Client asked for 'natural' and then hated everything I did, taught me a lesson about consultations

Had a new client come in last week who kept saying she wanted a 'natural' look but got upset when I didn't layer heavy highlights through her whole head. She pointed at a photo on her phone and it was literally a full balayage with tons of blonde. That moment made me realize I needed to ask way more specific questions upfront. Now I show them 3 photos minimum and make them point out exactly what they want. Has anyone else had a client say one thing but mean something completely different? How do you handle the language gap in consultations?

2 comments

2 Comments

johnson.jason26d ago

Haven't this happened to everyone at some point? My buddy runs a small landscaping crew and last spring a lady told him she wanted "low maintenance" plants. So he puts in all these native shrubs and drought resistant stuff. She calls him two weeks later screaming that her yard looks like a desert and she wanted those big pink flowers from the magazine. Turns out she meant low maintenance for her to look at, not low maintenance for the actual plants. People just use words differently I guess.

riley_taylor26d ago

Oh man, that's such a bummer for your buddy @johnson.jason! I've seen that same thing happen so many times where people have this picture in their head that doesn't match what the words actually mean. Like my neighbor asked for "low water plants" and then got mad when the roses didn't bloom every month. It's like they want the look without putting in any work but still expect the same results. Really feels bad for the pros who have to deal with that kind of miscommunication.