The Constant
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by Stacey Soble
8 Ways to Create a Bright, Happy Salon
Check out the list of proven salon happiness enhancers to add to your motivational arsenal.
January 7, 2021
3 min to read
When you work in a good salon environment, daily challenges are easier to overcome. In a business where profit depends mostly on excellent customer service, your mood turns the money faucet off and on. Here's the formula: happy salon professionals made busy salons—and busy salons make happy salon professionals.
Tip: How can you measure your salon's happiness level? Easy. The job satisfaction genie lives in the dispensary. The breakroom is where salon people share their grievances and give out kudos while they formulate color or bite into a sandwich.
Empowering a happy place is an owner or manager's role and a key business goal. Check out the list below of proven salon happiness enhancers to add to your motivational arsenal:
Be an example of ethics and professionalism—follow the rules. Don't do what you dislike seeing in others. If you disregard professionalism, you openly lower the bar for the entire salon.
Don't negotiate with divas—the star team member with the big clientele who demands exceptions and conditions to perform needs a dose of humility and shown the door. Watch how happy remaining stylists make up the revenue in no time.
Don't play favorites— it's tough to always hang with the fun, positive ones, but be fair with your attention, time, and new client walk-ins. Where you spend your time and attention can be seen as favoritism. My grandma used to say, "Never show others what you really like because they will use it against you."
Keep the salon spotless—and require everyone to follow suit. A clean smell is the first thing a client notices walking into the salon. Cleanliness is the first sign of professionalism. And remember this: the cleaner you look, the more you charge.
Show your efforts to build the salon: boast, don't be shy. Employees like seeing an owner or manager really try to bring in more clients, promote the salon on social media, give stylists exposure, buy trendy products, and decking out the salon for the holidays.
Be well prepared for salon meetings- nobody likes staying for a salon meeting. If you are not prepared or organized, your team will ditch all future meetings. Can you blame them? Start the meeting with great news, recognitions, give rewards, and praise. Have fewer and rewarding meetings that finish with an action list that you follow up on.
Most ineffective meeting topics-don't keep them late to talk about low retail, coming in late, lack of professionalism, low client retention. When do you address these? Privately, one on one, with concrete evidence as proof. Meetings are about asking your team how you can do better. Thank your team and acknowledge what they are doing right.
Always speak the truth- or speak nothing at all, and you will not need to keep track of what you say.
Don't become a babysitter for your staff, but never underestimate the power of little things that make your staff smile. The main reason stylists leave a salon is a low happiness level. The movement from commission to booth rental started due to a lack of connection to the salon much more than increasing earnings—stylists bond to a salon that offers a greater degree of freedom. Create the best platform possible for salon professionals to express their art form-- and watch it go!
Carlos Valenzuela is a Hairdresser, author, success coach, ex-salon & beauty school owner. His focus is guiding salon professionals to a more fulfilling career & lifestyle. For info, Visit the thrifty cosmetologist on Facebook.
Topics:salon ownersCarlos Valenzuelaclient communicationcareer adviceSalon ManagementEmployee Management & Team Building
Originally posted on Modern Salon
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