What do Charles Barkley, Dan Marino and Ken Griffey, Jr. all have in common?
If you answered that they are all sports stars and household names, you would be correct. If you said they were among the most elite players in their respective sports, you’d also be correct. If you said none of these men have won an NBA Championship, a Superbowl ring or a World Series Championship you would also be correct … shocking, right?
Although these three famous athletes hold many records and awards, none of them have achieved the highest honor in their craft: a championship.
What I’m aiming to prove, for lack of a better analogy, is that old saying, “there is no ‘I’ in TEAM.” It didn’t matter that these players were great – their teams, as a whole, did not succeed. Think of this lesson in terms of the salon business and your everyday operations. I’m sure you can think of a rockstar employee who could sell ice cubes to an Eskimo; but if you’re unable to replicate that type of employee, your team (salon) does not live up to its full potential.
This month, I want to talk about a few ways to create, cultivate and maintain a TEAM of rockstars – or tanning consultant champs.
Pay your staff what they’re worth. One of the biggest mistakes I see in the salon world and a phrase I hear often is, “I can’t afford to pay my employees commission.” This is simply untrue! Commissions, if structured correctly, should be mutually beneficial. If your revenue grows, your employee’s paycheck should grow, as well. Motivated staff with goals to strive for will work harder, sell more and create an inviting atmosphere in your business. Whereas, those who don’t believe they are being adequately compensated will become disgruntled and not only share that feeling with their fellow coworkers, but potentially with your guests.
Offer opportunities for self-development. Ask yourself this question: how can you help your team succeed? Could they benefit from ongoing training, sellable promotions, or gaining more understanding of our industry, as a whole? If that’s the case, then make it happen! There are training opportunities and trade events offered multiple times a year. Don’t let your team members get to the “burnout” stage. Always offer ways for them to develop not only as your employees, but as an essential part of our industry.
Set clear goals. If you want your sales team to sell more lotion, set a goal. If you want them to increase their EFT percentage, set a goal. If you want a cleaner salon, set a goal. What all of these goals need to have in common is a reward! Identify something your team should be working toward, whether it be a 10% increase in lotion sales or a higher percentage of EFT conversions, then set a goal, make the reward/prize very clear, keep them on track and motivated. When commission structures, bonuses or goals don’t work, it’s generally because of a couple reasons. Either the staff didn’t understand it, they forgot about it, or what they were working toward simply wasn’t enough to motivate them.
Here is another cliché phrase for you: T.ogether E.veryone A.chieves M.ore
Having one all-star on your staff is great, but developing a all-star TEAM will lead you to a winning season! Although we don’t have a tanning Superbowl ring or World Series trophy for tanning consultants, you should keep this concept in mind as you work together with your team to create a happy, growing, successful business. If you do, the possibilities for you and your future become endless.
Having one all-star on your staff is great; but developing an all-star TEAM will lead you to a winning season!
