Ivan Zoot's Andis Adventures in Clipping Cutting ... http://www.andis.com/USA/blog/ Andis Company hair clipping expert Ivan Zoot's blog. World-record holder for the fastest professional haircut. en-us Copyright 2009-2010, Andis Company Fri, 5 Feb 2010 6:40:23 AM EST Andis Company blog In house Welcome to your Andis / Ivan Zoot / ClipperGuy business builder tip of the week for week 5, 2010 Rebook - Rebooking, the art of booking a client’s next appointment before they leave the shop, is the single most important non-technical skill that a clipper cutter can develop. Filling spots for the future insures your chair is occupied. Locking in clients for the next cut provides a buffer against competing shops. Setting the interval between cuts discourages appointment stretching. You will see the same client more times in every year, thereby increasing your income even before new clients are recruited. In a tight economy when clients are prone to stretching the time between appointments this is even more important. 1 more appointment per year for every head that sits in your chair can mean BIG additional $ for you for the year... The stats are amazing... a 6 week client who stretches out to every 8 weeks costs you 25% of your annual revenue... and they still like you and they have not taken their business elsewhere. The flip side... an 8 week client who you can tighten up to visiting every 6 weeks becomes a 33% increase in revenue for the year... and you have spend $0 on advertising, promotion or new referrals. If you do not take appointments this is the single greatest argument to do so. If you like these tips... but the entire book. My book, ClipperGuy Says... Get Busy is the ultimate beauty and barber professional business builder book. Buy it today! 5 Feb 2010 Welcome to your Andis / Ivan Zoot / ClipperGuy clipper cutting word of the week for week 5, 2010. Last week the letter was P... this week would be Q, but I do not have a Q word, so we go to R. Radial Cutting - A panel cutting technique in which overlapping sections radiate out from a common center point of origin like slices cut from a pie. Typically used in cutting interiors. Your first section will become your guide. Every section after that contains 1/2 of the prior section and 1/2 uncut hair living next door... So, section 1 becomes the guide for section 2 to be cut. section 2 becomes the guide for section 3, section 3 becomes the guide for section 4. It is a classic, traveling guide. Do not carry back to the first section. As long as you follow the section and use each for the next this is an efficient way to layer interiors. Thinking like a clock, you first section will usually be taken at the center back (6 O'clock) or at high noon (right up front). I usually work may way around one side in one direction. then I will go back to the original section and work my way out the other side. In this way section 1 is used twice. Once for section 2 on one side and once for section "2" on the other. makes sense? I thought so. if you like the ClipperGuy vocab words but do not have the patience to wait each week for them all... skip ahead buy buying the entire book. ClipperGuy Says... Talk the Talk. You will love it. 5 Feb 2010 Highlights from ISSE Include: Intro of the NEW Superliner... Intro of the NEW Ultra Edge 2 3/4 blade... Debut of the PINK Andis clipper comb... Jeremy Knott live on stage www.losangelesbarbershop.com ... SRO classrooms - the top 10 techniques of clipper mastery... Juan Manzano, Tracy Belcher, Mr. Anthony showcasing the latest from Andis... There was a lot to see and learn. Watch for our new series of pre and post event updates both here in the blog and on facebook. Next up, IBS, NY March 7, 8, 9, 2010 at the Javits Center on the Hudson. 4 Feb 2010 Welcome to week 4, 2010. Here is your Ivan Zoot / clipperguy / Andis business builder tip of the week for week 4, 2010 Get caught sanitizing - Sanitizing tools and work spaces is required by law. The high visibility implementation of sanitizing procedures makes for strong marketing tactics. Change the solution in your wet sanitizer often to maintain the crystal clear, vivid blue color that says “clean”. Dump the jar often to lose the hair ball in the bottom too. Have a can of sanitizing clipper spray on your counter top in plain sight. Get caught using it every client, every time. Word will spread and bacteria will not. Good sanitizing procedures are just good business. If you need to buy a sterilizer cabinet, a wet sanitizing jar, a bottle of the blue stuff... have a look here! If you like the weekly tips but do not have the patience to wait for the entire year... get all 52 at once... Buy my book, ClipperGuy Says... Get Busy, Ivan Zoot's 52 Week Road Map to Barbering Greatness. 28 Jan 2010 The word of the week is not a word, but a phrase... “Pitch and Wiggle” - The description of the motion used to manipulate a clipper comb to subtly change its angle relative to the head form to create tapering. The thumb and forefinger are utilized in a position similar to one which would be used to hold up a quarter. This the key to developing top notch clipper-over-comb skills. Practice it. take a clipper comb with you everywhere... when you have a few seconds... whip it out and practice... That is how I learned to master the touch and feel of the manipulation. Here is my Youtube video on clipper-over-comb. See Pitch and Wiggle live in action. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA858G8w7_E Also see the image above for proper hand position. 26 Jan 2010 The 2010 Bronner Bros. hair show is coming up in Atlanta, GA in Feb. mark your calendar for great Andis clipper cutitng education, NEW Andis tool introductions and HOT Andis tool deals. Downtown ATL... the World Congress Center. Feb 20, 21, 22. ttp://www.bronnerbros.com/shows/show201002/index.php Over the next few weeks here in the blog I will be providing previews of all you can expect from Andis at this show. 25 Jan 2010 This is an inside look at the upcoming IBS NY show in March. Do not miss this show. Come see Andis and me there, live on stage for great educations and hot deals. http://images.questex.com/IBSNY/2010/aenews1.10/ibsnynews0121.html 22 Jan 2010 Here is your Andis, Ivan Zoot, ClipperGuy, business builder tip of the week excerpted from my book, ClipperGuy Says... Get Busy! Click here to buy the entire book if you can not wait all 52 weeks this year to get 'em all. http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/215247 Week 3 Go short - The best way to build a clientele of clipper cutting and short hair is to wear short hair yourself. Lead by example. Clients look to you for guidance and inspiration. You are the licensed, experienced professional. There are very few busy barbers wearing pony tails. Wearing short hair lets you use and discuss short hair styling products from a powerful perspective. Getting your hair cut frequently keeps you in touch with the client experience. Nuf said... No need to elaborate. The image included with this post is the one I use as an avatar on most web sites, etc... you should recognize me... My hair is short... for a reason! 21 Jan 2010 I am always speaking about how important it is in the professional beauty industry to have mentors. Today I was asked by a student in a class who were mine? Good question. I have learned a lot form many. I speak frequently of them in my programs... give credit where credit is due. So I thought I would share a few here and a few reasons why... 1. Kenny Alsup - The king of the clipper cutter demonstrators. When I was a student Kenny was all there was. there is no better. 10 hour days on the platform, non stop. he can cur ANYTHING with a clipper. There are no Google results for his name on the web as his dominance in our industry predated the Internet. 2. Jim Jones - The distinguished gentleman of clipper cutting education. As a student I watched Jim on stage... inspired to teach clipper cutting. Jim is still the best and can still be seen on stages at the bigger shows. If you get a chance to see him... do not miss it. better yet... take a private class. Jim Jones web site here. 3. Wayne Grund - master educator, professional speaker, produce manufacturer... I was lucky to get exposed to Wayne early on in my career when his information, energy and ideas could have the most impact. Still a force in the industry and a great inspiration to many, including me. here is his product site... Google him for tons of great stuff. More mentors next week... I have a lot of people to recognize. I have been very lucky. 19 Jan 2010 Here is my clipper tip for week 3, 2010... a tip for the proper use of detachable blade clippers. Snap On - Always engage a detachable blade on a clipper when the clipper is running. This avoids damaging the drive pin. This is very important. You can remove the blade with the clipper on or off... but only engage a blade with the clipper running. all detachable blade clippers... any detachable blade clipper... no exceptions. Here is my complete book of clipper tips if you want them all and do not want to wait.http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/329467 18 Jan 2010 I am in Vegas for a trade show. I am always on the look out for new and hot. Sometimes new and hot are all over the place. Sometimes it is scarce. The new and hot thing I found that I like is Moni Poni. Invented by an Israeli hair stylist... it came to him in a dream... A simple and easy, 1 piece molded pony tail holder/locker... bright fun colors... fun/simple packaging. neat-O concept and easy to use. Great for salon retail. It is so good because it is so simple and so easy and one of those slap me in the head... why didn't I think of that ideas. 15 Jan 2010 The following is adapted from an article from the AACS. orig article was for beauty schools, but info works for any business. Six Tips to Maximize Your Trade Show Exhibit Experience Winter and spring are prime-time for trade shows, including bridal and prom expos. If your business is planning to participate in an upcoming show, the following tips can help you maximize the experience and generate more qualified leads/sales: 1.) Create an attractive display. There is no need to purchase an expensive table-top or full-size trade show booth. A few inexpensive, pop-up banners or even posters on easels can promote your business name and brand. Invest a small amount of money to create a more professional look than the standard draped table and cardboard hanger sign that comes with most exhibit agreements. 2.) Capture leads by having a drawing for a prize. Be sure to ask a few questions on the drawing form that will help you gauge prospective interest. Once the drawing is completed and the prize is awarded, be sure to enter all entry forms into your database. Even those not interested in a purchase may be down the road. 3.) Conduct demonstrations. Whatever you do, do what you do in some way to create interest and excitement. 4.) Look for fusion marketing opportunities. Identify other exhibitors who sell to the same audience. Use the show to network for marketing opportunities. 5.) Bring a lap-top and play a DVD related to your business. 6.) Generate traffic back to your business by offering coupons for special/free services to everyone who visits the booth. AACSwww.beautyschools.org480-281-0431 / 800-831-1086 14 Jan 2010 Here is your Andis / Ivan Zoot / ClipperGuy business builder tip of the week for week #2, 2010. This one is easy and simple. And applies to all businesses and all employees. Dress Better - You should be dressing just slightly better than the clients you hope to attract. No gym shoes. Dress slacks or khakis as opposed to blue jeans. You do not have to go all the way to a shirt and tie. Only wear a tee shirt if it has your shop logo on it. The look of a crisp, clean barber jacket can’t be beat for projecting a professional image. You can charge a bit more if you dress better. I have seen barbers in chair rental shops charging four times more than their coworkers. The bigger ticket cutters always dress better. 12 Jan 2010 Here is a good little article on On-line reputation mgmt. Adapted from an article from the American Assn. of Cosmetology Schools... I tweaked it to apply to any business... Have a look and a learn... Good stuff. More good things on their web site here. 3 Steps to Online Reputation Management Small business owners know that word of mouth is an important part of the referral generating process. However, in today’s digital world, “word of mouse” may be even more important. Do you monitor your business'’ online reputation to see what others are saying about you in the cyber-sphere? Online reputation management is particularly important today when many individuals turn to search engines first when they begin to consider a purchase. Ensuring your name comes up early in the search engine optimization process is important. Often, however, the first listings to appear following a search are online referral sites such as Yelp!, GoogleMap and CitySearch. A negative comment on one of these sites may deter a prospective customer. Following are some tips that can assist with managing your businesses’ online reputation. 1. Check out your businesses’ reputation on the “centers of influence” in your local market. You don’t need to check every site; just the large ones. For example, visit Yelp.com, enter your city and business name, and you’ll be able to see what people are saying about their experience with your business. You may also want to check out the online conversation on Twitter, which makes it easy to search by business name. 2. Respond to negative inquiries, but in a polite and offline manner if possible. If the criticism appears legitimate (i.e. not a disgruntled former customer simply trying to cause trouble), it is acceptable to respond online, apologizing and explaining how the situation should have been handled in accordance with your procedures. Ask for an opportunity to serve the party again. Always refrain from getting into disputing the complaint or defending your actions. Once something enters the online world, it can literally reside there forever. 3. Consider ways to get raving fans to applaud your business. Admittedly, it may be harder to get those without an axe to grind to write about your business. Also, caution is important. Some businesses have been caught trying to buy positive referrals. This smacks of dishonesty and should be avoided at all costs. Ask your favorite customers who are avid social media users if they’d mind posting a reference about your business, or consider some point-of-sale signage. For example, signs at the register could say, “Were you delighted with your service today? Share the word on Yelp!” Monitor the conversation, respond appropriately and personally, and engage your happy customers in the dialogue. Follow these three steps and you’ll be on your way to enhancing your business’ online reputation. and the yelp! web site referenced above... 6 Jan 2010 Economic recovery 2010, The game has changed Many are happy to believe that we have hit bottom and begun the slow climb out of the economic hole that was the past year and one half. A and B salons, beware… if you plan is to enthusiastically embrace returning clients who fell off your radar screen during the downturn… You need to know… they are NOT coming back. $100 salons lost heads to $50 salons… $50 salons lost ‘em to $25 shops… and so on down the line. I heard form many chain salons exclaiming that the economic downturn was a gift. They saw new and different traffic than ever before. And they understood that if they served and supported these former bigger spenders that they could easily keep them when things improved. Many chains have done just this. These down-market shoppers have strong spending habits and LOVE to feel like they are getting a bargain. If the chain did not satisfy, they have gone looking for another… but they are likely NOT to go back to spending more than they now know they do not have to. Upper end salons will have to master 3 things… rebooking current clients to keep them on a tight turnaround leash… and building average ticket so as to make the most of the opportunities they have… and, of course… asking, begging and groveling for referrals. Many salons got lazy in the prime years and forgot how to “work” for it. The good news is that the basics of our business still hold up in any economy. More on this in the coming weeks. 5 Jan 2010 Time to get 2010 off on the right foot. here is your Andis / Ivan Zoot / ClipperGuy Clipper Tip of the week for week 1, 2010. Clean Sweep - Sweep frequently. It keeps the shop looking professional. A clean floor is a safe floor, too, preventing slips and falls. Every client, every time. We stopped seeing the hair a long time ago. A wise boss once told me... "every client should walk up to the chair as if they were the first client of the day". This goes for station tops and mirrors too. If it is not convenient to grab the broom and sweep each client... MOVE THE BROOM!... So it is close at hand and fast and easy to do. Sweep for all cutters in the shop when you sweep for yourself... do not get hung up on getting ALL the hair at the other stations... do not beat their feet up with the broom for that last snippet... Sweep your chair and make a quick pass at the others... if we all sweep for each other we all sweep less... and more often... and the shop is cleaner all the time. 4 Jan 2010 Jan 12 2009, Rod Stubbs / Andis Roadwork educational program . Spaces still available. Call for details and registration. Cosmetology Training Center 1701 Adams St. Mankato, MN 56001 contact info- nancy@cosmetologytrainingcenter.com phone # 507-345-4033 30 Dec 2009 Here is your Andis /Ivan Zoot / ClipperGuy business builder tip of the week for week 52, 2009. Go on Vacation - All work and no play makes for a cranky clipper cutter. Enough is enough. It is time to take a week off. Go on vacation. Have a hobby. While you are gone the hair will be growing. There will be plenty of it for you to cut when you return. You will return to the shop fresh and energized. Clients will be happy to see you. You will be ready to provide the kind of service that earned their patronage in the first place and will keep them coming back and sending their friends for many years. I like this tip, I like 'em all, but I know this one works and is very necessary. Here is a link for a plane ticket. Buy one and go! Here is the link to buy the entire ClipperGuy says Get Busy, 52 week Road map to barber greatness book. Get 2010 off on the right foot! 30 Dec 2009 The Ivan Zoot, Andis clipper cutting vocabulary word of the week for week 51, 2009 is... Cadence - A rhythm developed in cutting with an over-comb technique. This helps to maintain evenness and smoothness in the finish of a taper. This is a very important part of over-comb technique. smoothness begets smoothness. Working in a smooth, repetitive rhythm will smooth out your tapering and smooth out your results. A great way to practice this is with shear-over-comb done with a blendnig shear. Blending shears are more forgiving and a great way to practice. then move up to straight shears, no shorter than 6.5"... then step up to clipper-over-comb. One of the keys to cadence is "cutting beyond"... this refers to cutting up and out of the section... and keeping on cutting... cutting motion that is not within the section... I am thinking we will need a YouTube video on this to really make the point... watch for one before the new year. 23 Dec 2009 The following is adapted form an email I recieved. the piece was orig done for cosmetology schools, but it can be applied to any business. A Tool for Tracking Your Marketing ROI - The Marketing Calendar As you look back on the marketing efforts your business undertook in 2009, what tactics were most successful? Was a cable spot effective in attracting clients/sales? Did a discount promotion attract new customers? One of the most important tools in crating an effective marketing strategy is measuring the return on investment for various marketing tactics. If you’re not currently tracking marketing initiatives, the following tool may help you with tracking 2010 marketing. It is adapted from Jay Conrad Levinson’s “Guerilla Marketing for Free - Dozens of No-Cost Tactics to Promote Your Business and Energize Your Profits.” The process is as follows: Create a calendar with 13 rows and 5 columns. This can be done in Excel, Word, or simply on a sheet of poster board. Title column 1, “Month. Each row below will contain the appropriate month name. Title column 2, “Focus” which refers to the special focus of marketing that month, whether it’s a free sample, discount, buy-one/get-one free promotion, etc. Title column 3, “Media” and list any paid media you will be using each month such as newspaper, cable, etc. Title column 4, “Internet/Social Media” and list the interactive offers you’ll be offering (includes mobile marketing, text marketing, FaceBook coupons, etc.) Title column 5, “Grade” - This is where you evaluate the effectiveness of each tactic initiated over the course of the year. Be sure to grade each tactic as it is completed. At the end of the year, you’ll be able to look back and see which marketing initiatives were “A” tactics you’ll want to do again in the upcoming year, and identify those non- “A” and “B” tactics which you’ll want to eliminate. I will be sharing more ideas like this in the coming weeks and months. As the recovery unfolds, now it the time to stake your claim on the business opportunities to be had. For more great, quick and easy business building ideas, have a look at my book, Big Small Business, Ivan Zoot's 52 week road map to small business greatness. http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/916665 22 Dec 2009 Here is your Andis/Ivan Zoot get busy business building tip of the week for week 51, 2009. Say goodbye and thank you - Your goodbye should be as strong as your greeting was when a client/customer showed up. Acknowledge all as they depart. A simple “thank you, come again” will go a long way. This goes for all cutters and all clients. The owner sets the tone for the entire shop. By thanking all clients, not just the ones you personally cut, you build a sense of teamwork and shop community. Employee turnover is far less likely to lead to client turnover if clients feel they have a personal connection to the owner, the shop and the community. This one is simple, but powerful. With 2009 drawing to a close we will be looking ahead to next year. The weekly business builder tips from my ClipperGuy Says... Get Busy book will start over... week 1 will be published, that is right, in week 1 of 2010... and on we will go. If you started following these weekly tips late in the year... this is your opportunity to start over with me and your fellow business builders. If you like these tips but are impatient, and want them all NOW... click here for the link to buy the ClipperGuy Says get Busy book. 21 Dec 2009 Taper, Fade, Blend, what is the difference? Are they the same? Good question. Below are the definition s taken straight from my book , ClipperGuy says, Talk the Talk, My Complete Clipper Cutting Glossary. You will enjoy this book if you are an enthusiastic clipper cutter. Blend - To create a smooth, seamless transition from a tapered section of a haircut into an area of greater length. Fade - A term somewhat interchangeable with “taper”. Fade is typically used in the textured market. Fading does not have to be limited to the perimeter. A fade can occur higher up the head at the crestline or beyond as well. A fade is characterized by a look that is higher and shorter, with a lighter finish. Taper - A progression of length in a graduated haircut where length increases from the perimeter towards the interior. Blending refers to transitions without demarcation... at any length or style. Fade and taper can be used somewhat interchangeable, however, generally... fade refers to cuts that are higher up the head, shorter in length and lighter (more scalp exposure) in overall finish... Conversely, Taper can be thought of as haircuts that are longer in length, lower down the head and darker (more scalp coverage) in overall finish. Here is an image of a classic fade. Here is an image of a classic taper. Look at all my ClipperGuy says books here. 18 Dec 2009 I just finished reading my second book for the week. Both on the subject of social media and how it is impacting business today... and how a brand might make the most of the opportunities these tools represent. These are both must read titles for anyone in marketing today and anyone who thinks they are to make an impact with these tools... and anyone wishing to avoid common mistakes about these tools. The number one thing I learned form these books is that I thought I understood the tools I was using and how they work and I was wrong... in some cases, 180 degrees wrong. It is all about the power of the people, the power of just 1 people and the power o groups of people... it is not about the interesting content and creative things I can produce and share... it is more about creating a hub around which OTHERS can produce and me (us) (the brand) (the company) can support them in doing it... support through a community place to share it... support through linking, blogging and tweeting OTHERS stuff... and in some cases just staying out of the way... and LISTENING... and when and where, RESPONDING... or not to it all... That is where it gets dicey... I see some of the art and science of it all in knowing when and where to jump in and when and where to just sit quietly on the sidelines... and You all know how good I am at "sit quietly" One of the big ah Ha's! of the book for me is that I need to turn my video camera around and turn over the content of our YouTube videos to the users and customers of our tools... McConnell and Huba's earlier book... Creating Customer Evangelists... this next book is a perfect, natural follow up... spoke of creating these evangelists... they are out there... then new opportunity is cranking up their volume and seeing these evangelists scream through the channels that have developed to facilitate this evangelism. Citizen Marketers, McConnell and Huba - Link to the book is below. http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Marketers-When-People-Message/dp/1419596063/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261060615&sr=8-2-spell The earlier book referred to here as well... Creating Customer Evangelists, link here: http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Customer-Evangelists-ISBN-9780793155613/dp/B001G427OQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261061433&sr=8-2 17 Dec 2009 A friend and clipper cutting enthusiast, Jim Durkin recently completed a hair cutting class at Sassoon. he shared the following notes for the program with me. He and I had had some conversation of the definitions of some iems related to hair cutting. These are Jim's reflections on the terms and how the Sassoon team shared their interpretations. Very insightful. I have no argument with the terms as defined and their application of them. I might explain things differently, but I fully agree with their principles and concepts. I thought any hair cutter would find these interesting. I offer up a big thank you to Jim for sharing from his experiences. I have included a link here for the Sassoon Academy if you want to build on your skills too! http://www.sassoon.com/academy/ Jim offers up the small disclaimer that these remarks are transcribed from his notes. There may be room for slight variation from what was said to how he captured it. No intent to miss quote any of the instructors who shared so much with him. Took the ABC course of cutting by Sassoon. They mentioned a few things about how they see graduation and tapering. At the last hair show in Atlanta I think you had inquired about these. My instructor, Don Haidl, said others outside of Sassoon might see the terms differently. They saw graduation as using 1 to 89 degrees of elevation. They broke it up into external graduation as 1 to 45 degrees and internal graduation as 46 to 89 degrees. Graduation was a build up of weight.External graduation: A heavier build up of weight Develops a weight line with widest part being where the weight build up stops Is below the occipital bone It helps fill in the head shape by creating width Makes head shape better where it may lack Internal graduation: Used where not so much weight is needed but still some width would help It is seen as build up above the occipital bone It does not have a weight line because the build up does not stop They described it as any time you worked above the occipital bone Weight is higher and not so heavy compared to external graduation.Layering was a removal of weight created by lifting the hair 90 degrees or higher. They went on to describe:a. Flat layering as an even removal of weight that will even out the head shape. It builds corners if hair on side is pulled to plane parallel to side and hair on back is pulled to a plane behind the head. b. Convex layering as removal of weight following the head shape. It does not contribute to maintaining length and it will be round.c. Concave layering as creating an anti-head shape with shorter hair internally and longer hair externally. This will remove the most amount of hair compared to other layering. The more extreme it is the harder it will be to have it suitable for the client.Bottom line is they saw graduation as a build up of weight and layering as a removal of weight. They kept repeating that haircutting was to give the most flattering/suitable head shape for the client by adding or subtracting as needed. 16 Dec 2009 I recently finished reading the book Socialnomics (link below). For anyone who is interested in the wide world of Web 2.0 and social media this is a must read. A lot of great, relevant, timely information.. Great for personal users of these web opportunities. Also very important for anyone trying to leverage these tools to build and grow business and relationships with/for a brand. I learned a lot and you will too. Love to hear your thoughts. My copy has been returned to my library... got get yours! http://www.amazon.com/Socialnomics-social-media-transforms-business/dp/0470477237/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260885664&sr=8-1-spell 15 Dec 2009 From yesterdays blog... Here is the web site for the educator who is doing these programs. www.rodstubbs.com Have a lookie and sign up today. 15 Dec 2009