As you know, the way to get around New York City is to take a taxi. It made me think about the life of taxi drivers. They leave their home each morning, not knowing where they are going to go, who they will meet, or where they will end up. It’s okay when you’re a taxi driver, but unfortunately, many people in the spa and medi spa industry also leave their home each day unsure of where they will end up. This is because they are lacking structure, planning strategies and so on. Leaders know exactly where they are going, and where they will end up every day! So, my question to you is, are you operating under the taxi driver model, or are you a leader?
1. Spa/Medi Spa Structure
The first thing you need to realize is that you simply can’t do everything by yourself. You need help! At the very least, you will need help from a manager, supervisor or team leader, and a well-defined organizational structure. You must have a growth plan that outlines your team’s efforts. As a leader, it’s essential to commit to business education. Invest the time and money into someone who will help you grow your business! If you don’t have structure, create some, and share it with your team.
Once you have identified your spa management person or team, they will be able to help you train, coach, manage, plan, organize, grow your spa business and more! But only if you set them up for success! You need to train them before they can start training others.
2. Department Manuals
Some spa leaders work too hard trying to reinvent the wheel, instead of documenting what works and keeping a manual to train and retrain their team with. It’s similar to acting; you’re being handed a script for a role. If you want to be the play, you have to learn the role. If you don’t learn the script, they will find someone else. But here’s the thing: when they hire a different actor, they don’t change the script. The only thing that changes is the actor. It’s unfortunate, but in many spas, I see people changing their scripts. This is a big mistake! It’s time for you to create your scripts. You need a department manual so your play is a success!
3. Team Performance Standards
While in NY at the spa show, I was speaking with a husband and wife team who own a very nice spa in New Hampshire. I had met them last year and they bought several of the Success Library CDs. They implemented many strategies and are doing very well! Although, Jim was telling me how he is unsatisfied with one of his receptionists. She is great at guest service, but can’t sell anything.
So I asked him, does she have goals? He said, “Yes!” Is she getting a bonus for selling over and above her hourly rate? He said, “Yes!” Are there consequences for not reaching goals? He said, “NO!”
So there you go…You must have team performance standards and consequences to what happens if they don’t reach performance expectations. Let’s go back to our actor example:
If the actor is lousy and can’t memorize his/her lines, how long do you think he/she will remain on the show? You can’t afford to keep anyone who is not meeting performance expectations, as they are costing you business! Every team member in every department must have performance standards and understand the consequences for poor performance.
InSPAration Management offers many BizTools to help you set your team up for success! All you have to do is visit the new www.InSPArationManagement.com and tap into a Membership Program!
How do you plan on setting up your spa team for success? Leave a comment below!