[gap height=”15″]One question I always ask of attendees at a sales training, regardless if it is “Selling 101” or “Advanced Selling,” is “How many of you are motivated by money?” Generally speaking, nearly everyone raises their hand, and does so along with the giggles and sideways glances that accompany their response, as if to say, “Thank goodness I’m not the only one!” My next comment always surprises and confuses them: “Actually, none of you are motivated by money. No one is.”
[gap height=”15″]Now, I’m not implying that our industry is full of magnanimous, kind-hearted souls who just want the world to be tan and don’t need a steady paycheck; we all work for those dollars. I’m saying that our motivation isn’t money, it’s what that money can do for us – what it allows us to do. What I’m saying is, the sooner we realize this, from both an employee standpoint and a salon owner standpoint, the sooner we will start to make the big money.
[gap height=”15″]If you’re an hourly employee, a manager, a commissioned salesperson, or any combination of these, you are probably showing up for your shift without a clear plan of action. The schedule says you need to be at the salon between this time and that time, and you dutifully show up, dressed and ready to work your shift. There are usually tasks that need to be performed cleaning-wise, and you do these with reasonable skill and success. You answer the phone, clean beds, enter client data in the computer, give salon tours, and (hopefully) make sales. When your shift is over, you clock out and head home. Sound familiar? What’s missing is your personal goal for the shift.
[gap height=”15″]The majority of salon staff are paid some level of commission for their sales, and this is where the motivation comes in. Commissioned salespeople have the unique ability to give themselves a pay raise whenever they want. By identifying what money will allow you to do, you can easily set a goal before each shift based on that need. Want to get your own apartment or house? That’s your motivation. Need a new car? That’s what drives you (no pun intended). Saving for a wedding, a honeymoon, a vacation? That’s what motivates you. The more specific the goal is, the more likely you are to hold yourself accountable to reaching it.
[gap height=”15″]Owners, this is where you come in. A great way to help your staff understand and identify these goals is to create a UFC and have them commit to it each and every shift. What’s a UFC? Not Ultimate Fighting Championships – tanning is a non-contact sport. Our UFC is an Up Front Contract and the staff should be completing one before every shift. Who is the contract between? Your employees and themselves. Once they understand what their true motivation is, they will hold themselves accountable.
[gap height=”15″]It might be as simple as, “I, ____________, commit to sell three essential tanning kits, five membership packages, ten upgrades, and seven lotion packets during my shift on _________.” The contract is only valid during that one shift; another one needs to be executed the next time they work. The goals, clearly stated, should mirror what they need to sell during that shift to earn the commission they need to reach their motivational goal.
[gap height=”15″]We all know the salon looks better and runs smoother when there is a checklist to follow with cleaning and operational expectations; the same will hold true profit-wise when your staff begins to hold themselves accountable with an understanding of what motivates their performance.
[gap height=”15″]Now, go out and make it rain!
[gap height=”15″]The more specific a goal is, the more likely you are to hold yourself accountable to reaching it.
