Some time ago I exchanged some emails with a nice lady, called Kimberly. She contacted us because she started her hair extensions shop some months ago, but after a promising start, the sales dropped and she nearly closed her web shop she opened not even a year ago.

She wrote about the energy she felt when she started last summer to sell hair extensions; she loved to go out and search for the best hair available, she liked the negotiations with her hair extensions wholesale supplier to get the best quality for the best price but most of all; she loved the talks and to sell to the clients. To advise them to buy the best extensions. She did not mind if it was day or night, she was in control of her own business!

But then at the end of last year, some clients started to complain about the extensions, the hair was tangling. When Kimberly received the first complaint she disputed the fact the hair was tangling, this was not possible, she never had any complaint before. But the client, she had such a good talks with before, turned sour. Not that long after the first complaint, another client contacted her with the same issue. This time she offered the client to return the hair and to refund all the expenses. But some more unhappy clients followed. Kimberly could not deal with the tangling anymore, she even started to call it the ¨T-word¨ just to avoid she has to mention it in full.

She contacted the wholesale hair extensions supplier, but they denied the tangling and refused to accept any responsibility. She had to look for another wholesaler, but now the prices were not as good as before anymore. First she had to rebuild the relation with this new wholesaler and to work on her track record of purchases, otherwise no discounts!

Business was no fun anymore, picking the phone, or opening Facebook and reading the posts started to become a duty instead of a possibility to sell. Her enthusiasm faded away and she could not even show her passion anymore to new clients, clients without any experience of the bad hair. She sold much less extensions then before, but she did not mind anymore.

In the beginning of this year, her best friend proudly showed to Kimberly her new Facebook page, and she told Kimberly she also started to sell hair extensions! After all Kimberly did not sell any more. If Kimberly wanted to buy from her…..

Kimberly was really hurt by this, her best friend put now also hair extensions for sale, and believe it or not, this gave her a new boost, she went to town (did not buy extensions from her friend) and walked around for hours, she bought four magazines about fashion and beauty and at home she worked out a new campaign to put her hair extensions for sale.

The first caller the next day, was overwhelmed by Kimberly´s passion to sell, this hair must be good! Kimberly turned this caller into a client and it even gave her more power to work again on her business. She was back in business!

It´s difficult if everything you work hard for seems to not to work out the way you planned, but for Kimberly the set back from the bad hair and her response nearly made her to close her business. Every day you should try to find your motivation and you should not show your (potential) clients your disappointment or lack of energy. If you are not enthusiastic about the hair you want to sell, why would they be about the hair they want to buy from you?