Training staff in retail

[jamiereid92]

Hi geeks,

As some of you know i am just about to open my first salon (eeeeek) and we already have a few staff members.
I've met them and they all seem very friendly and have a good work ethic, however the retail numbers are poor.
I don't believe it's their fault, i don't think its something that has been trained, focused on, or reminded about.
We are streamlining to just 1 range of haircare, and one range of styling products, we are going with the new Wella Invigo and Eimi ranges.

My question is, how would you go about training them, without terrifying them!?

I want to get the rep to come in and do a talk on the new products, then set them targets, atm they get 10% of anything they sell but this is'nt motivating any of them on its own. Then I'm going to find out what it is that will motivate them and see if we can incorporate that into a target, so things like extra holiday, later starts, training sessions at Wella, or new tools. And finally i will actually train them in sales, I'm great at sales, and im good at explaining things, i just dont want to scare my team haha!

Any thing any of you would do differently, add in or suggestions?

Thanks x

 

[Valerie_T]

You can give them the 10% from product sales; To this set monthly goals, and those who meet them get special reward.
But I think you should first teach them how to sell, and only them use the financial encouragement. If you use enough jokes during your lessons, you won't scare them

 

[PicklePie]

They have got to love the products they are using. Listening to Geeks on here, it seems the ones that love the product have no issue with selling it.

 

[squidgernetball]

So exciting Jamie. Retail is about a third of our turnover, so we retail A LOT!!! And there are a few things that I think you need to be able to retail. You need to use the products - not just once, but all the time, and you need to be able to explain why those products are different to high street products. Sometimes, honestly, all you need to do is suggest a product. I have been having my hair cut for years and I don’t think any hairdresser EVER has suggested a product for me to use. Where I go now doesn’t even take cards!!! When I have my hair done, I want to spend money. I’m in the zone. I’m a hairdressers dream. Tell me and I’ll buy it, but I need to know why, and what makes it different from xyz product in Boots.

Vic x

 

[jamiereid92]

Thanks guys!

I understand now to retail, i know how it works and I'm not scared of talking to clients about it.

What I'm scared of is getting that attitude across to the team. I think I just need to go with it... And if there are problems I'll be back here [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

[RED STAR]

You need to remind them - it IS part of their job!
To inform and educate the client whilst they are in the salon is part of what the client is paying for - How to maintain their hair when they get home.
If they are not given this advice, they leave with little chance of replicating their 'do'!

 

[House Beauty]

Encourage talking about aftercare during treatment, inviting questions from client. They will ask about how they can look after it best, then they can recommend from there without even feeling like they are selling. Make up a poster for the office with ideal starter phrases about benefits of each product eg 'this will prolong your tan and is oil free so won't cause patchiness,' 'this is the product for your skin type, I recommend using it daily and it will keep your oily skin under control to prevent blemishes,'

Teach them the same as you would with a treatment, weave it in so it becomes natural. I used to be sh*t scared of sales but if my boss back in the day hadnt said 'make sales' I wouldn't have been scared. Instead of saying make sales say 'you need to tell them the aftercare and best way to take care of areas post treatment, before they pay and leave and ask if they have any questions.' That way they will start selling without even thinking twice about it.

 

[EssexFreelance]

Was the rep dynamic enough? Did they get enough eduction? Could an educator come in to help too?

 

[squidgernetball]

I always think of you’re not recommending products and homecare you’re only doing half a job x

 

[jamiereid92]

Encourage talking about aftercare during treatment, inviting questions from client. They will ask about how they can look after it best, then they can recommend from there without even feeling like they are selling. Make up a poster for the office with ideal starter phrases about benefits of each product eg 'this will prolong your tan and is oil free so won't cause patchiness,' 'this is the product for your skin type, I recommend using it daily and it will keep your oily skin under control to prevent blemishes,'

Teach them the same as you would with a treatment, weave it in so it becomes natural. I used to be sh*t scared of sales but if my boss back in the day hadnt said 'make sales' I wouldn't have been scared. Instead of saying make sales say 'you need to tell them the aftercare and best way to take care of areas post treatment, before they pay and leave and ask if they have any questions.' That way they will start selling without even thinking twice about it.

Thanks that is great advice, i will make sure to tell them to recommend rather than sell.

I agree if you're not recommending you are only doing half the job, but it's not their fault because no one has told them it is their job.

I havent taken over the team yet.. just waiting patiently for the solicitors to fix the lease, and trying to get some more ideas before I start x

 

[AcidPerm]

May I offer a piece of advice?
As you’re taking over an existing team, you need to gain their trust before you try to impose any changes otherwise, they’re likely to resist as a point of principle. A new owner coming in is always unsettling so use your first couple of weeks or so to get to know each of them as individuals and try to work out their strengths and weaknesses. Talk to them as a team and 1:1, ask for their opinions and really listen.
Once you feel ready to introduce changes, do it gradually with goals and incentives that are easily obtainable to get them interested and keen to earn more.
I’m sure you’re going to be an excellent boss.

 

[jamiereid92]

May I offer a piece of advice?
As you’re taking over an existing team, you need to gain their trust before you try to impose any changes otherwise, they’re likely to resist as a point of principle. A new owner coming in is always unsettling so use your first couple of weeks or so to get to know each of them as individuals and try to work out their strengths and weaknesses. Talk to them as a team and 1:1, ask for their opinions and really listen.
Once you feel ready to introduce changes, do it gradually with goals and incentives that are easily obtainable to get them interested and keen to earn more.
I’m sure you’re going to be an excellent boss.

Thanks AcidPerm, yes I had this planned already, i was going to take them out of the salon for a coffee and get to know them, what motivates them and how they work.

Maybe I should relax for the first month, take a back seat and watch what goes on.

I plan to be have good communication with my team aswell, i want them to know what's expected of them, and if they are achieving that or not. And if they're not, it's not the end of the world, I'm not going to shout at them I will train them and use what motivates them to do better.

Thanks for your advice [emoji16][emoji16]

 

[daydreams01]

Congratulations Jamie on your salon, wishing you all the best!
If your good at sales yourself, I think don’t rush into any immediate pressure on them to improve, maybe set a date for a months time for a meeting to discuss general issues since the takeover and in the meantime just lead by example. They will see how good you are doing at retailing and it will probably rub off on them and they will start to do it too.
Then in your meeting you can maybe talk about the commission structure on sales and how easy it could be for them to add extra cash into their wages or their thoughts on introducing a monthly reward scheme with prizes or whatever works for you but not just retail, have other categories too like prebooking or upselling a particular treatment.
Maybe your software can print off weekly or monthly reports you can display in the staff room.
Give them a chance to shine and impress you before making them feel like they aren’t doing it right to start with as they might be feeling nervous about the changes too.

 

[jamiereid92]

Congratulations Jamie on your salon, wishing you all the best!
If your good at sales yourself, I think don’t rush into any immediate pressure on them to improve, maybe set a date for a months time for a meeting to discuss general issues since the takeover and in the meantime just lead by example. They will see how good you are doing at retailing and it will probably rub off on them and they will start to do it too.
Then in your meeting you can maybe talk about the commission structure on sales and how easy it could be for them to add extra cash into their wages or their thoughts on introducing a monthly reward scheme with prizes or whatever works for you but not just retail, have other categories too like prebooking or upselling a particular treatment.
Maybe your software can print off weekly or monthly reports you can display in the staff room.
Give them a chance to shine and impress you before making them feel like they aren’t doing it right to start with as they might be feeling nervous about the changes too.

Thanks daydreams I'm definitely going to wait a while, and like you said lead by example and then wait for the month. Thank you, i just want to get in there and start working now!

 

[daydreams01]

I’m just approaching my 5 year anniversary, it’s hard work but I have loved building up a business from scratch, it’s very rewarding and the 6 day weeks take their toll but it’s worth all the hard work. Even when I’m not working I’m on forums like this looking for advice etc, it’s very hard to switch off at times!

 

[vintagelover91]

In the salon I used to work in, the manager had this issue too - living in one of the poorest towns in cornwall, not many people wanted to bump up their already pricey salon bill!
However, we did a lot of training with our rep, did little things like passing the products to the client instead of popping them on the trolley, putting a couple in a basket by the sink in the loo, and having a “weekly favourite”
On social media - this got clients interested.

Also she did this fab thing where we had a jar full of little folded up bits of paper - every product you sold, you got to get out a bit of paper. Some were and extra half hour on lunch or to leave a little early, some were a gift like a product to take home, a coffee or a free lunch, and some were dares or forfeits! We put them on our salon social media to get the clients involved and it was fun and team building and made everyone think about selling a little bit more, as well as getting a great rapport with everyone!

 

[jamiereid92]

In the salon I used to work in, the manager had this issue too - living in one of the poorest towns in cornwall, not many people wanted to bump up their already pricey salon bill!
However, we did a lot of training with our rep, did little things like passing the products to the client instead of popping them on the trolley, putting a couple in a basket by the sink in the loo, and having a “weekly favourite”
On social media - this got clients interested.

Also she did this fab thing where we had a jar full of little folded up bits of paper - every product you sold, you got to get out a bit of paper. Some were and extra half hour on lunch or to leave a little early, some were a gift like a product to take home, a coffee or a free lunch, and some were dares or forfeits! We put them on our salon social media to get the clients involved and it was fun and team building and made everyone think about selling a little bit more, as well as getting a great rapport with everyone!

Fantastic ideas! Thank You