The New Team Accelerator Framework
• Written by Colin Shove
How to get a new team member busy in 3 months.
Have you ever had a new someone apply for a job but not really had the capacity at that time, and wondered how you could get some clients more quickly?
I am often asked if I know any secrets to getting a new team member busy quickly. Whenever I see or hear this question it reminds me of two of my favourite customers Michael and Aaron.
Read on and see how to get a team member busy in three months.
Michael, like many salon owners, struggles to find highly skilled staff. One day, he was approached by James who was looking for work. James is an experienced stylist with impeccable credentials and expertise. There were just two problems: He was relocating from another part of the country so had no clients, and Michael had two recently qualified stylists who were building their clientele.
Despite this, Michael took a leap of faith by offering James a job. Can you relate to that feeling? The opportunity seems too good to ignore, you spend months trying and failing to get good staff and get an application just when you don’t need one.
Michael soon found himself with another challenge. How to get James some clients without slowing the progress of his existing team? The simple fact was they needed more clients for James, without undermining the efforts of his colleagues.
An irresistible, too good to ignore offer:
Michael came up with a strategy. Like many salons he had a lot of cold clients in his salon database. Clients who had not visited for a long time and frankly had little or no chance of visiting anytime soon. He would reach out to a selection of these people by sending them an irresistible, too good to ignore offer: a complimentary appointment with James, including not only a cut and finish but also a colour service.
The aim was to give James a platform to showcase his skill, so needed for his time to be spent transforming as opposed to trimming to have the most impact.
Looking needy or even desperate
When Michael told James about the idea, it was met with apprehension. James was concerned about the perception of working for free and the risk of looking needy or even desperate to people, and was very uncomfortable with it. So they compromised, introducing a more modest offer to the same client group, so that James could feel less undervalued.
The campaign response was poor. There is not much that is too good to ignore about a subtle offer to clients who have stopped visiting a salon to try a stylist they have never heard of.
James' progress was very slow and he grew increasingly disheartened. After nearly a year, he left the salon without successfully building a clientele.
The New Team Accelerator Framework
Enter Aaron, also a salon owner with a similar situation involving a talented stylist called Harry. Drawing from Michael's experience, Aaron reframed the process. He offered Harry a job on the condition he enthusiastically engaged with The New Team Accelerator Framework (that's right he gave it a name).
Aaron targeted clients who had not visited for over 2 years, inviting them for complimentary appointments with Harry, that must include a colour treatment with a cut and finish. Harry's role was made clear;
- Tell his personal story about how he relocated which was why he needed to build a client base.
- Ask for a 5*review to build awareness.
- Ask for referrals
- Offer 50% off the next appointment when clients rebooked before leaving.
The results were nothing short of remarkable. Harry got to do the work he loves from the start (as well as getting some pretty generous tips). Within three months, He was one of the salon's top income generators and has continued to thrive. Far from feeling a bit needy or desperate!
What do you think? Is the New Team Accelerator Framework for you?
The Salon App is all-in-one booking, management and marketing software that helps you grow your salon business more quickly. There are many marketing templates including The New Team Member Accelerator Framework . Book a demo today and see if it's for you.
