Make the most of training

Take the time to speak to each member of staff, either in a group meeting or on an individual basis to assess what they need to work on, and observe them at work in the salon. Follow the team's progress over a month and see where you feel their weaknesses lie. This will give you a clear idea of which areas need to be worked on, for the team, and for individuals. 

If you're holding your own training day, ensure you plan it well and keep it simple with a clear beginning, middle and end. Prioritise the day and make sure you get the important areas covered first. Attention spans will dwindle so get the theory out of the way first and then move on to the practical, let's face it, working on hair is what gets your team's creative juices flowing. Always re-cap to ensure everyone has had time to digest the information. Encourage people to ask questions whenever they spring into their mind. 

Money is an issue in this economic climate, so if you would prefer to only send one or two people on training, choose staff who you know will absorb as much information as possible, and who are good communicators. That way, when they return to the salon, they can pass on everything they've learned to the rest of the team. 

While training, don't just focus on the creative side, also think about your business as a brand, what it stands for and how you can all work more efficiently as a team to improve profit and time keeping. Set guidelines on how you would like the phone answered, clients to be greeted, how you want consultations to be carried out etc. Set realistic goals and give yourself a realistic time frame to achieve them.