How busy should a stylist be after 1 year?

[redlottie13]

I have a level 3 apprentice and she's fab, I'm happy with her work. Albeit very slow......sometimes this causes issues but I'm aware it's a experience thing.

But she's not being dinamic in getting clients in....... What is expected realistically?

She 'forgets' to rebook and 'forgets' to take pictures as she always runs over...then this makes her flap.
I( always think these things are big in retaining clients and showing off your work is crucial.)

How do you guys get your staff busier ?

She doesn't have many friends really but has bought some school mum's with her.

I haven't set targets yet as she's not covering her wage at all, so what could be her incentive ....a Xmas bonus?

Thankyou x

 

[charlottehair]

She should work on commission until she picks up, and then once she receives her basic, she will then have her own intuition to want to earn more and get more clients. In my salon stylists are pushed to sell retail too. The individual stylist takings in our salon start from 2500-5000 per stylist. Maybe its the area that brings clients in..

 

[EssexFreelance]

Do you track her re books and returning clients? That’s probably what I would target her on first then if she gets down time get her to give you a marketing idea

 

[redlottie13]

She should work on commission until she picks up, and then once she receives her basic, she will then have her own intuition to want to earn more and get more clients. In my salon stylists are pushed to sell retail too. The individual stylist takings in our salon start from 2500-5000 per stylist. Maybe its the area that brings clients in..

See the clients are there, I've been open 18 months and I'm fully booked most days.

How would I work commission only? Xx

 

[RED STAR]

I have a level 3 apprentice and she's fab, I'm happy with her work. Albeit very slow......sometimes this causes issues but I'm aware it's a experience thing.

But she's not being dinamic in getting clients in....... What is expected realistically?

She 'forgets' to rebook and 'forgets' to take pictures as she always runs over...then this makes her flap.
I( always think these things are big in retaining clients and showing off your work is crucial.)

How do you guys get your staff busier ?

She doesn't have many friends really but has bought some school mum's with her.

I haven't set targets yet as she's not covering her wage at all, so what could be her incentive ....a Xmas bonus?

Thankyou x

I have the same issue as you.....
Mine is a late starter stylist not covering their wage...after 3 YEARS!!
I've tried EVERYTHING!

Sometimes I guess we have to except there are those who can - and those who can't!

I've made all kinds of 'reasons' to myself as to why this stylist isn't growing.
My previous salon had limited footfall, so I blammed myself for that..... but we have now moved, and have great passing trade, but still the 'passion' just doesn't seem to be there.
No matter how many times I try to drive home the importance of before/after photo's, rebooking etc., it just isn't happening!

My stylist started as a level 3 hairdresser - you would not believe how much time (and money), has gone into 'retraining' - there were sooo many gaps in her knowledge, and zero confidence!

I thought I could help with that, I'm a big believer in praise.
Unfortunately, I think my softly softly approach, has created another set of problems for me,....there is no urgency - no demand, and that has made my stylist 'less bothered'

 

[redlottie13]

I have the same issue as you.....
Mine is a late starter stylist not covering their wage...after 3 YEARS!!
I've tried EVERYTHING!

Sometimes I guess we have to except there are those who can - and those who can't!

I've made all kinds of 'reasons' to myself as to why this stylist isn't growing.
My previous salon had limited footfall, so I blammed myself for that..... but we have now moved, and have great passing trade, but still the 'passion' just doesn't seem to be there.
No matter how many times I try to drive home the importance of before/after photo's, rebooking etc., it just isn't happening!

My stylist started as a level 3 hairdresser - you would not believe how much time (and money), has gone into 'retraining' - there were sooo many gaps in her knowledge, and zero confidence!

I thought I could help with that, I'm a big believer in praise.
Unfortunately, I think my softly softly approach, has created another set of problems for me,....there is no urgency - no demand, and that has made my stylist 'less bothered'

I'm totally with you, my stylist is exactly the same. Late starter and I've retrained her to a higher standard. What about targets?

 

[redlottie13]

Do you track her re books and returning clients? That’s probably what I would target her on first then if she gets down time get her to give you a marketing idea

Yeah I've been tracking her every week and when I ask why it's below 80% (I would prefer 95%) she will just say ah I don't know /sorry I forgot to reply book a few this week.

Maybe I need to bring in harsher targets.....what can I make the repocusions for not hitting? X

 

[AcidPerm]

Are you unintentionally being too vague? You still need to demonstrate clear expectations and the consequences for not meeting them.

‘It would be great if you could take some photos’ compared to ‘I need you to take a before and after photo for every client you service today’

Hold an appraisal meeting, giving them a chance to say how they think they’re doing, review your discussion and then at the end explain that you can’t afford to carry them much longer and unless things improve, you will have to consider letting them go. Explain that you believe they can succeed but that they need to focus their efforts a bit more.

Start by setting small daily goals they must achieve that you can tick off in a diary or book to measure their progress. (If there are other staff members, you need to be discreet so no star charts in the staff room.)

Start with a before & after pic for 1 client per day. After a few days, increase it to 3 pics etc. Gradually add in whatever else you need them to be doing. Build them slowly and praise them each day that they’ve achieved the target. Ask what went wrong when they fail to achieve. Consider a bonus half day off or bonus cash payment after say a month if they’ve demonstrated positive commitment and a considerable improvement.

With new staff, you need to be very proactive in managing them until they hit a good routine. Hopefully, they will get to a point when you can back off and just do periodic review meetings rather than daily reviews.

 

[RED STAR]

I set targets when I opened the new shop....LOL....they have NEVER been reached.

When I bought the salon, it took 5 months before we could open as it needed gutting and a complete refit
I had employed her in my previous salon for 1 day a week, so effectively, she was put on 'garden leave' for this time, being paid, and attending courses in readiness for the re-launch.

As I anticipated much higher footfall, I had offered to increase her days to 3, with the potential to add even more.
We opened mid December....with great anticipation and excitement.......

I'm STILL the one fully booked, and my stylist sits and watches me!

If I'm to be honest, I don't believe I can ever change my stylists mind set....she just doesn't get it!

That EXTRA something you HAVE to bring to the table.
ANYONE can 'trim' hair....
I expect more.....and so does the customer.

 

[redlottie13]

Are you unintentionally being too vague? You still need to demonstrate clear expectations and the consequences for not meeting them.

‘It would be great if you could take some photos’ compared to ‘I need you to take a before and after photo for every client you service today’

Hold an appraisal meeting, giving them a chance to say how they think they’re doing, review your discussion and then at the end explain that you can’t afford to carry them much longer and unless things improve, you will have to consider letting them go. Explain that you believe they can succeed but that they need to focus their efforts a bit more.

Start by setting small daily goals they must achieve that you can tick off in a diary or book to measure their progress. (If there are other staff members, you need to be discreet so no star charts in the staff room.)

Start with a before & after pic for 1 client per day. After a few days, increase it to 3 pics etc. Gradually add in whatever else you need them to be doing. Build them slowly and praise them each day that they’ve achieved the target. Ask what went wrong when they fail to achieve. Consider a bonus half day off or bonus cash payment after say a month if they’ve demonstrated positive commitment and a considerable improvement.

With new staff, you need to be very proactive in managing them until they hit a good routine. Hopefully, they will get to a point when you can back off and just do periodic review meetings rather than daily reviews.

Great comments, ill deffo implement this. ....I'm rushed off my feet and she watches me!
And how long after having these warnings is it time to say goodbye?
..and yes, I'm deffo being too vague [emoji29]

 

[AcidPerm]

If I'm to be honest, I don't believe I can ever change my stylists mind set....she just doesn't get it!

You might well be right.
When I used to recruit new staff, I valued their personality type over their ability as you can always give someone extra training but if they don’t have a natural drive, you’re flogging a dead horse. That’s why it’s incredibly important to do trade tests and carefully watch how they interact with staff and clients. You do have to be careful not to appoint staff with big egos too. They can be equally annoying.

The downside for me was that I would train them up so that they were perfect only for them to get poached.

 

[Piercednige]

I set targets when I opened the new shop....LOL....they have NEVER been reached.

When I bought the salon, it took 5 months before we could open as it needed gutting and a complete refit
I had employed her in my previous salon for 1 day a week, so effectively, she was put on 'garden leave' for this time, being paid, and attending courses in readiness for the re-launch.

As I anticipated much higher footfall, I had offered to increase her days to 3, with the potential to add even more.
We opened mid December....with great anticipation and excitement.......

I'm STILL the one fully booked, and my stylist sits and watches me!

If I'm to be honest, I don't believe I can ever change my stylists mind set....she just doesn't get it!

That EXTRA something you HAVE to bring to the table.
ANYONE can 'trim' hair....
I expect more.....and so does the customer.

when you say they have never been reached how high were the targets set? Were they realistic to achieve for the stylist?

I think you need to look at everything and re-evaluate your targets and goals. set an incentive to motivate them to increase their turn over..

I opened my salon 18 months ago and it's coming up to 1 year since I took on my first stylist and she is booked up pretty solid most of the time. This is a mixture of training and clear and concise targets.

Have you tried giving clients a courtesy call to find out how their experience in the salon was with the particular stylist? you might notice a trend with what they say and then you can hit the nail on the head if it's the same comment each time.

Sometimes it's not always because of the specific stylist they don't return, atmosphere of the salon cleanliness, being on time for their appointment and how the checkout process is handled can all be contributing factors for people's decisions to return.

Team aren't always going to do what you want them to do because it's not their business. it's about keeping them focused so daily breakfast meetings to give them focus each morning and feedback at the end of the day. a pat on the Back for hitting a daily target or a quick review to see how they have progressed that day before they go home can really help grow the business.

I think what your stylist should focus on as a priority is rebooking. if you use a paper booking system still, get the whole team to highlight their clients who re-book every time one of them does. this will I really show up who needs to improve. If you use a computer get a simple table going and record rebooks with a tally chart.

once the rebooking has improved that's when they can focus on increasing average spend for each client, look at what the next priority you would like whether it be colouring, treatments, home care or even the picture taking. But the key is consistency from the top and it will trickle down to everyone.

Also if she runs over alot it might be worth either giving her slightly longer appointment times until this improves or call clients ahead of time to pre warn them so they don't turn up and wait. are they also realistic with telling the client how long they are going to be until they are ready for their appointment?

hope I haven't rambled too much sorry

 

[RED STAR]

Thank you for your comment's.
The targets I set for our new location were easily achievable - £160 a day.
That's just 4 CBD's a day.

Feed back in general has been - "Nice, friendly stylist - OK hair cut!"

I took this stylist on straight from her training.....so accepted it would take time to build confidence, and gain experience, but there comes a time when enough is enough.......

Just this week, I was able to cut the hair of a client who had previously been tended to by my stylist.
To be honest, I was very disappointed with the haircut she had been given.
The client was very sweet about her - she is very friendly and kind, but she did say she had asked for a new look, something different, and had just ended up having a trim!

The cut was a basic layered haircut....., if a little disproportionate!

I have even tried to expand her knowledge in other areas of the industry, make-up, 'up do's, brow treatment's....just to see if we can find something else that might be 'her thing', but to no avail....

In a different salon, with a lower price point, I think she would probably do well.
But my aim for the salon is to produce and deliver the WOW factor.....a GREAT experience, a fab haircut....a gorgeous colour......not just an O.K hair 'do'.!

 

[Piercednige]

Thank you for your comment's.
The targets I set for our new location were easily achievable - £160 a day.
That's just 4 CBD's a day.

Feed back in general has been - "Nice, friendly stylist - OK hair cut!"

I took this stylist on straight from her training.....so accepted it would take time to build confidence, and gain experience, but there comes a time when enough is enough.......

Just this week, I was able to cut the hair of a client who had previously been tended to by my stylist.
To be honest, I was very disappointed with the haircut she had been given.
The client was very sweet about her - she is very friendly and kind, but she did say she had asked for a new look, something different, and had just ended up having a trim!

The cut was a basic layered haircut....., if a little disproportionate!

I have even tried to expand her knowledge in other areas of the industry, make-up, 'up do's, brow treatment's....just to see if we can find something else that might be 'her thing', but to no avail....

In a different salon, with a lower price point, I think she would probably do well.
But my aim for the salon is to produce and deliver the WOW factor.....a GREAT experience, a fab haircut....a gorgeous colour......not just an O.K hair 'do'.!

I completely understand where you're coming from.

Targets are spot on if a little generous if I'm honest with you. With my stylist I set it at £200 per day to begin with.

"nice" is good feedback but not in the industry these days it always needs to be better than nice like you say.

I suppose it she is new to the industry her confidence won't be there yet in terms of competence etc.

how is she with her colouring? is that a better standard?

do you have different price bands based on experience etc? or do you have one flat rate for everyone? it might be clients expectations are so high because of the salon experience etc and if they have had you before or one of your clients had recommended a friend and got her, they leave slightly under whelmed once they have had her?

or do you honestly think time is up for her and you want to manage her out of the business?

Based on her training and experience already could you compare what your standard was at the same point in your career compared to her and see much difference?? I'm only saying this just so it's 100% the right decision for you as sometimes we forget about how we were with the same experience and stage in our career.

BUT it's your salon and you know what is right for it. I make decisions easier now it's my business rather than when I was a manager for my old company...

when I was training my trainer said to me and it's always stuck "just because you're qualified, it doesn't mean you're good".

How many technical training courses have you sent her on externally?

 

[RED STAR]

Thank you for your input.

She came to me as a level 3 - advanced level, so I assumed she would be more advanced than a level 2 .
Not the case.
After a short while, I realised we were nowhere near what I would expect from a level 3, so allowed her extra time, and gave her one-to-one training.
Her colouring was shocking, so that is where I have directed most of the training.

As to where I was at the same time in my career - it was many moons ago LOL, old school - 3 year apprenticeship in a very busy London salon, then 2 more years as an 'improver'....
I then went full time college to gain my City & Guilds, as back in the day, although certification was not the requirement it is now, it was important to me to have it!
I was young and excited by the industry.
That, IMO is the major difference.
A 'late starter' might look at this industry as a job.....not a life long career......
It probably took me a good few years to hone my skills.....but I had the time & passion to dedicate on practice practice practice......

 

[Piercednige]

Thank you for your input.

She came to me as a level 3 - advanced level, so I assumed she would be more advanced than a level 2 .
Not the case.
After a short while, I realised we were nowhere near what I would expect from a level 3, so allowed her extra time, and gave her one-to-one training.
Her colouring was shocking, so that is where I have directed most of the training.

As to where I was at the same time in my career - it was many moons ago LOL, old school - 3 year apprenticeship in a very busy London salon, then 2 more years as an 'improver'....
I then went full time college to gain my City & Guilds, as back in the day, although certification was not the requirement it is now, it was important to me to have it!
I was young and excited by the industry.
That, IMO is the major difference.
A 'late starter' might look at this industry as a job.....not a life long career......
It probably took me a good few years to hone my skills.....but I had the time & passion to dedicate on practice practice practice......

you have given her a chance and you can be proud of that.

you would expect them to be more advanced after level 3 but unfortunately it's not the case all the time.

some can have maxing foundation skills more so in cutting than colouring as they train the very basic in colour. it's a shame you can't get her on some foundation training courses externally. does your colour house provide you with a training budget for you to send team in courses or will they provide some free in salon training one to one with here to take the pressure off you?

 

[RED STAR]

Sounds ideal ....of course that's an option, except I don't think the only problem is lack of knowledge - not after all the extra work /training that's been given.
I believe it's a lack of drive, enthusiasm ....a natural flair and artistry...these things cannot be taught.

 

[Piercednige]

Sounds ideal ....of course that's an option, except I don't think the only problem is lack of knowledge - not after all the extra work /training that's been given.
I believe it's a lack of drive, enthusiasm ....a natural flair and artistry...these things cannot be taught.

you're right, they can't

axe them and get someone else more suitable. good luck!!

 

[RED STAR]

you're right, they can't

axe them and get someone else more suitable. good luck!!

 

[redlottie13]

Hi all, legally can we just axe?