Building Lasting Relationships with Kendall Coomans

From a young age, Kendall was obsessed with hair. She didn’t like Barbies just because they were the ‘it’ toy. She’d look for all of the latest accessories to go with her dolls that focused on hair. In high school, her skills were such that she found her brother’s friends asking her to do their hair for special occasions. That slowly developed into opportunities to do hair and makeup for weddings. Once she graduated high school, she got the first job she could at the salon she’d admired for years. She worked as a receptionist as she went to school.

Customer Acquisition and Retention

Building a good clientele is no joke. It’s a heavy lift. And, like it did for Kendall, it could take you several years. No matter the business or industry, customer acquisition is more expensive. But when you’re starting from the ground up, there’s no other option. So, knowing the level of commitment you need to get to where you want to go is so crucial. And understanding that it can be a numbers game is important to your mental health.

We hear all of these success stories and think that some people gain success overnight. And even if we do hear about the grind an individual or company put in in the early days, it’s usually after we’ve heard story upon story of their success. It’s different to be in the grind without the 20/20 hindsight that comes from achieving your goal. In order to work through that, maintaining a healthy level of commitment to the grind and understanding that it’s basic math will save you a lot of unnecessary strife.

Think of it this way:

When working on a skill, you can approach it one of two ways. You can focus on quantity (hours, number of items produced, number of conversations, etc.) or you can focus on quality (level of performance, metrics, conversion rates, etc.).

A photography class was split into two groups and would be graded based on either quality or quantity.

Long story short, those in the group graded on quantity actually ended up having greater quality as well due to the sheer fact of practice, exposure, and action.

Studying will only get you so far. It’s action that moves the needle. So don’t worry about how many bad photos you take. Worry about how many photos you’re not taking.

Mind Reading As a Service Provider

In many service-oriented businesses, as a business owner, you may feel like you have to read someone’s mind. But when it comes down to it, you know your craft. When people pay you for a service, they may not always know what they want or the implications of their request.

It is up to you to read your clients, dissect their requests, understand what’s not being said, and apply your expertise to them. It’s moving from being an order taker to a consultant. At that point in the relationship, they’ll trust you and value your recommendation.

Oftentimes, there’s a lot of pressure applied in these situations. In instances like these, there may be more you’re providing for them beyond your actual service, product, or offering.

Kendall gave the example of a client that had alopecia. For that client, it’s not just about a dye or a cut. It’s about boosting their confidence, helping them have a great self-image. Your product or service can go beyond the tangible in many instances.

3 Takeaways

1. Make yourself available. The work isn’t going to come to you. You have to go to the work. So make the time. Seek it out. Be ok with playing the numbers game (talking to lots and getting rejected by a large portion).
2. Stay sharp on your skills. Make the time and invest the money to do what you have to do to know the latest and provide the best techniques and services in your business. After all, you have to spend money to make money.
3. It’s all about the relationship. Be vulnerable. Be human. Be relatable. And remember.

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