Train Me Like One Of Your French Girls , Jack!

By Robyn McAlpine @expert_skin_therapist

Every time I post content about my salon team, my inbox blows up with therapists wishing they had the kind of workplace environment I offer and bosses wishing they had the kind of team I have. But what you see didn’t just happen. Just like yours, my workplace is still just a business, and a job where effort and input is required. Yes, we have great training, but my team are also required to use that training where it counts (in the treatment room). But it hasn’t always been this way.

It’s taken time, challenges, mistakes, consistency to get here, where training is an ingrained part of our salon. BUT the thing I had to master was “how to get my team to use the training in the treatment room” because for a long time I was training, but the needle wasn’t moving. At this point, giving up seemed smart, training investment costs ain’t no joke.

Instead, I had to figure out the missing puzzle piece. TEAMWORK (and I’m not talking trust falls and corporate bonding!)

It begins with realising you, the business owner are not a separate entity to your team. And therapists, you aren’t a separate entity to your boss. You both need to peddle in the same direction.

If you’re a therapist feeling disconnected OR you’re the boss feeling disillusioned, read on, Aunty Robyn “tough love” is incoming as we bring it together to create the workplace of your skin education dreams!

But here’s the deal, if you’re a therapist wanting an amazing workplace training, show this to your boss. If you’re a boss who wants a high performing, training-hungry team, show this to your team!

Let’s go!

You can’t have a thriving salon without career passionate therapist’s.

You can’t have a thriving team without a boss committed to great training.

So, who goes first?

It’s the old chicken and egg scenario. A team effort.

I often see one trying without the other. Bosses trying to create amazing training, with a team who arent on board, or don’t implement those lessons in the treatment room. Hello loss of income, stressed boss. Goodbye any training efforts.

Then there’s team, busting to learn, paired with bosses with empty tanks who’ve lost their spark because, see scenario one.

So, who goes first?

It takes two to tango baby! We’re diving into this, together!

Every boss wants a thriving business. Every therapist wants a thriving workplace but it’s very hard to have one without the other. They exist in unison.

So, to sprinkle some salon culture love into your day, and give you some practical ways to make that happen, I’m sitting you both down on the couch for a tough love talk!

This one’s for the bosses:

1: Invest in training your team!

This doesn’t always look like flying in experts or sending your team to every course under the sun. That’s fun, but the biggest training investment is the non-negotiable training time. Block it out, stick to it! We block the entire team for 90 minutes once a week. Is it costly to the business? Absolutely!

Do we miss out on bookings in that time? We sure do!

For my team that’s the equivalent of over 235 hours of scheduled training each year.

BUT missing those 4 or so facials each week means my small (tiny) team retails over half a million dollars in skin care every year and each therapist maintains an 80% rebooking average, on a bad week.

How? Because our training focuses on how those training sessions are activated with every single client interaction. Teach the theory, but show them HOW to turn that theory into practical, useful skills with clients.

2: Don’t underestimate your own teaching skills!

Yes, you can bring in experts or outsource training, BUT that gets expensive. You’ve got what it takes to teach your team. (It might be a bit clunky at first. Practice makes perfect.)

In-house training doesn’t have to be constantly new and innovative. It’s about perfecting in-house procedures, refreshing hands on skills, revising your unique customer journey, the list goes on! THIS is the kind of training that will have the biggest impact in your business! Imagine if everyone on the team knew your salons customer journey and took every client on that journey. Powerful stuff, right?

3. Don’t let a bad hangover ruin the bright shiny future.

As business owners, we’ve all experienced the emotional hangover from pouring our heart and soul into the salon, only to have it handed back to us chewed up and spat out with little bits of spit mixed into it. We’ve all had seasons where it feels like a whole lot of give and not a lot of take. But just because that’s been an experience in the past, it isn’t the blueprint for the future.

If you’ve not seen the returns on past investments, it’s time to do it again, but this time, do it different.

This time build a culture of learning into your salon. It will take time and effort, but it’s not all on you, your team are going to meet you halfway!

And here’s where they come in! (Bosses, hand this bit to your team!)

Ok, if you’re a team member reading this… here’s where it’s up to you!

1: The dream career is yours to create!

Want to be the most amazing skin therapist on the planet? Want to be the best brow wrangler this side of the globe?

Want to ‘wax on, wax off’ like it’s nobody’s business?

ALL if that is in YOUR control!

Being the best isn’t about being handed the best. You can go to the best school, the best courses, the best seminars with the industry’s best. BUT unless you knuckle down, grow and learn from each training session, you’re never going to have the career of your dreams. Ouch. I know, I told you this was going to be tough love!

A fancy title or qualification doesn’t automatically make you an amazing therapist. But having a thirst for learning, a willingness to be a beginner and a tenacity for learning as you go, trying and then trying again… THAT is what will get you there!

Pair that with a boss invested in your growth, and hey presto! Career made!

2: Learning is great, but only if you use it!!

Nothing beats that post-training glow. But leaving all that knowledge in the room benefits no one, especially your clients.

Turning each lesson into action in the treatment room is your end of the deal

If training focuses on the salon's customer journey, the roadmap that gets the results, it’s on you to map it out for each client, book those appointments and keep your clients inspired.

If training is on brushing up hands on techniques, helping you create a stellar client experience, it’s on you to master and implement them in every treatment.

Not more watching the training, than going back to old habits!

With every training, look for the key things you can tweak in your own process so that you can grow and become an even more amazing therapist.

3: No more passive learning.

Nothing shuts down your in-house training quicker than treating training like a stab in the eye. You want training, your boss is giving it a fair crack, let’s not f*** it up now! (We’re in this together ok!?)

Sitting in the room doesn’t equal learning. Get amongst it, take notes, ask questions, share your experiences. Learning is a full-participation sport! Sure, you might feel awkward seeing your boss stand up the front teaching but trust me, she’s feeling as out of her depth as you are. You’re both trying this new thing called team training, don’t snuff out the flame before it turns into a wildfire!

Are you both willing to have a crack at this? Trust me, it’s not going to be perfect from the get-go!

Bosses will stuff up, training will be clunky, and your team might not quite get the hang of turning those lessons into results, for a little while. Like anything new, it’s going to take a hot minute finding your groove (and to see the results)

BUT if you both approach this with a little bit of humility, a sense of humour and a shared end goal to grow and learn, you’ll find together you’ll create a workplace that floats your boat, ticks all your boxes and the results come rolling in!

If you give this a try as a team, I’d love to hear how it’s going. If you need a little guidance, perhaps a few training ideas or a gentle nudge in the right direction, you know where to find me @expert_skin_therapist robyn@skintifix.com www.skintifix.com