Which Are Your Problem Spots?

Yay Sandy for getting your nail department to 12% — that’s huge! I know that it was not an easy task to get the department to that level. One thing for sure is that it really takes willingness. It takes willingness to want to change and then to make a change. You have to be willing to have an open mind, take constructive criticism, and work towards commitment. It takes the whole department to make it work, not just one person — it takes a team.

 

Sandy’s salon owner Jeanese brought me into her salon a few years back. They were struggling with service standards, no add-on menu, and a lack of product knowledge of professional and retail products. They also had trouble getting the stylists to buy into our system. Like Sandy said, they had stylists who were doing the services to keep busy. Now, they get why there is structure and service standards.

 

In addition to being a salon owner and nail technician, I also consult for Summit Salon Consulting Group. When we are in salons helping them to build their business and a nail department needs help, they call me in.

 

I go to the salon and consult on site. There are many things that come out of a visit, and every salon is different and has different issues that need to be resolved. In most salons, I work with the staff to develop an additional service menu. Some salons already have a menu, but it has not been updated or they aren’t sure how to use it with a client. I help them to introduce the menu as a tool. The staff feels like they are making an offering so their clients know about all of their options instead of feeling like they are selling. I help staff to overcome those feelings and help them to close the sale without pressure.

 

Another issue is service standards; this is something you have heard me mention several times. There are usually too many service providers doing different services using different products. The client should have a similar service each time she visits your salon, no matter who provides the service. The only thing that should change should be the personality of the service provider. The client should have a similar service with their first, 18th, or 40th service. This is always interesting to me. I sit down with the staff and discuss the services they provide and I am never surprised how different each service is explained to me. In the end, we as a department with the owner agree on standards that will be beneficial to the entire department.

 

Products are another area of concern. I find that many salons aren’t selling the products they use during the service. All of the techs are using many different kinds of foot files and then if the client wants it, the salon doesn’t retail it. Secondly their retail shelves have a coating of dust on the products. Have you ever had to wipe off the dust on a bottle of polish before showing it to your client? The shelves are dusty with so many products. The products I usually see on the shelves are outdated, old, or have been sitting there forever. You can tell that by the condition of the box. I help to streamline the products so we only sell what we believe in. Some retail shelves I see are so cluttered with an abundance of products that I tell the owner if you want to see where your money is, go visit your retail shelves.

 

Professional products are also an area of contention. The owner is often frustrated by all of the products she has stashed in cupboards, cabinets, and drawers. The owner has spent a small fortune on products that the staff has said they would use and then the products just sit there. This is why most salon owners are reluctant to purchase yet another product for the department. The techs say, “If I we get peach paraffin, the clients will come.” Yes, some will come because of the peach scent, but the truth is we should be able to sell the paraffin even if it is unscented. I help with that and make product recommendations.

 

If you want me to consult in your salon or talk to your owner contact me at jwilson@summitsalom.com. Consulting your salon — helping you to stand out above the rest and become the BEST!

 

— Jill