What if you could make the ordinary & the mundane “cool” & fun? By adding that special touch, by providing something just a little bit better, you can create customers for life …
Every few weeks, for the past 5 years, I visit my friends at evolv. I say friends, because I see them a little more regularly than many people that I know, & we chat for at least an hour or so. I have a coffee, get pampered & walk away feeling great!
evolv is dedicated to men’s grooming, so they provide fantastic services focusing on my needs. They offer a range of services, from your basic haircut (stylish, chic, or straight-back-and-sides), they wash your hair with their own organic products (smells fantastic), cutthroat razor shave, Swedish massages, & facials. It’s pretty much the most rugged-and-manly way to get pampered!
But there’s a couple of ways evolv is different : as you wait on the couches, you can watch sports on their Big Screen, or select & read magazines from a huge selection of men’s magazines (including imported magazines, like ‘Loaded’). They offer you a coffee, or even a beer & snacks, while your hair is cut. The stylists have great personality & chat with you; they know what the latest trends & styles are (and they’re very happy to give you a business/casual combination style), & they will help you to look after the health of your hair (a real concern to men).
Today, as he was cutting my hair, I was chatting to Nick, the owner & “chief stylist”. We were talking about business & how to differentiate your company from your competition. Now obviously evolv offers something that keeps me happy as a client, to the point that I won’t go anywhere else, so it was interesting to hear what Nick had to say. He explain that, while he was working in salons in London, he wasn’t the most technically-skilled of the stylists – “I wasn’t born with scissors in my hand like some of the others,” he says – but he did end up getting most of the clients. What he used to get & keep his clients coming back was his personality & his memory. “I’ve been married 500 times & had 3 000 kids!” he joked today, “but I remember what my client tells me & I find it important to keep that connection.” I must admit, that’s very powerful; it’s always awkward to start chatting with someone you don’t know – but when your stylist makes a special effort to remember what’s happened since your last cut, it makes if fun to sit in the chair! The fact is, Nick cuts hair really, really well but he realised that his clients aren’t necessarily looking for a ‘perfect’ haircut … we just want to look good!
But here’s the part that works so well – their prices are quite high but not overly-expensive. They offer their own brand of shampoos, waxes & gels (brilliant upsell!) that are all-natural & that protect your hair, not like the synthetic products you get in the shops (I love their hair wax). After my cut, Nick asked if I wanted a shave too – I’m sorry I didn’t have the time – but normally there’s a good chance that his client will say “yes”. They offer ‘Wedding Specials’ for the groom & his grooms men – whole day of pampering that gets those guys walking out looking (& feeling) like a million bucks! From the service, to the décor, the products & the care, evolv completely focuses on what the client wants & needs: not just a haircut, but a complete experience.
In fact, such a great & special experience, that I end up telling all my friends to go there; I bet I’m not the only client to do that. It’s so extraordinary that the word-of-mouth referral is almost ‘built-in’, they ensure that you talk about them.
And ultimately, it’s just a haircut! I mean, really, I could just go around the corner & have a cut for R 30,00! But, every month, I go back to Nick & the evolv team because I know it’s going to be worth the extra money & the time.
How can you ensure that your business is a cut above your competition?
Guys, if you’re in Cape Town & looking for a great haircut & awesome service give Nick at evolv a call on +27 21 418 0533.
evolv is at 2 Lower Loop Street, SHG House – click here for the map.
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