Great Clips is Great at One Thing: Service

Posted by Christopher Stevenson

For me, getting a haircut has lot in common with buying underwear and socks. I know they're necessary expenses, but I hate to spend the money on them and will put it off as long a possible (but not so long as to be distasteful). That said, when I decide I can't put off getting a haircut any longer, I go to Great Clips around the corner from my office. The reason for my choice is simple, Great Clips is affordable (about $17, including a healthy tip) and they deliver consistently mediocre haircuts (which may not be as good as a good haircut, but it's much better than a bad haircut).

Alright, but you may be saying to yourself that there are lots of cheap haircut places that provide mediocre cuts. What's so special about Great Clips?

Service.

Great Clips keeps notes in their computer about the kind of cut I like. I walk in, give them my phone number, and they check the notes in my file and say something like, "Do you still want a four on the top and a two on the back and sides?" That's right. Then I sit down and they shear my head. Done.

It's just the kind of service a guy who hates spending money and time on haircuts needs.

Here's my thought: Great Clips has chosen to do a few things really right. They know they don't provide the best haircuts. They don't provide a full line of salon services (you'll never catch me in Great Clips the next time I decide on hair extensions). But they provide affordable haircuts with the highest level of convenience of any place in town. They recognized their competitors--Cost Cutters, Fantastic Sams, etc. (not the high-end, locally-owned salon)--figured out what they can do better than others and focused on it. They are not all things to all people and don't try to be.

It's a proven recipe for success. Is your CU following it?

Comments

[Denise Wymore]

Christopher,

I love this post because I love my hair and just moved to New York and EEK! had to find a new hairdresser. For a woman like me, it's easier to find a dentist, a doctor, even a gynecologist than to find a new hairdresser.

I asked around. I looked on Yelp. I read reviews upon reviews and finally I had it narrowed down to four and literally "walked in" each to get a feel for their culture and their style, oh and their price. In NY you can get a foil and cut for $400.00! I'm not kidding! So I'm looking at the $200 range.

Similar to your post about Great Clips, these high end salons have plenty of competition and need to figure out how to stand out - what do they do best? Who is their target? They certainly can't be all things to all people - can you imagine?

You want an expert cut or a Super Cut? Oh, you're the $17 cut - in the basement for you! The troll with the FlowBee will be right down.

Your point is perfect - decide what you want to be and then be consistent with it. It's not that hard. But when you dabble at being the-service-oriented-price-leader-one-stop-shop-sales culture - yikes!!!! You'll end up with a bad haircut every time....

[Mike Bartoo]

Chris and Denise - great post about knowing what you want to be (and are set up to be) and focusing your efforts on that. For what it's worth, my wife's hair stylist wears a smock that says "Your hair sucks - but I can fix it"!