Business panel: how do you boost productivity in salon?

Published 21st Jul 2019 by laurahusband
Business panel: how do you boost productivity in salon? This year’s British Hairdressing Business Awards winners share their tips for you and your team to make the most of the time you’ve got with your clients.

Name: Phil Smith Salon: Smith England Award: Salon of the Year 2

“Productivity makes the world go around – at least in salon terms. We live in a competitive market place and to be productive keeps you motivated and driven. Being productive also creates the resources required to do creative work outside of your column and business. Photographic shoots, stage presentations or backstage work are expensive for all businesses, so it is crucial there is the right balance of productivity and creativity for the salon to thrive.”

Phil’s Steps to Success:

  • It is easier to stay productive than to start being productive so don’t let morale drop or doubt to creep in.
  • Many salons use targets and incentives to stay productive but my salon is not for profit so I don’t use this business method. Instead, a strong career path, clearly defined expectations and trust keeps my team productive.
  • Productivity should be driven by passion and not finance. Set clear goals and a plan on how to tick them off.

Name: Lisa Walby Salon: Francesco Group, Cheltenham Award: Franchisee of the Year

“It is so important to boost productivity in the salon because it will help to gain revenue. You can have an average day and with a little team talk or buzz meeting as we like to call it and this can boost productivity, focus and motivation in 15 minutes. The team feel like they have value when they are busy and productive. Success can be measured at the end of the day which reaps rewards when we do our incentives. Being productive isn’t all about making money. As a team, understand the importance of an immaculate inviting salon. We work hard to ensure the building is kept up to date, modern and in good repair. This is just as productive as a client appointment as it all adds to the client’s experience.”

Lisa’s steps to success:

  • Set-up regular buzz meetings for you and your team at the start of the day.
  • Set incentives and targets for your team to follow.
  • Understand each member of the team’s personal motivations for being more productive in the salon.

Name: Natalie Love Salon: Edward James London Award: Salon of the Year 1

“A busy salon provides a fantastic learning environment for all. Salon assistants and trainees thrive when there is increased opportunity to observe, not to mention the potential for more hands-on work. Staying productive helps to keep stylists motivated. Inspired stylists radiate positive energy and deliver an important message to those newer to the industry, which creates a strong and dynamic salon culture. The team is continually learning and being part of an inspiring environment will mean your team will reap the rewards as they earn and your business will too.”

Natalie’s steps for success:

  • Are your team promoting themselves and your business when they are with their clients? If not, try incentivising them with a referral programme to bring in new clients.
  • Work on your points of difference and consistently promote them. Bring in bloggers, vloggers, top clients – whoever you can to help shout about what makes you unique.
  • Look for holes in your business – are you successfully attracting new clients but becoming complacent with your existing clients? If so, consider how you can go and above and beyond with every appointment.

Name: Christian Wiles Salon: Christian Wiles Hairdressing Award: Male Grooming Salon of the Year

“We work hard to maintain a positive work culture and a happy working environment that our team are proud to be a part off and that boosts productivity in the salon.  When the team are excited to come to work, they are driven and want to exceed client expectations, they are more loyal, focussed and creative and of course, this then means that we can achieve both our business and individual goals faster.  A happy, solid, productive team who are committed to development and excellence will delight clients and encourage loyalty.”

Christian’s steps to success:

  • Create a positive work culture that inspires creativity, development and encourages teamwork.
  • Offer support and set realistic, clear and measurable goals.  We have regular appraisals and staff meetings to identify strengths and weaknesses, to congratulate success and to help monitor and develop skills.
  • Be efficient.  Regularly assess the operation:  as a salon owner, are you identifying and maximising the skills of all your team?  Does everyone understand how to prioritise tasks?

Name: Steve Rowbottom and Marc Westerman Salon: Westrow Academy Award: Training Award

“There are a multitude of business benefits to be gained from having more productive employees in a salon environment. Boosting productivity will help increase profits, lower operational costs, improve customer service, enhance wellbeing and improve staff morale and their commitment to your business and clients.”

Steve and Marc’s steps to success:

  • The best way to increase productivity is through employee engagement. If they love what they do and are excited to come to work, they will be motivated to provide a better service, which will affect rebooking rates and your reputation through reviews and word-of-mouth referrals.
  • Take care of your staff to reduce turnover and improve morale. Look at ways to continually provide opportunities and challenges for staff to grow and develop new skills.
  • Focus on the team’s strengths and experience to get the most out of them. Ensure your top earners are doing the jobs that are the most profitable and encourage younger members of your team to develop skills in areas where they are already excelling.

Name: Mila Timberlake, Natalia Irvine and Leigh Kerr Salon: Rainbow Room International Award: Front of House Team

“Productivity is extremely important for any salon. You need to really build up a loyal clientele, be proactive when it comes to training and communication is key.  Hold regular appraisals, interim meetings to help staff achieve their goals and understand what drives and motivates them. At Rainbow Room International we have a structured training platform to help and encourage staff to climb the ladder throughout their career and have done this throughout our 40 years as a business, as well as holding our annual Congress Awards to motivate the team and promote bonuses.”

Mila and Natalia’s steps to success:

  • Be proactive when it comes to training and ensure staff are up-to-date on current trends.
  • Rewards and goals go a long way to boosting team spirit. Motivating your staff can be as simple as arranging team bonding days or experiences and we regularly have team days and nights out.
  • Build a loyal clientele and include offers to gain new clients and to increase client retention.

Name: Janet Maitland Salon: Janet Maitland Hair Excellence Award: Business Director of the Year

“It's always vital to boost productivity to make sure your business is moving forward and is making money so you can re-invest in its future. You need to constantly come up with new ideas and get your staff and clients excited about the latest trends to ensure you stay fresh with new clients walking through the door. Keep training and shout about your successes – it all adds up to motivated and productive and happy staff.”

Janet’s steps to success:

  • Keep the team motivated and enthusiastic by offering courses, competitions and the chance to visit hairdressing exhibitions.
  • Keep your staff incentivised as we all like the best things in life so incentives can boost salon performance.
  • Keep your team happy as if you don’t have a team you won’t have a salon – it's that simple.

Name: Hannah Kernick Salon: H&Co Hair Salon Awards: Customer Care, Independent Salon – Business Newcomer and Salon Design

“A productive team is a happy team. Stylists who are not busy working will get bored easily and this can lead to discontent. If you improve your stylist’s daily schedule this will open up more time to provide more services for your clients, which will increase your revenue and profits.”

Hannah’s steps to success:

  • Set monthly targets with key performance indicators for you and your staff.
  • Look out for when members of staff do tasks particularly well and tell them often.
  • Occasionally give out of the blue rewards to your consistently well-performing staff to motivate them and the rest of the team.

Name: Salv Mulé Salon: Academy Salons, Cobham Award: Retail Salon of the Year

“It’s important for survival. Creating a salon environment that runs smoothly and entices clients to return and spend more is fundamental to success. A relaxed and happy client and a dynamic stylist will give you a better return – it’s as simple as that.”

Salv’s steps to success:

  • A happy client and stylist will lead to a better return for your business so it’s essential that all of your team are fully educated in delivering the best possible service for all of your clients.
  • Reward your team’s efforts and don’t take them for granted. Create motivational tools that you feel will appeal most to your team.
  • Upselling and generating return visits from your clients should be a priority for your team. It’s also important to keep the conversation and the atmosphere light and relaxed.
laurahusband

laurahusband

Published 21st Jul 2019

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