Begin by learning clients’ problems so you can guide them to
the best solution, rather than simply asking what they want. Morlock expects
employees to ask at least three open-ended questions, such as: What’s your
biggest challenge? What are you currently doing to try to solve it? And one of
Pelusi’s favorites: If I had a magic wand, what would be your ideal solution?
“A lot of other
companies say, ‘What do want to do today?’ instead of, ‘What’s challenging
you?’” Morlock says. “It’s getting a little bit deeper in with what they’re
looking for.”
Morlock also expects employees to explain products or
services they suggest to clients, making use of Pelusi’s intensive product
education.
“Are they giving the [customer] a tag?” Pelusi asks. “If you
buy a nice outfit, you get a tag: Do not dry clean. So really, when you leave,
you should have a tag for your [product or service.] No one’s saying, ‘Buy,’
just, ‘We talked about it. This is what I’d recommend. This is what I’d use.’
“You just shut up and let the client make a decision.
There’s nothing worse than pushing something and not knowing what you sold
them, No. 1, not following up, No. 2.”
To make sure employees utilize the needs assessment, Morlock
invites secret shoppers to evaluate employees quarterly based on the questions
they ask and the explanations they provide.
But you usually know how effectively employees communicate
before you get that far.
“When someone is utilizing a needs assessment to its fullest,
their sales increase and their client requests increase,” Morlock says. “You
almost always find that they’re booked three to six months in advance. You can
tell just in the numbers; it’s like reading a book.”
Still, she meets with employees one-on-one to reinforce the
process. A couple of her employees also participate in quarterly telementoring
conferences with Pelusi to share their challenges, questions and goals, and to
receive more training to bring back to the rest of the staff.
“The performance reviews are critical,” Pelusi says. “When you
hire somebody new, you want to do it more often — every three months, minimum.
When you do them well, by the time you go into the review, they already know.
The last thing you want to do is go into the review and they don’t know what to
expect.
“I don’t care how great you think you are, that person walking
through determines. They make the final vote if they come back [and] they seek
our advice. You can talk all you want, but if it doesn’t get to the end user,
nothing happens.”
How to reach: Philip Pelusi Salons, (888) 263-4720 or www.philippelusi.com
Twitter: @philippelusi
How to reach: Studio V Salon & Spa, (330) 665-8010 or www.studiovspa.com
How to reach: VCS Salon & Spa, (330) 723-3998 or www.vcssalon.com