2 mins
HJ VOICENOTES
Patrick Gildea shares how his team has increased retail sales and achieved a rebooking rate of 78%, just by flipping their thinking
"YOU’RE NOT SELLING, YOU’RE CARING... DO YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CLIENTS? DO YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR WORK? DO DO YOU WANT YOUR CLIENT’S HAIR TO LOOK ITS BEST? ...YES!
There are only so many places you can meaningfully increase profit in a salon. While the phrase ‘sell more, earn more’ is common, the topic of retail has long been a contentious one in the industry. But at Patrick Gildea Hairdressing we had a lightbulb moment that sparked a complete shift in our approach.
We began by gathering honest insights from our senior team. We asked, “do you want to earn more?” Unsurprisingly, the answer was a big yes. From there, we turned our attention to an under-leveraged area – professional home haircare. As hairdressers we are so focused on delivering the perfect cut and colour, that aftercare becomes an afterthought. Our stylists weren’t doing this on purpose, but if something isn’t working in the business, it’s my role to find a solution.
One common concern that surfaced was a fear of coming across as “pushy.” Stylists are confident discussing colour, techniques, and trends, but when it came to recommending products, there was hesitation. Yet our guest surveys confirmed that our clients expected aftercare guidance. In fact, many of them shared that they receive detailed product advice from their beauty therapists, but not from their hairdressers. Clearly, there was a disconnect in our industry when it came to regular, consistent haircare recommendations.
I also spoke with a psychologist friend who put it into perspective beautifully: “You’re not selling, you’re caring.” That statement reframed our entire approach. Do you care about your clients? Do you care about your work? Do you want your client’s hair to look its best, even weeks after they’ve left the salon? The answer was a wholehearted ‘yes’. We developed a clear message: “We listen, because we care.” From that, we created our 12-Step Perfect Consultation.
We visualised it as a ‘journey’. Imagine you’re travelling from Bristol to Manchester. Bristol is the creative zone – cut and colour. But what was happening was that stylists were getting stuck in Bristol! There was no roadmap for the rest of the journey.
The Perfect Consultation became our sat-nav. Every new guest now has a full consultation, including skin tone analysis, colour matching, and a conversation about their individual hair concerns – leading into homecare recommendations. We did role-play sessions to build everyone’s confidence. We identified three guest types – the Soft, Medium and Assertive Guest, to help our team adapt their styles.
We introduced a Home Haircare Consultation Box that sits in front of the client. As we use a product, it goes into the box. At the end, we recap. For new guests we build in 10-15 minutes; for regular clients, it’s just 5 minutes. The conversation is genuine, never forced.
The impact? Our rebooking rate is at 78%. If stylists fall below 50%, we ask how we can support them. Before The Perfect Consultation, retail performance was at 3-5%. Now it contributes 20%. While the UK average client frequency is every 10-12 weeks, our guests return every 6-8 weeks.
We’re often asked about the competition from high street brands or clients buying online after receiving recommendations. But, our guests love purchasing directly from us. Whether it’s a full-paying guest or a training model, The Perfect Consultation is embedded in every service. It’s part of our team onboarding, our training, and our culture. We couldn't imagine operating without it.