," says Amador. " The look today is more tone-on-tone with less difference between colors anyway, so it works out perfectly.
" If you're doing both the cut and the color, you know exactly where you're going and how much time you have."
There are no real guidelines, and on the right person, highlights can occur in an unexpected place, he notes. So what's the best way to make certain that the cut and color are striking together?
" Color should frame the face and accent the eyes," says Amador. " When something is not quite right, it's not as noticeable as when there's something missing."