Re: nailsplash news -- Nailsplash.Com Education For Professional Nail Techs

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Date Posted: 10:13:07 10/05/99 Tue
Author: TRACI
Author Host/IP: spider-wn023.proxy.aol.com / 205.188.197.158
Subject: Re: nailsplash news
In reply to: www.nailsplash.com 's message, "nailsplash news" on 16:44:11 09/20/99 Mon

> barb i did receive this news letter "employees" but havent received one since do you send them out every week or once a month? maybe it got lost in the mail(ha ha) thanks traci

The latest edition of the Nailsplash News just went
> out.... If you had previously subscribed but "forgot"
> to resubscribe or if you would like to start a new
> subscription (FREE of course) just send a blank email
> to nailsplashnews-subscribe@listbot.com or visit my
> sign-up page at <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://nailsplashnews.listbot.com/">http://nailsplashnews.listbot.com/</a> .
> Don't forget to reply to the confirmation email that
> listbot will send to you to!
>
> If this newsletter (as copied below) did not show up
> in your email today, then you are not currently
> subscribed, and will need to do so by following the
> instructions outlined above.
>
> Enclosed here is the first sections of this weeks
> edition, when this message reaches it's "limit" the
> rest will drop off in cyberspace.... but you can
> access the rest of it through the archives of my
> newsletter once you are subscribed, or by visiting by
> "The Business Of Nails" page of my website at
> www.nailsplash.com or
> <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://people.delphi.com/nailsplash/">http://people.delphi.com/nailsplash/</a> where I will add
> this info within a few days or so as well.
>
> To ask your own question for me to answer, write
> nailsplashnews-que@listbot.com and then look for the
> anser in an upcoming edition!
>
> PS... did you know that Nailsplash was featured in
> last months Nails Magazine.... Sept, 1999, page 92...?
> Barb, the webmaster at Nailsplash was also quoted in 2
> articles in that edition as well! I hope you got to
> check it out. I'll scan it all in and post it too the
> site at some point in the future....
>
> Anyway, here's what will fit of this weeks edition of
> the Nailsplash News:
>
> Hi All,
>
> Here is the Sept 20, 1999 edition of the Nailsplash
> News.....
>
> I finally added the picture of my WTAC vent set-up
> installation click here to see it:
> <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://members.delphi.com/NAILSPLASH/wtacvent.jpg">http://members.delphi.com/NAILSPLASH/wtacvent.jpg</a> If
> that link doesn't work, you can also find it in my
> message bds at delphi @ :
> <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://forums.delphi.com/nailsplash/messages">http://forums.delphi.com/nailsplash/messages</a> ...to see
> it look for message #495.1 Tiltled: Air Vent Picture
> In the heading: Sanitation.
>
> This weeks question of the week is a tough one!
>
> A frustrated employer writes.....
>
> QUESTION: "My problem is with employees (BIG SURPRISE),
> specifically keeping them from wasting precious time.
> I require confirming appointments daily. Sometimes
> they do, many times not. We provide many avenues for
> them to market for new customers. This only happens
> when I stand on top of them.
>
> Now I am not talking about techs that are too booked
> to do these things, I'm talking about people who have
> on average 8 to 10 hrs a week of un-booked appointment
> time. Also I have the same problem with their assigned
> cleaning duties, and again they run hot and cold.
>
> Sounds like I'm venting a bit but, these are all adult
> people and I can't stand treating them like children.
> Hope you have some thoughts on this one."
>
> ANSWER: I wish I had the definitive answer to this
> one! Before I go into some of my strategies I've
> personally used in the past, lets start with some
> better sources of info on the subject:
>
> Professional Associations, like NCA are a great place
> to meet other salon owners and talk through common
> problems. Many times there are regularly scheduled
> salon owner round table discussions on exactly these
> same issues. Better yet is the Business section of NCA
> that deals specifically on the business end of owning
> a salon. They hold classes at least twice year at the
> national conventions (July and Jan), and many state
> and local affiliates run classes as well after
> national. Check out the NCA website for further info
> at --->
> www.nca-now.com .
>
> Teaching classes (as in classes for cosmetology
> teachers to get their teaching CEU's) are also great
> for teaching employee motivation techniques as well!
> Motivating students to learn and motivating workers to
> work are pretty similar apparently! Both require
> teamwork and enthusiasm, and teachers classes are
> great at teaching you (the teacher or employer) how to
> be a good motivator. Team bulding games, strategies
> and skills are taught for you to implement at your
> next staff meeting.
>
> There are many books and videos on the subject as well
> available through Milady, Salon Publications, NCA and
> Amazon.com. Check out their respective websites from
> my library link
> <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://people.delphi.com/nailsplash/books.html">http://people.delphi.com/nailsplash/books.html</a> or from
> my links and resources page at
> <a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://people.delphi.com/nailsplash/links.html">http://people.delphi.com/nailsplash/links.html</a> . When
> you find a book of interest from one supplier,
> comparison shop the price from some of the others
> online. When you find a really superb one, don't
> forget to let the rest of us know. I'll look through
> my library and see what I can find to recommend ASAP.
>
> With my employess, how I handled it.... the KEY is
> CONTROL*.... Make sure that they know that they are
> EMPLOYEES and not independent contractors! Make sure
> they know that you are the BOSS. Have employee manuals
> and contracts to help strengthen the point.
>
> In my salon: Each day the daily mandatory "chores"
> were posted according to a revolving schedule (such as
> bathrooms, washing towels, trash, vacuuming, sinks,
> beverage area, etc). BUT, the clincher was that ALL
> closing employees stayed together to close*. That
> motivated the techs to help each other out (with
> clients or chores) so that they could all get out the
> door together at the end of the night. Whether a teach
> had clients or not at the end of the night, they were
> REQUIRED to stay till closing time and untill
> everybody else was ready to go.
>
> So, basically, if their shift was 12 noon till 8 pm,
> it was assumed that they would not be leaving untill
> 8:30 pm, and sometimes not until 9 pm. Plus they got a
> 1 hr lunch... complainers were accomodated by having
> their hours "cut", and just moved to a 1:00 pm
> starting time to ensure they never worked more than 8
> hrs in a day.
>
> I also had some split shifts that I had some employees
> work, to ensure that they would only be around when
> the clients were, so abolishing those down hours of
> mid afternoon from their schedules... Example: sample
> schedule, such as 8 or 9 am till 12 or 1pm and then 3
> or 4 till closing.
>
> *I did this by keeping all employees on a guaranteed
> base salary vs./plus commission. All techs had a
> guaranteed base of $200 per week (based on 40 hrs per
> week). When their billing reached a level of $500 or
> more per week consistently, we changed over to the
> base plus commission, on a sliding scale that
> basically worked out to wages that started at 40% and
> increased to 50% when they reached the $1200 per week
> billing level (most reached about $1000 per week
> billing within 12-18 months or so). It's hard to
> explain, but they had the $200 PLUS commissions so it
> averaged about 50%, but of course was NOT 50% on top
> of the salary. (EX: Tech bills $1200, she gets $200
> salary plus 33% commish or $400 in commisssion for a
> total of $600, or the "equivalent" of 50% of the $1200
> billed) Since they started out on a guaranteed salary
> I ran alot of ads and specials to get them booked and
> get them experienced... it also got them in the habit
> of "working" when there weren't clients to do, such as
> addressing envelopes from our vast mailing list to
> help generate cleintele for them to "practice" on
> initially, and maybe turn some into regular steadies.
>
> I also had them (employees) keep a daily "log" of what
> they did each day. Rather than minute by minute log of
> activity, I assigned points to different activites
> based on approximate 15 minute increments. A manicure
> was 2 pts, a fill was 4, a FS was 5 not 6 , and a
> "SALE" full set was only worth 4 points(I wanted to
> discourage techs from filling up their schedules with
> just FS every time we had a sale running) the nail art
> was 1, each repair (or 2 repairs on 1 client) or
> polish change was also one point each. Then, based on
> their proficiency (designated by title, or Jr Nail
> Tech, Tech, or Sr. Tech) we would tally up what was an
> acceptable # of pts based on an 8 hour shift. Sr Techs
> did their fills in 45 mins, so they would end up with
> more points at the end of a day than would seem
> "possible" according to the point system, but that was
> part of the motivational strategy!
>
> If they had less pts than the norm based on hours
> worked (especially newer techs), they needed to
> indicate in their log how they put the "missing" time
> to good use... ie, Educational activites, such as a
> fill on a more experienced tech, watching a video (and
> handing in their written notes), or marketing
> activites such as:confirming appts, writing thank you
> client cards, hand-addressing blank envelopes (I don't
> like computer labels!)from the mailing list (whether
> we had something to go out now or not didn't matter,
> eventually we would need them! WE also did monthly
> birthday cards, so addressing those envelopes was a
> constant and ongoing chore) or salon betterment
> activities like taking inventory, cleaning, refilling
> supplies like soap or polish remover, or even cleaning
> out the frig!
>
> They soon learned to keep themselves busy or I would
> find a chore for them to do that they'd like even
> less... (just like with kids... if you tell me you're
> bored I'll send you to clean your room!). Since their
> commission schedule was graduated (higher % based on
> length of employment, technical ability, weekly
> billing $$, weekly points and "keeping busy", client
> retention, and the all impt "attitude") I was able to
> keep that above their heads to keep them busy. Of
> course, once a tech reaches the max comm level it does
> get a little more difficult; but by then (about 18
> months into employment) she SHOULD be fully booked and
> the issue about "down time" should be moot because she
> should almost always be busy! If not, then she must
> have a retention problem and that should be evaluated
> seriously!
>
> I pointed out to techs that making coffee and cleaning
> the toilet was part of taking care of the clients. In
> order to fully service the clients those chores had to
> accomplished... a client needed a clean sink to wash
> at and a trash can to throw out her coffee cup just as
> much as she needed her polish removed before she could
> get her nails filled! Without those extra amentiites
> we would not be able to charge the prices we did, and
> they would not be able to bill at and earn at the
> levels they did! Much of this of course needs to be
> ingrained from the first day of employment for the
> best results!
>
> The point system I used was also good for gauging an
> employees long term possibilities and other
> "problems", as I could easily see on a weekly,
> monthly, yearly basis where most of their services
> were concentrated ("busy" work, manicures, full-sets,
> or FILLS!)... I had 2 different employees who had each
> been with me for over a year and each was still taking
> as many new full-sets per week as newer techs....
> Faced with that fact I dtermined one had terrible
> client retention due to poor "attitude" (always a
> downer "eyore" type) and below expected technical
> abilites... due in part to her pessimistic attitude.
> The other tech it turned out was feeding new clients
> straight into her own at-home nail biz where she had
> her daughter and a nice working! (Thanks to my
> advertising dollars to lure the new clients in, they
> were turning a tidy little profit it seems!)
>
> Did you know that it takes an average of 4 visits to
> break even on a new client by time you have paid for
> advertising, tech training, tech salary, rent,
> insurance, supplies, etc... and that if you avg in the
> amount of clients that don't make it to visit 4, that
> the REAL avg is then 7 visits before a salon owner
> starts to see any profit from that new client????? All
> the rest of the clients can actually represent a LOSS
> for the salon! This info based upon years of anylazing
> my own salon records and other industry averages
> reports!
>
> On AVERAGE: A salon owner looses money on a new
> employee for the 1st 6 months of employment, breaks
> even the next 6 months, and then recoups the losses of
> the first 6 months in the next 6 months... so it takes
> 18 months for a salon owner to see a profit on a new
> employee!
>
> So, as you can see, employers are very much in their
> right to expect "more" of salon employees. Many of you
> will say: "I thought that there was a shortage
> forecast for beauty industry workers? I thought that
> the employees would get to call the shots and make all
> sorts of demands and strike a really good employment
> deal...." Yes, there is a shortage of QUALIFIED
> employable employees... but no shortage of
> applications from the unqualified... unfortueately the
> employer just does not know who is who, and makes many
> hiring mistakes that the rest of us 9and society)
> ultimately pay for.
>
> The cries of employers looking for motivated,
> self-starting employees gows far beyond the beauty
> world. I assure you our problem is not unique to just
> our industry! But I leave you with this one final
> thought, that may or may not cheer you up: What we
> really want in an employee is "US" (motivated, self
> starter, cheery, independent, eager, smart, etc!)....
> but if they WERE US, then they would be employers and
> not employees to begin with!!! Wouldn't they?????? :-)
>
> Send your questions and comments to
> nailsplashnews-queue@listbot.com .
>
> Take Care All!
>
> ---Barb!

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Re: nailsplash news -- nailsplash, 19:10:56 10/19/99 Tue