Salon Today - September 2008 - (Page 13)

[NO-COMPROMISE LEADERSHIP] Pruning the Salon Grapevine By Neil Ducoff It grows in every business. Owners fear it. Employees question when they will be the next victim. “It” is the company “grapevine.” The highly interactive environment of salons and day spas make them particularly susceptible to gossip and the telling of half-truths. But what happens when a client overhears that her colorist is “lazy” or “untalented,” or hears disparaging remarks about another client? What if she discovers similar comments are made about her in her absence? fee E LIZ up TA set VI . ur RE 08 yo 20 de co st, n 31 tio er en tob M e Oc e eiv ec for r be 9 D0 08 to s 2 0% off As a salon owner, the focus of your craft centers on bringing out the beauty, elegance and relaxation of your customers. With MINDBODY, our focus is bringing out the full potential of your business and helping you feel more relaxed about your business management system. TIME TO BRING OUT THE SHEARS The grapevine must be pruned before the business suffers serious ill effects. One unhappy client can cost a salon or day spa thousands of dollars in lost revenues—and there is no way to estimate the cost of a tarnished reputation. Nip it in the bud: Anyone new to the salon should learn immediately that gossip will not be tolerated. Create an open environment: The longer a perceived hurt or insult goes unaddressed, the more difﬁcult it is to resolve. Provide appropriate outlets: Huddle, huddle, huddle! Create a system for presenting issues and possibly resolving them. Institute a refuse-to-listen policy: Advise team members not to listen or respond to any “juicy morsels” that do not pertain to their own professional development—or ones that may be potentially detrimental to someone else’s. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE INTEGRATED WEB SCHEDULING TOTAL CLIENT MANAGEMENT ECOMMERCE SOLUTIONS STRATEGIC MARKETING PRODUCTIVITY REQUIRED HERE It is impossible to maintain productivity while participating in the spread of gossip. The negativity distracts technicians from their clients, increasing the probability of error. Beyond that, such behavior is simply rude. In most circumstances, it is far more productive to talk about oneself than about others. When done in moderation, the willingness to share information can be wonderfully effective for building client conﬁdence and trust. Communication is a tool. Used wisely, it can be a business’ greatest customer-service ally. Left unchecked, the tendrils of the grapevine can choke your salon. Neil Ducoff is the founder and CEO of Strategies, a business training and coaching company specializing in the salon and spa industry. During his 38 years as a business trainer, coach, keynote speaker and author, Neil has gained respect as the guru of team-based compensation. Neil is the author of Fast Forward, the deﬁnitive business resource book for salons and spas. Neil’s new book, No-Compromise Leadership, will be published by DC Press and available at bookstores on October 1, 2008. For more information, go to www.strategies.com. You can email Neil at neil@strategies.com. © www.salontoday.com September 2008 | 13 877.755.4279 www.mindbodyonline.com http://www.mindbodyonline.com http://www.strategies.com http://www.salontoday.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Salon Today - September 2008

Salon Today - September 2008 Contents Editor's Note Reception Fashion Sense Spa Menu Roundtable Decor Medusa Salon Camera Ready Maximum Exposure Hollywood Connection Products Owner to Owner

Salon Today - September 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.