A team can’t exist in a business without systems or organization. A great team can’t exist without an owner providing leadership. While systems take time and energy to create, once in place they can lead a business to health and prosperity. Consider these following five systems that must be in place in order to create a strong team in your salon.

The Mission Statement

 

Give your team a coherent goal that directs their responsibility to the salon and each other. This common goal is your mission statement. Use it to motivate and empower your employees and attract and retain its clientele.

A mission statement should answer the following questions: Who are you? What do you do? Who are your clients? What are your goals for your business? If you cannot answer these questions, it may be time to examine your business closely and figure out your goals and expectations. A sample statement might read, “Our mission is to provide good-quality service in a relaxing environment with a friendly, neighborhood atmosphere.”

Asking your team to help create your mission statement can be a good idea. Sometimes their input helps them commit to it more fully because they participated.

Once created, your mission statement should be clearly stated on your policy manual, your menu, your recruiting materials, and in the reception area of your salon or spa. It should be a statement to live and work by. As an owner, show your commitment to your vision. As a leader, you must maintain the mission at all times and act as an example for your team.

Employee Evaluations

Employee evaluations are another crucial aspect of building your team. A strong team cannot be made of weak individuals. Owners or managers must put aside one-on-one time with all employees in order to cultivate good individuals who will in turn form a good team. Use the evaluation as a time to coach and set goals with your team members. Without goals there can be no growth.

The frequency of evaluations is important. Going a whole year without employee reviews doesn’t allow enough feedback for growth and motivation. Once per quarter is sufficient. Whatever the schedule is —

stick to it! The worst thing an owner can do is start evaluations at the beginning of the year and not continue them. Do not send a mixed message to your staff — no team can gel with this kind of inconsistency.

Employee evaluation criteria and scheduling should be explained as early as during the recruiting process. Candidates should know how much importance an owner places on performance reviews even before being hired. You may want to review the criteria you use for your evaluations so that the candidate knows exactly what would be expected of her.

A performance review can be organized in many different ways and an owner’s personality and organizational abilities will dictate how simple or detailed the process is in her salon. An employee needs to be aware of past performance and future goals, and the evaluation should be used to point out weaknesses and emphasize strengths. Review subjective and objective goals. Rate technical performance, as well as how well that employee retails, rebooks, and provides quality customer service.

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Figures that are commonly looked at when setting goals are the service ticket, the retail to service percentage, the retention rates, number of new clients, number of upsells, and the productivity percentage.

Some salons have gone to a more open-book method of goal setting. For example, the nail department needs to generate “X” amount of dollars for the square footage to be profitable. When given the sales and expenses for any given department, the employee can better relate to what the owner needs to see happen for the department to be profitable.

Staff Meetings

Use staff meetings to motivate your team. How an owner prepares for and conducts the team meeting will gauge its success. Monthly meetings are crucial to the health of your salon or spa. Bonda Henschel, owner of Bonda’s Hair, Spa, and Tanning of Wexford, Pa., puts a lot of time and effort into her monthly meetings.

“We used to hold them quarterly, but too much miscommunication existed and the business’s rapid growth called for more frequent meetings,” says Henschel.

 

Meetings are for sharing, updating, teaching, and motivating. Discuss important salon techniques or trends that are helpful to the team. Update employees on new products, services, or policies during these meetings. Allow enough time to discuss important issues thoroughly.

Teaching employees new service techniques or how to use certain retail products is what Judy McCollough, owner of Headlines in Butler, Pa., says helps create her team.

 

“Staff meetings are a great time to review new services with the entire staff. We don’t just train the technician responsible for the service. We train all employees so they are better able to cross promote departments and educate the client on all of the services we provide,” says McCollough. “To launch a new item on our menu is major for us. We create excitement at our meetings to help make new services successful.” Agendas for the meeting should be posted ahead of time and should contain the following: opening, housekeeping, body, acknowledgements, and closing.

Thank all for coming and review your mission statement. Housekeeping items should also be stated, such as new staff member information and salon hours or closings. The main body of the meeting should center around two to three important issues. You may discuss upcoming salon events, special promotions, and the price increase you just put into place, for example.

At the conclusion of the meeting acknowledgements should be made recognizing exceptional performance. An increase in sales, retention rates, or new services provided deserves some attention and it’s an appropriate time to recognize a staff member for a job well done. Remember that it’s a morale booster to be praised in front of your peers. In closing, reiterate the meeting notes and remind the staff of the next meeting date.

If you are concerned about a meeting turning into a complaint session, follow this rule: Never allow a complaint to be made unless the complainer has one or two solutions for their concern. Have staff members help solve the problem. This approach prevents the meeting going off track, but most importantly, it may help create solutions.

Finally, meetings are for the team. It may be the only time everyone is together with crazy schedules and client demands. Take advantage of the time and strengthen your relationships. With organization, your meetings can be one of your most valuable team building tools.

Coaching for Individuality

Coaching for individuality means being able to adapt to all levels of skill and experience, and you need to be able to adjust your coaching accordingly. Remember, whether an employee has been with you 10 years or 10 months, every team member needs guidance and recognition.

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Gone are the days when all team members charged the same prices for their services within the same business. This method of pricing can cause stagnation and de-motivated technicians. Owners may wish to set different levels of pricing based on performance. Looking at service tickets, retail sales, productivity, and retention will help to place the technician in the proper pricing level.

Contrary to how it may sound, tiered pricing can create a stronger team as it motivates all staff members to work harder to advance to the next price level.

Typically, there are three types of employees: rookies, complacent staff, and superstars. The rookies are the most impressionable staff you employ. They can be eager to learn and often need guidance and motivation to get to the next level. When you see a successful future in this employee, take the time and work with her. Maybe she needs one-on-one time weekly, for instance.

Twelve-week assistant training programs are a great way to really get to know the employee and determine if they should be part of your team. Give rookies goals and expect great things from them. However, owners need to look for signs of weakness and strengths very closely. There may be personality or maturity issues you cannot change. Weed out employees that do not uphold the standards of your salon or threaten the integrity of the team.

Complacent employees are doing a good job, but need to be coached to the next level. Increase their responsibilities regularly and give frequent feedback. Recognize them often for a job well done and don’t forget to set goals frequently with them. They may need just a little bit of your time to become a superstar and be an integral part of your team.

Superstars are the leaders of your team. They appreciate the rules and the standards you have set and are truly motivated. Because they do such a great job, we may neglect them when it comes to goal setting and praise. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring their good work. They need to be motivated and coached just like any employee. Make sure to show your appreciation.

Reward Your Employees

Finally, rewarding your employees adds to a sense of team. To be thanked for an exceptional job can go a long way. Just as the client is rewarded regularly with promotions, a team member also needs motivation. Rewards and incentives can be for individuals or groups within a business. If you are not sure what motivates your team, ask them. The biggest key to a successful incentive is providing rewards that motivate.

During employee evaluations, ask your team members what motivates them. It may be every other Saturday off, gas money for a long trip to work each day, child care subsidies, etc. Sometimes a cash prize is not the answer.

The White Rose Day Spa & Hair Design in Vestal, N.Y., believes in creating goals and incentives for all its team members. “The front desk is a perfect example of an area that often lacks goals and rewards. Yet it’s the first point of contact for a client, so the staff must be educated on all services,” says owner Karen Latta. “To keep them motivated we make them part of the incentive programs at our spa. Without their knowledge and education, the cross-promoting of departments and launching of new services would not be successful.”

Teamwork doesn’t come over-night. It takes time, commitment, and great communication to create or rebuild a team you feel will work. The health of any business comes from a solid framework — which is built on teamwork. Develop yours when you open your business and if you have gotten off course, take the time to rebuild. You will never be sorry.

[SAMPLE MISSION STATEMENT]

Mission Statement for Studio 10 Hair & Nail Design, Wooster, Ohio

It is the mission of Studio 10 to ensure that our customers receive professional, quality services and get the attention they deserve. As a full-service salon, Studio 10 knows that the changing needs of the customer requires attention to details, keeping up-to-date on changes in the beauty industry, and meeting the needs not only of our customers, but our community and fellow employees.

We help our industry by maintaining its standards, by making sure we are current in our methods, and by maintaining communication. Studio 10 and its employees strive to not only meet the requirements of our state board of cosmetology's continuing education requirements, but to exceed these requirements whenever possible.

Studio 10 maintains an active involvement in the community by donating gift certificates, participating in food and clothing drives, donating monies to local charities and participating in other community-related events when possible.

Structuring Incentive Programs

Guidelines for individual incentive programs:

• Keep programs focused and creative.

• Create goals that are fair, achievable, and motivate the technician to grow.

• Have the technician compete with herself (i.e. reward the nail technician who sells the most paraffin wax treatments as a percentage of the number of clients she has serviced.)

• Keep programs ongoing — Have an incentive for clients one month and an incentive for employees in alternate months.

Guidelines for team-based incentives (for larger staffs):

• Keep teams fair—they should be comparable in knowledge and level of experience.

• Keep the staff motivated — update performance within a team and with competing teams frequently.

• Keep the program focused — focus on one goal at a time (i.e., biggest increase in rebooked clients).

 5 Staff Meeting Musts

1) Place adequate notice for the meeting date and time.

2) Meet on the same day and time each month to provide consistency and greater attendance.

3) Have an agenda posted ahead of time for the meeting.

4) When possible, hand out a typed agenda and paperwork to support your agenda.

5) Provide meeting notes at the conclusion of the meeting for non-attendees.

 

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