“Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress,working together is success.”- Henry Ford
The inability to hire the right people when adding a new member to your team is one of the leading causes of staff turnover and business interruption. Our business is such that we must rely heavily on the performance and stability of our staff to keep growing our business.
No business can grow and improve profits with a team that do not share your goals and values. A house divided will never grow.
How can we expect to grow our business and raise prices without a team spirit where everyone contributes to a professional and positive salon environment?
Far too many salon owners hire people out of desperation just to fill a chair or out of desperation when they experience turnover.
Every salon should develop their own staff development program to make sure you hire the right people. Take preventative action and always have a plan in place to overcome and combat turnover.Your best prevention is to make sure you hire the right people who share your goals and vision. Make sure you have plenty of applicants in case may need a replacement.
Here are a few tips:
Recruitment Brochure — As an owner, recruitment of talent was as important to me as marketing for customers. The more applicants, the more opportunities you have in finding that diamond in the rough.
Develop Your Own Staff Development Program — certain qualities you should look for when deciding who to hire when adding a new member to your team. A professional appearance, positive attitude, personality, desire for self-improvement, history of job stability, and compatibility with your other team members. The key point is, will they contribute to your team culture.
Probationary Period — a 6month probationary period to make sure they are following your quality control guidelines
Employee Handbook — your employee handbook should be the foundation to employee training, including terms of employment.How can you expect them to perform if they do not know your expectations and how they will be measured?
Training and Education — A salon orientation program is essential in making sure they are following your own quality control standards. You want to establish positive attitudes and strong work habits in the beginning of their employment. The higher your standards,the higher your rewards.
I will be covering this important topic at my upcoming seminar in San Diego. Click Here
Monitor Performance — measure their performance including referrals, and their customer return rate. You must be aware of the damage of customer loss.
A trial and error approach to learning on paying customers is just too costly.
For more detailed information, my book Creating Your Salon will be extremely helpful. Check it out! Click here