by Kelley McCarthy, PBA Manager of Education & Training | BeautyU Host
As the economy stabilizes, businesses are trending toward fewer lay-offs, but are still slow to hire. According to Labor Department figures, the economy added 103,000 jobs in September, which beat economists’ expectations but still fell short of the number required to improve the unemployment outlook. PBA’s recently released Distributor Benchmarking Survey reported that, “despite a continuing sluggish economy, beauty product distributors experienced strong growth of 10%, with more than one third (36%) reporting sales growth of an impressive 20% or higher.” The same report found that 88% of distributors surveyed believe that business will continue to improve through the end of 2011. As distribution companies look forward to additional growth, the focus shifts to education and strengthening existing sales training programs. Distributors adding new members to their sales team know that every hire is critical – particularly in smaller companies, where adding a new employee significantly changes the financial landscape.
Distributor’s sales teams are an integral component in the success of their businesses. When the decision is made to hire new distributor sales consultants, or salon consultants, a strong sales training program needs to be in place to welcome the new employee. Training programs ensure that new hires are more productive and help build employee loyalty. Although “successful” training programs vary considerably, several common threads bind them:
New hire training is comprehensive.
Distributors who take their training programs seriously report that their new hires are trained in EVERY department, in addition to sales. This ensures the new team member is properly introduced to the company, understands how it operates, and begins to assimilate in the culture. Raylon Corporation’s training program takes this one step further. “Our new Salon Consultants spend a full day working in a salon and learning the culture. There are so many benefits to this practice; not only does our salon consultant learn a lot, but we forge strong relationships with the salons who welcome our new employee as one of their own for a day,” explains Josh Hafetz, PBA Member and President of Raylon.
Manufacturer training is a must.
Most distributors report significant hiring from outside of the
beauty industry, for various reasons. Familiarizing new distributor sales consultants (DSCs) with product lines and taking advantage of existing product knowledge training from manufacturers is a key component in preparing them for success.
New employees shadow seasoned salon consultants.
Salon consultants shadow experienced coworkers in their territories before they are introduced to their own. According to Renee Shakour, PBA Member & Executive Vice President of Essential Salon Products, “Sending our new DSCs on the road with a mentor is a critical and early step in our training program. We get to see if they are retaining what they learned and also get to witness them in action. We support our DSC’s through a continuous coaching and feedback system until both parties feel confident that the DSC is ready to service their designated territory on their own. Most importantly, ESP wants to be sure that our new DSC fits into our ‘culture’ and therefore fits into our customers’ ‘culture’.”
Sales training is sales training.
Successful programs find ways to incorporate true sales training into their programs. In an effort to familiarize new hires with their culture, their clients, their products, and their manufacturers, many distributors fail to introduce raw sales techniques. John Caspole, PBA Member, Founder of Assessment Specialists and former Director of Domestic Sales at Revlon’s Creative Nail comments, “Successful salon consultants understand that the art of selling is about asking the right questions, identifying a client’s true needs and fulfilling promises.”
Effective training is ongoing and lasts as long as the employee does.
Employees in any company benefit from ongoing education, but our industry especially demands this. As manufacturers offerings expand, so must your DSC’s education.
Goals are measurable.
Employees need to understand what their goals are and feel empowered to achieve them. The large majority of salon consultants are paid by commission and it is integral that they understand the pay structure and believe it is equitable from day one. “Our sales consultants are rewarded for meeting their goals, both financially and ceremonially. We incorporate an awards ceremony into our annual sales retreat and recognize when professional milestones are met,” explains Jim Marshall, formerly of Marshall Salon Services.
The training program evolves with the company.
Several of the distributors interviewed for this article reported frequent changes and updates to their training program. “Whenever we feel comfortable with our training program, we add another layer of complexity,” reports Josh Hafetz of Raylon Corporation. “Our sales team writes an evaluation of our program at the close of their training and we immediately incorporate that feedback into the next generation of hires.”
As the economy improves, so should our training programs and our companies’ infrastructure. As you consider hiring and other ways to grow your business in 2012, take a fresh look at your sales team and their ongoing education.
About the Author
Kelley McCarthy manages PBA’s ongoing efforts to bring members and all beauty professionals continuing education through the BeautyU education program. Contact Kelley at kelley@probeauty.org. For more information and to browse BeautyU’s online catalog of educational offerings and resources, visit probeauty.org/education.
This article was reposted from PBA Progress. Go To PBA Progress for more industry news.
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