Ask any salon owner what the secret is behind a thriving salon, and you’ll no doubt get the same response every time. Is it your marketing or social media? Your amazing range of products on offer, or is it that you offer only the best freshly ground coffee?
No – it’s your people. They are what creates the ‘experience’ your clients receive – they are the difference between your clients getting something they love, or just getting something ‘they asked for’. They are the friendly ears that your clients didn’t even realise they needed on a bad day whilst having their hair done. They are what keeps your salon running when you’re not looking.
So it goes without saying that you’ll want to create a team which is built upon the ethos you have created. Here are five pointers to bear in mind when you’re trying to attract your own dream team…
Ignore the competition
This may seem a trivial point, but you’re never going to be the only salon in town looking for great staff. You can either try to keep it hush-hush – not wanting to give anything away to competitors – or you can go all out proud that you’re expanding your team. Own it baby! Look at how you can use your recruitment drive to create positive publicity for the salon too, really singing your own praises. Your salon will have qualities which are unique to it –actively promote them so that any prospects with a similar mind-set will notice you and want to be a part of it too.
Don’t focus on salary
Unless your salaries are far superior to your competitors or industry standards, the wages are rarely the carrot which attracts great people. Focussing on salary attracts people who simply need money – that’s unlikely to be what you’re looking for.
What you’re looking for are assets to your team so they will want to feel like an asset.
They’ll want to know what your overall package is that will make them feel valued and part of your longer term plans. If your staff know your overall strategy and what you’re all doing as a team, it encourages loyalty and longevity. If your prospects know that besides their salary they are getting a training programme, a mentor, that they’ll be a valued part of a team and there are prospects for their future – you’ll get so much more from them too and it will attract those who want more than just a day job.
Be VERY visible
This runs far deeper than your recruitment drive. Using your social media channels is crucial. If you are a clear brand, you’ll know what you stand for, how you like to do things, what you’re all aiming for. These are all values which you’ll want your team to be aligned with and they are – quite handily – your qualifying characteristics.
As part of a normal recruitment process, you’ll have criteria which you’ll want your recruits to meet. But it’s not just about you – you can’t call the shots any more as the talent pools are much smaller than they used to be. You need to appeal to THEM and represent something your best staff would be proud to be part of. If you have a clear brand identity, when you’re recruiting it should only need a few minutes on your social media for your potential prospects to get a great idea of what they’ll be part of.
They will be able to qualify you as a match for their criteria and if you’ve been showing up online, your visibility will help them decide if they’d like you almost immediately.
Build a network of brand ambassadors
Adding to the visibility point, one of the key pieces in how your business operates as a whole is your brand identity. This will either attract or repel your team. The very things which fire you up could send another person running for the hills. Having a team who loves exposure for instance where you enter competitions and have ‘statement’ stylists who turn heads in town with their own distinctive style, is the last place your shy but warm-hearted ‘girl next door’ would want to work.
Conversely, putting a super creative and award winning stylist who favours hot pink hair and tattoos into a conservative salon is going to be a faux pas of epic proportions. Your brand will do all of the groundwork for you and if done well, will make your recruitment needs much easier.
A bird in the hand…
This may not seem obvious given that we’re discussing how to attract your new prospects BUT the best way to attract new people is to already be a fantastic employer. Investing in the staff you already have right now, will always be better than having to keep looking for new blood so to speak. Loyalty and longevity are two-way – if you have an expectation of providing a safe place to work with great prospects and awesome education, your staff really won’t want to leave.
If you have a high turnover of staff – I say this with love – but what is missing from your offering? Making sure your staff feel valued and included will be a great advert for your salon. When you’re recruiting, your prospects will want to ask your current team what it’s like to work for you – if you’ve been doing your own job properly you shouldn’t have anything to worry about 😉
Hopefully these pointers have given you a few things to think about, with the main one being that you’re not only attracting when you’re recruiting. You’re always attracting – whether it’s staff or clients.
