Do I feel pretty?

A general tactic for any salesman is flattery. Load the client with compliments to make the sale. “This color is meant for you, Ma’am” “This shoe is a perfect fit for your pretty feet!” Fake or real, one usually comes home with lighter pockets but riding a huge wave of newly found confidence!

Any guesses where you can lose both cash as well as confidence? It’s your local Salon! They pick on smallest of issues like your nose pores or that extra tiny hair on the forehead! I suppose, their strategy is to create extreme self-doubt and in your lowest moments cunningly introduce you to the most useless commodity which surprising often you end up buying! Or they might just be betting on who would make someone feel the absolute worst about themselves yet make her/him buy the most expensive service!

For preparation, before every salon visit I give myself a little mental pep talk! I am usually well prepared to say no to any unplanned service they offer. I have an answer to all their nitpicks. “Oh, I am trying some home remedy for the nose pores” “My forehead hair is lucky for me, let it be!” In a recent visit, my hairdresser pointed out my hair fall rate. I recalled my pep talk and politely told him that hair fall cycles are completely natural. I was not buying his insanely expensive shampoo! His response to this left me completely dumbfounded. “Hair loss was a cycle 5 years back, but, at your age it’s a real concern.” Not sure what thought process led him to believe commenting on anyone’s age would ever benefit his sales! Even though I managed to decline the tempting idea of buying the “age reversal” shampoo, the comment definitely didn’t go down well with me. Now that’s an addition I need to my pep talk!