Salon Management
Keys to Communication with Employees
As an owner, you must make sure that you’re communicating effectively with your employees—when you don’t, the results can be devastating and include lower productivity.
An Owner’s Life
EVER FEEL LIKE YOUR JOB AS A SALON OWNER AND LEADER IS NEVER DONE? WELL ACCORDING TO A RECENT SURVEY CONDUCTED BY SALON TODAY, YOU CERTAINLY PUT IN THE HOURS. FIFTY-TWO OWNERS FROM OUR PROVIEW PANEL RECENTLY RESPONDED TO A BRIEF ONLINE SURVEY, AND THIS IS WHAT THEY HAD TO SAY:
by Stacey Soble
Salon Today 200: GROWTH
Although this year’s competition carefully considered other best practices, sales growth continues to be the hallmark measurement for the ST200. From 2007 to 2008, the following 100 honorees grew at percentages of 12 percent and above—quite an accomplishment in a year where a shaky economy rattled consumers and many companies posted losses.
Salon Today 200: INVENTORY CONTROL
The best way to infuse cash into your business is to get a tighter grip on what you keep in inventory. These ST200 honorees have mastered just-in-time ordering and eliminated the guesswork and waste by using sophisticated inventory systems.
Salon Today 200: RETAIL
Boosting retail sales is the easiest way for salons to grow their profitability. These ST200 honorees have perfected their retail systems, meticulously trained staff members and designed competitions to keep team spirit alive.
Salon Today 200: ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Not only is being green good for the environment, it makes good business sense. These ST200 honorees implement green practices in every way, from the construction of their location to their operations to the philanthropies they support.
Salon Today 200: TECHNOLOGY
Sophisticated software, paging systems, call centers, communication via social networking—technology continues to shape the way salons do business. These ST honorees have embraced all kinds of advancements and proved that technology boosts the bottom line.
Salon Today 200: MARKETING
Getting your message heard has more to do with your creativity than it does the actual budget you spend. These ST200 honorees created campaigns that got them noticed—bringing new clients through the front door and selling them more product and services while they’re in the chair.
Salon Today 200: ADVANCED EDUCATION
Learning never ends, and these ST200 honorees prove that advanced education fuels the creative and technical fires. They bring in high-profile educators, support their staff’s outside educational pursuits and encourage the sharing of new knowledge with both the team and the clients.
Salon Today 200: RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING
The future of every salon rests on its ability to recruit, and then train, top talent. Determined to grow their own staff, the following ST200 honorees developed ways to recruit from cosmetology schools, honed their exhaustive selection systems and implemented strategic training programs.
Salon Today 200: CUSTOMER SERVICE
A genuine smile, a light refreshment, an invigorating scalp massage--in the new economy, going above and beyond is the new customer-service, standard. These ST200 honorees...
Salon Today 200: RETENTION AND REWARD
“Guests become Premiere Club members by making a one-time payment of $25 and thereafter accrue two percent of the total they spend annually.
Salon Today 200: COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
What makes a salon a fabulous place to work?
Presenting your ST200 class of 2010...
The Valedictorian, Most Likely to Succeed, All-Star Athlete, Most Popular—every graduation class has their list of those who led the group in areas of excellence.
Looking Ahead
AS WE ENTER A NEW YEAR AND A NEW DECADE, SALON TODAY ASKS SALON LEADERS, “WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?”
Retailing Champs
At Beau Monde Spalon in St. Johns, Florida, owners Carl Slack and Reggie Stephens realized that their staffers are exceptionally motivated by contests and competition. They recently ran a contest designed to increase retail sales, with successful results.
Drumroll, please...
We divided the 1,440 Best Practice entries among the editors of SALON TODAY and MODERN SALON (Alison Shipley, Laurel Nelson, Rosanne Ullman, Melissa Hill, Debbie Ogilvie, Jan Hillenmeyer and myself) and asked them to judge each application within its category and provide a ranking from the strongest salon on down.
by Stacey Soble