21st April 2025
There’s an old saying that goes “Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today” and what it’s saying in a round about way is don’t procrastinate.
The definition of that word ‘procrastinate’ is: delay or postpone an action; or put off doing something. It’s very easy, and it’s probably human nature that causes us to procrastinate frequently. Sometimes the effort taken to make a change seems to challenging, too much effort, too much like hard work.
Go back to late November, early December 2023 when some of the leading hairdressing companies (leading as in big, not as in true leaders) decided to go mass market without letting any of their professional salon customers know. My inbox was literally inundated with messages from salon owners saying they were going to ditch the brands and find alternatives. Social media was awash with the outrage that business owners rightly felt was a kick in their teeth.
Change was imminent, hairdressers and barbers were not going to tolerate what had happened. I recall one very influential salon owner telling me that they had called their sales manager and told them to get everything off their shelves immediately, enough was really enough! And yet, that salon and many more are still carrying brands 17 months later that are now available in the UK’s largest chemist, in store and online …. BTW they are currently offering (online) £100 worth of free gifts on a spend of £100 on those products. That can never be matched by a salon, so why oh why has the change not happened?
Procrastination is the thief of time, and busy business owners put off anything that might cause disruption to their daily working life. That’s human nature of course, most of us don’t want to create a shift that interrupts normal working life, especially not for team members. Changing brands is a shift, a shift that, whilst in the initial stages can cause disruption and a sense of apprehension, but ultimately creates a change in the way stylists and clients interact, something new ALWAYS generates excitement once the initial fear factor subsides.
Last week I met a salon owner who I have known for many years. They have taken the decision to slowly reduce the levels of stock they carry, both retail and colour from their currently supplier, one of the mass market brigade, (HURRAH I SHOUT) and wait till their contractual obligations are completed, then they will switch to brands that are salon exclusive. The previous week I met with another salon owner who I have also known for a long time, who has also decided to stop purchasing new innovations from these companies as they can never match the special offers available in the mass market channels.
Maybe procrastination in the world of haircare isn’t necessarily always because of fear, but an astute approach to moving on without breaking contractual agreements, and if that’s the case I support businesses 💯 – but if it’s genuinely because the idea of change just keeps getting put to the back of the ‘to do’ list then I say, JUST DO IT and DO IT NOW!
#ChangeIsInTheAir #DontProcrastinate #ProForPro #SalonProfessional #SalonExclusive
