Salon Coaching - Part One

​Developing a Coaching Plan:
When you are in the development phase of your Business, there are so many things that come into play. Recruiting, Hiring, Mentoring and Coaching, these should all be part of your Business Plan.
In this post, we will be focusing on your plan to “Coach” your Team Members.
Definition of “Coach” noun, Instructor, Trainer, Manager, Teacher, Tutor, Guru.
Business Dictionary Definition: Extending traditional training methods to include focus on (1) an individual’s needs and accomplishments, (2) close observation and (3) impartial and non-judgmental feedback on performance.
Let’s start with the Definition of “Coach”. It will be you job as the Business Owner to take on this responsibility as the leader of your vision. You will be responsible for creating a cohesive plan to take your team members through. Having a set plan in place will let your team know you are serious about their growth as a service provider in your Salon/Spa.
Under the dictionary version of the definition of “Coach”, Instructor comes first.
Instructor or Trainer can manifest in many ways:
You may have team members who are not as skilled as more seasoned team members. This would be where the Instructor part of your Coaching plan will come in to play. What skills does this team member need to develop to get to the next level? What ideas have you developed to walk these team members through to bring them along?
Developing a clear action plan for your team members gives them a sense of direction, a clear foundation to build from, and guidelines and goals that need to be met in order to take them to the next level in their skills and personal development.
As an Instructor/Trainer, you can shape your team to provide the service levels that your Brand will be known for. You will be working closely with your team in a one on one or a group setting. You may have team members at varying levels of skill.
Implement a strategy for each skill level. You do not want a more seasoned member to have to repeat skills they have already mastered. This is not productive for them and can create boredom.
In many Salons/Spa’s you will have several different levels of education and skill sets. As an Instructor/Trainer you will need to evaluate your team’s development on an individual basis. Some will learn and develop more quickly than others.
 This is where we as leaders need to take a step back and value all of our team. Constructive advice, not criticism is the best here. You can gently lead an underperformer with encouragement and compassion. 
My own “Coaching Plan” includes a few of the following:
Evaluate the Team Member at the basic skill level. If they are solid but rusty, that would require a week or so of Shadowing. My team member would sit near me and observe my service from consultation to completion. I explain what steps I am taking, why I am taking these steps and what the desired result should be. I always reserve a bit of time for questions.
I will ask the team member to perform several tasks related to the service to see if they “got it”. If they are struggling I know where to focus more attention.
I have found that getting that first step in any service down, is key in managing your team member and client’s expectations.
In my plan, we spend quite a bit of time on the Consultation. This is where many client and team members can get in the weeds.  An incomplete or no consultation can wreak havoc. Your team member needs to know what questions to ask apart from the intake or release form. There are many other factors that can complicate a service that we may not be aware of if we don’t ask questions.
 
I am going to skip to the dictionary definition of “Guru”. I know this may seem odd here, but we as seasoned professionals will refer to ourselves as Lash “Gurus”.
By definition a “Guru” is a leader in a particular field.
 If this is how you define yourself, then make sure your own skills are worthy of others aspiring to get to your level of expertise. A” Guru” is someone who has mastered their skill and has received recognition from their peers. They have studied hard, practiced hard and are well known in their field of expertise.
After you have gained this title, it will require that you set up skill markers for each member to meet before they receive a merit increase or additional responsibilities. From the newest and least experienced to the most skilled, you need a plan for their and your business development.
There are many Development Plans available for Salon/Spa owners to choose from. Many Vendors have Coaching Plans available to utilize with your team. Some are offered complimentary and others can be pricey. I would recommend that you personally go through one of these plans. You need to experience what your team will be going through.
This plan will touch on how to develop technical skills, personal development, confidence building, overcoming objections, how to turn a no into a yes, perfecting your consultation, upselling and rebooking your clients, meeting and surpassing sales goals and last but not least, how to raise your prices without freaking out!
Just remember in the end, your team member will have the mindset of “WIIFM”.
What’s in it for me?
If you can show them how following your “Coaching Plan” will benefit them financially, personally and mentally, you have succeeded. Your plan is working.
Your team will see in a clear-cut form the definitive steps they need to take to complete each phase of your “Coaching Plan”. As they move through the steps, they will receive better skills, more confidence and lastly more compensation.
I know we all love what we do, but at the end of the day, we want to be compensated for our hard work. Your team will receive monetary compensation and recognition, you as the leader will receive the same in the form of a great business reputation, and increase in clients and a solid reputation in your community.
Coaching Part 1
 
Developing a Coaching Plan:
When you are in the development phase of your Business, there are so many things that come into play. Recruiting, Hiring, Mentoring and Coaching, these should all be part of your Business Plan.
In this post, we will be focusing on your plan to “Coach” your Team Members.
Definition of “Coach” noun, Instructor, Trainer, Manager, Teacher, Tutor, Guru.
Business Dictionary Definition: Extending traditional training methods to include focus on (1) an individual’s needs and accomplishments, (2) close observation and (3) impartial and non-judgmental feedback on performance.
Let’s start with the Definition of “Coach”. It will be you job as the Business Owner to take on this responsibility as the leader of your vision. You will be responsible for creating a cohesive plan to take your team members through. Having a set plan in place will let your team know you are serious about their growth as a service provider in your Salon/Spa.
Under the dictionary version of the definition of “Coach”, Instructor comes first.
Instructor or Trainer can manifest in many ways:
You may have team members who are not as skilled as more seasoned team members. This would be where the Instructor part of your Coaching plan will come in to play. What skills does this team member need to develop to get to the next level? What ideas have you developed to walk these team members through to bring them along?
Developing a clear action plan for your team members gives them a sense of direction, a clear foundation to build from, and guidelines and goals that need to be met in order to take them to the next level in their skills and personal development.
As an Instructor/Trainer, you can shape your team to provide the service levels that your Brand will be known for. You will be working closely with your team in a one on one or a group setting. You may have team members at varying levels of skill.
Implement a strategy for each skill level. You do not want a more seasoned member to have to repeat skills they have already mastered. This is not productive for them and can create boredom.
In many Salons/Spa’s you will have several different levels of education and skill sets. As an Instructor/Trainer you will need to evaluate your team’s development on an individual basis. Some will learn and develop more quickly than others.
 This is where we as leaders need to take a step back and value all of our team. Constructive advice, not criticism is the best here. You can gently lead an underperformer with encouragement and compassion. 
My own “Coaching Plan” includes a few of the following:
Evaluate the Team Member at the basic skill level. If they are solid but rusty, that would require a week or so of Shadowing. My team member would sit near me and observe my service from consultation to completion. I explain what steps I am taking, why I am taking these steps and what the desired result should be. I always reserve a bit of time for questions.
I will ask the team member to perform several tasks related to the service to see if they “got it”. If they are struggling I know where to focus more attention.
I have found that getting that first step in any service down, is key in managing your team member and client’s expectations.
In my plan, we spend quite a bit of time on the Consultation. This is where many client and team members can get in the weeds.  An incomplete or no consultation can wreak havoc. Your team member needs to know what questions to ask apart from the intake or release form. There are many other factors that can complicate a service that we may not be aware of if we don’t ask questions.
 
I am going to skip to the dictionary definition of “Guru”. I know this may seem odd here, but we as seasoned professionals will refer to ourselves as Lash “Gurus”.
By definition a “Guru” is a leader in a particular field.
 If this is how you define yourself, then make sure your own skills are worthy of others aspiring to get to your level of expertise. A” Guru” is someone who has mastered their skill and has received recognition from their peers. They have studied hard, practiced hard and are well known in their field of expertise.
After you have gained this title, it will require that you set up skill markers for each member to meet before they receive a merit increase or additional responsibilities. From the newest and least experienced to the most skilled, you need a plan for their and your business development.
There are many Development Plans available for Salon/Spa owners to choose from. Many Vendors have Coaching Plans available to utilize with your team. Some are offered complimentary and others can be pricey. I would recommend that you personally go through one of these plans. You need to experience what your team will be going through.
This plan will touch on how to develop technical skills, personal development, confidence building, overcoming objections, how to turn a no into a yes, perfecting your consultation, upselling and rebooking your clients, meeting and surpassing sales goals and last but not least, how to raise your prices without freaking out!
Just remember in the end, your team member will have the mindset of “WIIFM”.
What’s in it for me?
If you can show them how following your “Coaching Plan” will benefit them financially, personally and mentally, you have succeeded. Your plan is working.
Your team will see in a clear-cut form the definitive steps they need to take to complete each phase of your “Coaching Plan”. As they move through the steps, they will receive better skills, more confidence and lastly more compensation.
I know we all love what we do, but at the end of the day, we want to be compensated for our hard work. Your team will receive monetary compensation and recognition, you as the leader will receive the same in the form of a great business reputation, and increase in clients and a solid reputation in your community.