By Ivy Potter, Image Sun of Northwest Indiana

Employees are the front line of your business; having good employees is as important as having working equipment. Use these tips to find the right employees and get the most out of all of your employees.

Hire the personality. When posting a help wanted ad, we often focus on finding someone with experience or open availability. While those are helpful, bad habits are hard to break, and just because someone is always available to work doesn’t mean they are worth having. Keep in mind that the right personality can be taught, but you can’t teach personality. Look for candidates that have a great attitude and an energetic and outgoing personality. Focusing on charisma prevents passing over a candidate that can be molded into a super star for someone who may have experience but is lacking in other areas.

Once you find the right employee, invest in training. Writing down a step-by-step training guide that is used for every new employee creates consistency. It also helps the trainer remember that it can be overwhelming to learn what has become second nature with experience. Create a resource book containing step-by-step instructions for regular duties like deep cleaning the spray tan room or how to schedule appointments. Employees can use this as a reference when they are unsure. If you are specific about your expectation and consistent in teaching employees how to meet those expectations, everyone wins.

Go digital! Start a secret Facebook group for employees, you can upload training videos and use Facebook’s go live feature in your group to hold employee meetings when everyone can’t get together. Make it fun and a team building experience by adding in some silly posts too! Take advantage of Google calendar for salon schedules, technician availability and spray tan appointments. Calendars can be to be shared with employees and updated in real time from anywhere. Best of all, these are free ways to show your employees you care about their convenience.

Get creative with motivation. Create a salon bingo board to spur sales. Fill the board with sales goals like selling retail products or service packages. Each time they meet the goal, they mark their board until someone gets a bingo. Award small prizes like $10 gift cards for the winners. Offer a reward for technicians who are mentioned in positive reviews. This rewards employees for a job well done and encourages technicians to ask for reviews. Select a product of the month like a body wash and offer double commission on that product. Give out compliments! Positive reinforcement is a powerful tool to keep a great employee motivated. Employees who feel respected and that their hard work is valued will become salon superstars!