Salon Management

The most common way to find employees is to place a newspaper advertisement. However, in order to attract the type of people you want to hire, you must stipulate your high standards in the ad. Mention that you are seeking an inside sales person with flexible hours in a pleasant, business atmosphere. Mentioning the word "business" right off the bat indicates to a potential applicant that he or she will need a professional attitude in order to land this job.

It is also good to indicate that good phone skills are needed, as well as having excellent rapport with clients. Mention the importance of appearance as well. Being in the beauty/health field, it is important to have attractive, neat, fit employees. This alone can create a salon image.

Keep your eyes open for potential employees. Health clubs and beauty salons are good places to find people who can convey the image you desire. Employees have been known to quit without warning, so when you come across someone you like and they express an interest in working for you, take their name and number and begin a file. Then it will be easier to find the right person without going to the trouble of advertising when you need to.

Waitresses also are good candidates for potential employees. If they work in a restaurant that’s only open for dinner, there’s a chance they might need a daytime job. So if you’re out eating and encounter a waitress who’s attractive, neat, attentive, personable and provides good service, ask her if she’d be interested in discussing employment with you.

If you come across an exceptional employee while shopping your competitors, make an offer, but keep in mind that there may be some drawbacks. If your operating style is drastically different from that of your competitor, you may encounter unexpected difficulties. The employee may have been trained to work a certain way, and old habits are sometimes hard to break. The employee also may have been trained to operate and explain different equipment.

Always conduct interviews in your salon and allow the potential employee to take a session as part of the interview. Even if you don’t hire the person, you may gain a customer. By doing this, you also may see how they react to the equipment and how well they understand its function.

Make sure you go over your requirements and expectations; they must be perfectly clear from the beginning. A lack of communication is the most common source of problems in an employee-employer relationship. Prepare a written job description and emphasize selling retail items, as well as tanning and/or add-on services as a primary responsibility.

Allow potential employees to do some of the talking because this is one of the best ways for you to get a feel for their personality and ideas. Do some role playing; pretend you are the customer and let them interact with you. Act as a customer coming out of an initial tanning session, and let them try to sell you a package or a product. This can give you an idea of how well they will function on the job. If they are excessively timid when role playing, it’s likely that they will act the same way when it comes to the real thing.