It was a gift card and my long time hairstylist being on maternity leave that finally nudged me in to the  Aveda Institute  for something other than Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours.

When I walked in the door,  a young woman greeted me,  escorted me to the scheduler for check in and then to the waiting area, where there were magazines, a water cooler and hot tea.  All nice touches.

I grabbed a magazine but skipped the beverage.

But then…

Simone came up with an entire tray of water and tea. And delivered it with such a great smile!

How could anyone turn her down?

In just a few minutes, the student stylist assigned to me appeared and led me from the waiting area into a big buzzing room where we weaved our way through rows of steel workspaces topped with mirrors until we stopped at her work station.

Attached to her mirror was an Aveda recruiting poster that read:

“Do what you love. Love what you do.”

It seemed to me that’s what everyone was doing.

Once she got me seated and caped, the student stylist interviewed me about my “needs” and then asked if I’d like a stress relieving ritual – sort of like “would you like fries with that”.  Except the  rituals are free!

Before actually taking care of my “needs”, the student stylist called her instructor over to approve the plan of action she designed based on my “needs” – everything from shampoo products to cutting technique.

During treatment, the instructor wandered by to observe every now and then – occasionally stopping to give suggestions.  And then – when it was all done, the instructor came over again for a final review, made a few suggestions and asked for my feedback.

So what do you think of me as a red head?

Just kidding.

I’ve now been there three times.  Each time, the greeting process has been the same.  Each time, the student stylist assigned to me has been different.  And  each time, my visit has been basically the same in terms of process.

All of that shows me that there is a system – one that I have named The Aveda Way.  And from what I can tell so far – I love The Aveda Way.  They are not only teaching the mechanics of a profession, they are also teaching the importance of loving what you do,  the importance of offering extras AND the importance of working within a system.

It shows me that at Aveda – they are Serious About Service.  And as you know…that’s good business.

Want to know more?  Read about Aveda Institute at their website.

If you go, things to know:

• There is new parking nearby, right off of Rosemary Street…directly across from Warehouse Apartments.  10 Spaces marked VIP for Aveda.
• Remember that these are students.  Allow plenty of time if you have long hair. My last haircut took 2 hours – and that’s without the stress relieving rituals.
• If you are just going to purchase product, call before you go and they’ll meet you with it at the curb.  Their number is 919-960-GROW.

Jan Bolick is Founder and President of Business Class Inc. She will be speaking at the Chamber’s Small Business Roundtable on March 6.  The title of her presentation:  If You Want to Boost Business, Be Serious About Service. Get details here.