Bella Style Salon's Ride or Die
At Bella Style Salon in Slidell, Louisiana, Director of Operations Angela Meyer tackles inventory, team management, and guest relations. Read all about her in our latest Meet the Manager.
by Stacey Soble
How to Recruit for the Front Desk
If the front desk is the first impression, the last impression, and often the LASTING impression of the salon, salon owners need to get focused, get organized and get prepared for the recruiting and interview process.
July 10, 2011
Kristi Valenzuela, founder of Crystal Focus Salon Coaching
2 min to read
High turnover is often caused by not having the "right person for the right position." Often, salon owners or managers are hiring out of emergency due to an immediate opening at the front desk. Due to this urgency, there is a lack or preparation and time needed to find several qualified people to interview, and the interview is not tailored to reflect the important duties of a front desk sales support staff. If the front desk is the first impression, the last impression, and often the LASTING impression of the salon, salon owners need to get focused, get organized and get prepared for the recruiting and interview process.
RECRUIT
The best way to recruit for this position is to find someone that already has customer service and sales experience, and possesses "sales charisma." Keep your eyes and ears open for your next front desk person through your own customer service experiences. It's the waitress who offers an appetizer, deliciously describes her favorite menu item, and reminds you to save room for dessert. Or it's the woman working behind the counter at your favorite retail store who talks about their loyalty program, gift cards, or special sales.
The people who WOW you should work for you. Don't wait until you need someone, interview often...even if you don't have an opening! This will improve your interview skills, keep qualified people on file, and keep your existing front desk on their toes! (Wouldn't you be on your toes if you knew the owner was always looking for someone for your position?)
One more hot tip: If you put an ad in the paper, on craigslist.com, or other sources, place you ad in the SALES section, not the receptionist section. This is a sales position.
INTERVIEW
During the interview, make sure to explain all the sales responsibilities the front desk team has, including offering additional services, pre-booking the next appointment, closing the retail sale, taking guests on tour, offering sales and promotions, etc.
There are two interview exercises that we recommend in The Front Desk Doctor Training Series. One exercise we discuss on the Chapter 2 Hiring Audio CD is called, "Sell me this pen." This is an interactive point in an interview when you would hand your ink pen to the person you are interviewing to see how well they could describe and offer the sale of the pen. It's a great way to test and see how brave their sales skills really are! You will find, or eliminate, many candidates with this simple exercise. Try it!
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
More Salon Management
The Constant
Starting at Impressions front desk in 2006 when he was 19 years old, General Manager Paul Petrowsky is a seasoned professional who owner Sarah Taylor says is responsible for much of her own success.
by Stacey Soble
The Most Wonderful Time in Salons and Spas
Planning is in full swing for the most anticipated events and promotions for the 2026 holidays. As owners share their favorite ways to celebrate, they prove that a carefully planned event can also build culture, increase client loyalty, boost sales, and set a business up for a successful 2027.
by Stacey Soble
Leading with Empathy, Humility and a Mastery of Systems
When things run amok at Mane Attraction Salon, Owners Chris and Jenny Knudsen say General Manager Sami Hernandez is their go-to resource and ultimate sounding board. Meet Sami in this installment of Meet the Manager.
by Stacey Soble
Pagoda Brings AI-Powered Operations to Skinovatio Medical Spa Locations
Pagoda, a new AI-native operating system for scheduling, payments, patient records, marketing, and client communications, launches at Skinovatio Medical Spa in Arlington Heights, Illinois.
by Staff
How Women are Rewriting the Rules of Grey Hair
At a panel discussion hosted by L’Oréal Professionnel in Paris in early July, French Philosopher Sophie Galabru explored the cultural shift where women are increasingly choosing natural, personalized color results over traditional grey coverage. In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Galabru and L’Oréal Professionnel Colorist Pierrick Beringer discuss this shift and how salons and colorists respond.
by Stacey Soble
Warm Leadership and Analytical Precision
At Salon Blonde, Director of Operations treats the staff as the salon's most important guests, while her wonderful 'nerdy' side, loves data, systems, and numbers. Find out how she makes Salon Blonde tick.
by Stacey Soble
Trotting the Globe, Forging Connections, Fostering Artistic Creativity
In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Salon Owner Salvatore Minardi reflects on his past 18 months as Intercoiffure America Canada's World Talent Exchange Ambassador and how his experiences will help encourage cultural and artistic exchange and support greater engagement between ICA and the global organization Intercoiffure Mondial.
by Stacey Soble
Client Retention Guidebook
Everything you need to know about client retention as a salon owner.
Success Grown from Within
Owner Shelby Bills says her general manager, Sydney Osborne, reminds her of the power of leading with heart. Find out how Osborne became a great leader in our lastest installment of Meet the Manager.
by Stacey Soble
How Salon Leaders Can Process the Pain and Lead Forward When a Team Members Leaves Unethically
In her latest blog, Kati Whitledge identifies the five stages salon owners go through when a team member leaves the salon unethically, offering advice for each stage.
How AI Is Closing Revenue Gaps for Salons and Spas
The beauty and wellness businesses pulling ahead aren’t just working harder—they’re using AI to capture demand, personalize pricing, and convert more of every guest interaction into revenue. Here’s what the benchmark data reveals about the growing gap between AI adopters and everyone else.
Sponsored by Zenoti
The Premium Talent Magnet: The Modern Salon Playbook for Attracting Six-Figure Stylists
Stop chasing recruitment ghosts on generic job boards and start curating an elite team. Discover the framework that top-tier salons use to bypass phone tag, automate visual portfolio vetting, and attract high-earning, culture-first beauty professionals directly through real-time messaging. Turn your recruitment process into an exclusive brand invitation that keeps your highest-ticket chairs permanently filled.
Sponsored by Beautista
Five Revenue Leaks Hiding in Your Salon
Your calendar looks full, but is all of that demand actually converting to revenue? From phantom rebookings to underpriced peak hours, the 2026 Benchmark Report exposes five revenue leaks that most beauty and wellness businesses don’t even know they have.
Sponsored by Zenoti
The Heartbeat of Zandi K's Success
After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.
by Stacey Soble
Rethinking Retail in the Era of E-Commerce
In a world dominated by e-commerce, salon owners push back with proven strategies to increase retail sales while motivating team members to educate their clientele and delighting clients with retail-themed events and clever merchandising displays.
by Stacey Soble
The Harper Ellis Hair Co. Certification Program Teaches Stylists a Smarter, Safer Way to Install Extensions
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
by Staff