Recently my daughter was hired as a full time receptionist at a spa here in Edmonton. She was so excited to be back in the salon industry and doing the job she so loved in my salon. I knew on her first day that this would end in disaster but my daughter is 19 years old and I knew I must allow her this experience.

On her first day of training she was given a contract that released her of any monies she would earn in exchange for training, which I find to be slave labour, she accepted. She never did get a copy of the contract she signed or a policy and procedure manual to outline conditions of employment or the operations at the front desk. The first day of her official “on the clock” shift, she opened the spa and due to nervousness she forgot to punch in the time clock. When she told her supervisor about this they told her there was nothing they could do and she lost those hours. I have to mention that this happened with another new hire who had children at home and was paying a babysitter.

She continued to stay because she has bills to pay and after 1 month and a total of 47 hours on the clock in that month she was laid off because the employee she replaced decided to take her job back. Turns out she was hired because the owner wanted to prove a point to the employee that left and hired my daughter to show her that the company would still go on without her.

I am sharing with this today for the simple reason that when I was new in business I considered this company to be an icon because they had a few locations and I assumed that meant success. But because my vision and mission was unlike my competitors' and because I lead my team with my own interpretation of leadership I stopped paying attention to other salons and spas and focused on my intention.

My point is that I hope you too don’t make the mistake of assuming success means grandiosity because true success is how your company resonates with you at the end of the day. Ask yourself the following:

• If I asked your employees if they were treated with respect would they say yes? (Remember respect doesn’t mean they don’t get mad or that they like you)

• Can you say with confidence that your clients are being served with the excellence because you know your employees are trained to do so?

• Would you feel confident with your employees being asked if they thought you were able to lead the company with the vision and mission you created?

If you cannot answer these questions with a solid yes than you have work to do because we all know that the success that brings pride and dignity is what makes this industry a better place to be. There is bleed through when money follows people who take advantage of others to achieve success.

There are three progressions to a business with the goal being a business that runs independent and turns profits whether the owner chooses to be there or not.

The reason you want to have a business that is mature is simply for resale value, expansion or just to have the quality of life you desire. Listed below you will find the characteristics that best describe each level of business.

You in the infancy stage of your salon business if this is you:

Busiest technician in your Salon Operating System

Have no difficulties building your own client base

Are at ease with selling retail

Pre booking your clients and you are in demand

Completing the managerial tasks on your own

Managing the team independently

You implement the marketing strategies single handedly

You are getting burned out with trying to do it all on your own

 

You in the adolescent stage of your salon business if this is you:

You now have front desk staff

You have a salon team

You have recognized that you need more structure in your business to create team unity

You may have hired and trained new technicians to have them quit and take clients with them

You have commission or booth renters that aren’t on the “same page”

New hires aren’t busy quick enough

You would like to expand or open a new location

You want to step away from your technician role but are struggling on how to do it

 

A business that is in the mature stage looks like this:

The mature business runs independent of the salon owner

The team knows their roles and expectations and there are systems in place

There is consistency between all that serve and in the clients experience

This business owner experiences momentum and profits

The focus is now on how will it be done rather than what needs to be done

They continually evaluate what they can do to ensure that the business will operate without them

The salon owner is free to work if and when they choose and knows that the salon will still turn profits

 

The challenge most salon and spa owners find themselves in is during the adolescent stage when it may seem easier to get small again. Often times they feel like no one will get it anyway and it was much easier when it was just themselves they had to worry about. Now to some degree this is true and it may be a reasonable solution. But if you truly understand that the only difference between growing and getting small is the implementation of a solid business structure the choice becomes one of logic rather than emotion.

The good news is that once the decision is made andthe systems are in place to support the growth, all the owner has to do ismonitor the systems and watch the business mature.

 

If you would like to move your business into the mature stage and know you need the structure to help you get there, Salon Operating System has a ready made template that you can modify to support your unique way of doing business while ensuring you cover every single aspect of a salon system to propel you forward.

If you are like so many of my clients you are frustrated with people who just don’t get it, don’t do what you tell them to do and don’t make the changes you incorporate. You feel it is hopeless and you are ready to stop trying because no matter how hard you work on the business they just don’t get it.

Well you aren’t alone. This is how every conversation starts off when we (my colleagues and I) work with you. Now you aren’t going to like what I have to say but I may as well say it, somebody has to! The problem isn’t your people, the problem is you.

Your management, your follow through, your focus, your lack of boundaries and your lack of leadership. There it is. Like it or not it is the cold hard truth. Your business is a mirror image of your issues. And, if you choose to look at it and make the changes you need to, your business will be all you desire. But until the inventory into your leadership and management skills take place you will run around enforcing rules to have nobody follow them.

So the burning question is, how do you do it? Write this down; get proactive and take the reins of your business by doing the tuff stuff nobody wants or likes to do. Know your numbers and what the business needs to make to be profitable implement policies and procedures that you know will bring the clients in and bring them back. Develop the backbone to monitor the policies and procedures and do what is necessary to those who don’t follow through. Learn to communicate effectively and manage with deliberate leadership by practicing what you preach and you have a recipe for success. And for goodness sake, take the advice and direction of your coaches and consultants, that’s what we are here to do, help you and your business be the very best you can.

It is a proven fact that marketing to get new clients has the highest success rate and the best return on your dollars when targeting the ideal client. Many salons and spas struggle to determine who their ideal client is when the answer is sitting in their chair, literally.

But the challenge is that many of our long term loyal clients stop referring over time. I recently surveyed clients who had been patronizing 3 different salons for more than 5 years asking them why they stopped referring and this is what they had to say:

1. They are fairly content with their service and see their visits as maintenance
2. They don’t want to share their time with you for fear of losing their spot
3. They aren’t really that impressed but are afraid to change salons
4. They see how busy you are and don’t think you are looking for new clients

Whatever their reason may be we want to get these ideal clients referring once again. Here is a strategy you can use and all you need is some organization, a system to implement the new procedures and a way to monitor it’s success.

• Begin by surveying your clients anonymously asking them why they have not referred your salon in the past
• Ask them what would get them excited enough to tell their friends about the salon or their service provider
• In the survey, include your standard of service (client experience in detail) and ask them what they love about it and how you could improve it
• Ask them how they would like to be rewarded for referring

One of the benefits of conducting a client survey is that you get to focus the clients attention to your outstanding Standards Of Service and client experience, validating just how wonderful they are treated in your salon. Clients need to be reminded how your business goes above and beyond to ensure a positive visit that sets you apart from your competitors.

You also gain valuable insight into how your clients view your business. Now although you may not incorporate all the suggestions, you have been given a golden opportunity to tailor your referral program, your service menu or your client experience to get your clients excited once again.

By preparing your staff with the tools to support your referral program and the scripts and procedures to implement it into each and every service visit you will be attracting ideal clients with your salons most valuable asset, the existing client!

Wow, time has slipped away. I have been enjoying the fruits of my labours as the say so today I write with encouragement to those of you who continue to plant a foot forward when you cannot see the road ahead.

You know they say that the difference between winners and losers is that winners are willing to do the things that losers aren't. Harsh, isn't it. It has been my experience that when I am tuned in and tapped into what really matters that everything in my life just falls in place. What this means for me is that when I am working on a goal, specifically work related and it isn't happening as fast or in the order that I would like it to, is the exact time for me to let go.

You see my desire to succeed can lead me into my "self" so much that I become obsessed with achieving my goals. I will push and prod my way forward and be met with every obstacle along the way. When I stop, I realize that in the midst of my self centerdness I lost contact with what matters most...my serenity and peace of mind. Now there many ways people acieve this state but for me it happens when the love relationships in my life are at peace. First with myself, my husband and my children.

Usually by this pint I have neglected my emotional, physical and mental health and I have become detached from my family, possibly even caused an issue which makes me feel guilty so this is where I begin. Sometimes a yoga class, a walk at the dog park with my favorite furry friend or hitting the bags at the gym is all that's needed to start the process of self care once again. Sometimes I may need to take guiltless time to rest and other times I may need to set boundaries or right a conversation. The key for me is to first take the time to journal and ask myself what I need to get back in balance.

When I have taken the time, made the investments and stepped back to see what really matters in my life is when a door will open. It may not have been what I had "planned" but most times it is more perfect than I imagined. So today if you find yourself gritting your teeth and feeling frustrated with where you are in comparison to where you want to be, be where you are and do what matters most and let the rest fall into place.

Your salon employee handbook is the only protection that serves as a binding contract between you and your employees.

 

Without a written book of your employee expectations and a contract in which both parties agree and accept it, both the employee and the employer are leaving themselves wide open to interpretation should a dispute arise.

 

When you give clear guidelines to the conduct and performance expectations in your salon you are giving your employees the formula for success within your company. Without it they can be meeting their own expectations but not those of the salon. This is not fair to either party not to mention irresponsible of the salon.

 

Let me say right off the get go that your employee handbook or employee contracts are not legal documents and shouldn’t be used as such, but, in circumstances of termination, pay disputes and performance issues it is your salons Bible!

 

A sufficient employee handbook documents all terms of employment expectations and becomes binding when the employee and employer agree to the terms with signatures.

 

Employees who work in salons where there is no employee handbook or contracts are leaving themselves open to unfair treatments, working conditions and absolutely no regulations for pay increases. And, salons who do not provide this information to their employees are being irresponsible to their teams and leaving themselves wide open to the same unfair conditions as well.

 

I have seen many good intending salons and employees get carried away in the process of fighting for clients, money and severance when all that was needed was a thorough employee handbook.

 

Now, I am not trying to scare you just emphasizing good business practice for salons to protect themselves and cautioning professionals to seek companies that provide this security. Everybody wins in environments of open and honest communication.

 

For a template of a complete employee handbook that you can customize for your salon, visit:

http://www.sossalonoperatingsystem.com

 

 

I recently heard that in Canada last year, over 600 salons had to close their doors. On one hand, this makes me very sad but I have to say that it didn’t surprise me.

 

Now although there can be numerous reasons a salon cannot sustain itself in a recession, the fact is that problems that seem insignificant in strong economic times become the straw that broke the camels back in weak economic times.

 

All too often salon owners fail to see how a small issue can impact their future success. For example, a stylist that runs 15 minutes behind on a consistent basis doesn’t seem like a big deal to the salon owner because she is good at what she does, the clients seem to love her and she’s been at the salon a long time so you don’t want to rock the boat and risk upsetting her. After all, it’s hard to get people to change and sometimes we just have to take the good with the bad, right?

 

Normally this may not bother the clients but if they now have to work a little longer to make extra cash or maybe they have chosen to pick up their kids from daycare a little sooner to save a few dollars, the fact that they are sitting in the waiting room wasting time and money becomes annoying. Now let’s also say that on this same visit the receptionist was a bit rude on the phone and there were no clean hand towels in the washroom. Even though you may think it is not a major issue, it can cause this client to rethink their loyalty. Maybe they start to ask their friends about their salons, maybe they take stock of just how happy they really are with their haircut and maybe they remember that gift certificate they got for Christmas from the salon just down the road. Now what happens if this new salon delivered a great haircut, the receptionist greeted her with a handshake and hung her jacket, there were a stack of scented hand towels in the washroom and she got an incentive to schedule her next appointment?

 

 

So what can a salon do to secure itself in an ever-changing economy? Unfortunately we have no control over what happens in the economy so the only thing we can control is what happens in the salon. We do know that the foundation of every service industry is the client and that the amount of success a business has is directly related to the return of happy clients. The following is a basic fundamental salon success formula:

 

 

1.     Know your brand. Know who you are and what you do best. (Your vision and mission.) Do it better than anyone else, perfect it, become the masters.

2.     Turn this brand into a client experience. This is best described as the process, procedure and even scripts you use with your clients from the moment they call your salon right through to the check out. It is your service guarantee.  

3.     Train each and every person who works in your spa or salon to implement this client experience with no fail…consistently. Your clients need to feel confident that every person they come in contact with is capable of taking care of them. To best demonstrate this I will share my experience. For my yearly visit at my doctors I was lead into a room, asked to change into a paper gown and have a seat up on the bench. After about 15 minutes I began to wonder if the doctor had forgotten about me or if the receptionist ever told her. Thank goodness she came in just before I was forced out of that room to inquire in my paper gown! Every conversation should inform your clients of what will happen next so they never experience that feeling.

4.     Monitor this process diligently so you know for sure that your client experience and brand is being implemented. If you do not have a system to train, monitor and measure employee performance you will be creating a weak link making your business susceptible to outside circumstances.

5.     Take a proactive stand to the challenges your salon is having and correct them when they happen rather than waiting till you have to make tough decisions.

I recently heard that in Canada last year, over 600salons had to close their doors. On one hand, this makes me very sad but I have to say that it didn’t surprise me.

 

Now although there can be numerous reasons a salon cannot sustain itself in a recession, the fact is that problems that seem insignificant in strong economic times become the straw that broke the camels back in weak economic times.

 

All too often salon owners fail to see how a small issue can impact their future success. For example, a stylist that runs 15 minutes behind on a consistent basis doesn’t seem like a big deal to the salon owner because she is good at what she does, the clients seem to love her and she’s been at the salon a long time so you don’t want to rock the boat and risk upsetting her. After all, it’s hard to get people to change and sometimes we just have to take the good with the bad, right?

 

Normally this may not bother the clients but if they now have to work a little longer to make extra cash or maybe they have chosen to pick up their kids from daycare a little sooner to save a few dollars, the fact that they are sitting in the waiting room wasting time and money becomes annoying. Now let’s also say that on this same visit the receptionist was a bit rude on the phone and there were no clean hand towels in the washroom. Even though you may think it is not a major issue, it can cause this client to rethink their loyalty. Maybe they start to ask their friends about their salons, maybe they take stock of just how happy they really are with their haircut and maybe they remember that gift certificate they got for Christmas from the salon just down the road. Now what happens if this new salon delivered a great haircut, the receptionist greeted her with a handshake and hung her jacket, there were a stack of scented hand towels in the washroom and she got an incentive to schedule her next appointment?

 

 

So what can a salon do to secure itself in an ever-changing economy? Unfortunately we have no control over what happens in the economy so the only thing we can control is what happens in the salon. We do know that the foundation of every service industry is the client and that the amount of success a business has is directly related to the return of happy clients. The following is a basic fundamental salon success formula:

 

 

1.    Know your brand. Know who you are and what you do best. (Your vision and mission.)Do it better than anyone else, perfect it, become the masters.

2.    Turn this brand into a client experience. This is best described as the process, procedure and even scripts you use with your clients from the moment they call your salon right through to the check out. It is your service guarantee.  

3.    Train each and every person who works in your spa or salon to implement this client experience with no fail…consistently. Your clients need to feel confident that every person they come in contact with is capable of taking care of them. To best demonstrate this I will share my experience. For my yearly visit at my doctors I was lead into a room, asked to change into a paper gown and have a seat up on the bench. After about 15 minutes I began to wonder if the doctor had forgotten about me or if the receptionist ever told her. Thank goodness she came in just before I was forced out of that room to inquire in my paper gown! Every conversation should inform your clients of what will happen next so they never experience that feeling.

4.    Monitor this process diligently so you know for sure that your client experience and brand is being implemented. If you do not have a system to train, monitor and measure employee performance you will be creating a weak link making your business susceptible to outside circumstances.

5.    Take a proactive stand to the challenges your salon is having and correct them when they happen rather than waiting till you have to make tough decisions.

Lately I have focused on how salon owners can be there for our employees and now it is time to focus on how we can be there for ourselves.

 

I am talking mostly about my own life experience today and the valuable lessons I continue to learn about being a leader. When we lead a company, those who look to us for guidance get the clearest message by watching how we handle situations. It’s almost like they hold their breath in the middle of chaos to “see” what we will do. How will we react, how will we choose to deal with it.

 

What we don’t always realize is what is really happening is that we are setting the bar for others to follow. Every choice we make as the leaders is the expectation we have of others. Now this is not meant to scare you, just be aware.

 

So how do we handle ourselves in chaos? Well sometimes I rant and rave and lose every grip of diplomatic behavior, which then causes me the humbling task of making amends. And sometimes I actually use the tools I learn and practice disciplining my mind long enough to make wise choices that preserve my self respect and of those around me.

 

How do we do this? Everyone comes about it in their own way but I am a strong believer in having mentors as part of your circle of influence and incorporate daily practices and disciplines to remain focused. However it works for you, the point I am trying to make is that the investment in your own personal development is key when leading others.

 

I can tell you that on the days when I can get the squirrels in my head to settle down and allow myself a moment of peace and clarity, chaos is much more manageable, on the days I forget…well, let’s just say the forgiving oneself is another thing I continue to work on.

The most common mistakes salon owners make when starting out in business is they think to be successful they need a team of highly skilled and experienced technicians and the business will take care of itself. Unfortunately they are motivated by what a technician can bring monetarily and the hope that with the experience less guidance and training is required.

 

Now although seasoned technicians can be a huge benefit to ones salon they can also come with many challenges. First and foremost is the fact that they are usually paid high commissions or are in the rental position, which can cap salon owners potential profits.

 

What can also happen is that experienced technicians may have had to build their own businesses in past circumstances and as a result have become accustom to their own set of standards and structures making it difficult to integrate them into yours.

 

And most importantly is the fact that because they may not be willing to be part of a team and may encourage independence with others causing conflicts.

 

What I am trying to get across here is the fact that to hire good employees you must first find the mindset and intentions to match your salon’s vision and mission whether they are experienced or not. It is about seeking the personality that fits in your salon, the qualities and attributes that best suits your mission and the ambitions that you, the salon owner can help them fulfill.

 

Also, when hiring employees keep in mind that your goal is to have all employees on the “same page” so to speak and to do this you must hire people who are coachable. What this means is that they are open to suggestions, willing to make changes and embrace being part of a team.

 

So whether you are hiring someone with 10 years experience or a beauty school graduate, keep these key factors in the decision making process and you will be building your salon team and helping people build careers.