Creating a Structured Training System in Your Salon: Setting Your Staff Up for Success

By Kristin Jackson

Running a successful tanning salon is more than just offering high-quality beds and lotions—it’s about creating an environment where staff are well-trained, motivated, and ready to help clients get the best results. One of the best ways to ensure this is by developing a structured training system that prepares your team for product sales and membership sign-ups. A well-trained staff will not only feel more confident in their work but will also help drive your salon’s success by increasing customer satisfaction and revenue.

In this blog post, we’ll break down how to create a training system in your salon that sets your staff up for success and provide you with actionable steps to implement today. Plus, we’ll tell you how attending the upcoming Heartland Presents VIBE event will supercharge your team’s skills and bring long-term value to your salon!

Step 1: Create Clear Training Goals

To begin, it's essential to set specific goals for your training program. This might include targets for product sales, membership sign-ups, and customer service excellence. These goals should be measurable so that you can track progress over time. For example:

Product Sales Goals: Each staff member should be knowledgeable about the benefits of every product, and you can set a goal for the number of product recommendations or sales they should make each shift.
Membership Sign-up Goals: Teach your staff how to explain the benefits of memberships, and aim for a certain percentage of customers to sign up each month.

Action Item:

Define clear sales goals for products and memberships, and set KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to measure staff success.

Step 2: Develop a Training Schedule

A training schedule is essential for consistency. It should include time for initial training as well as ongoing development. Consider having weekly or bi-weekly refresher courses to keep staff up-to-date on product knowledge and selling techniques. Your schedule might include:

Product Knowledge Sessions: Host a weekly session where staff can get hands-on experience with lotions and other products. Discuss key selling points for each one.
Sales Technique Workshops: Set aside time to role-play different sales scenarios, such as upselling a product or explaining membership benefits.

Action Item:

Create a monthly training calendar that includes product knowledge, sales techniques, and customer service skills.

Step 3: Equip Staff with Selling Tools

Your staff needs the right tools to confidently sell products and memberships. Create easy-to-follow guides or cheat sheets for your team that outline the key benefits of each product and membership. These can be placed behind the counter or in a shared folder that everyone can access.

Examples of Tools:

Product Knowledge Cards: Quick reference cards that highlight each product’s key benefits, ingredients, and unique selling points.
Membership FAQ Sheets: Equip your staff with answers to common questions customers may have about memberships.

Action Item:

Develop easy-to-use sales tools for staff, such as product cards and membership FAQ sheets, to ensure they always have quick reference material at hand.

Step 4: Implement Role-Playing Exercises

One of the best ways to boost staff confidence in selling is through role-playing. Create scenarios where staff must practice pitching a product or selling a membership to a “customer” (another staff member). These exercises help them learn how to navigate real-life situations and overcome customer objections.

Sample Role-Playing Scenarios:

A customer hesitant about upgrading their membership.
A first-time tanner who is unsure which lotion to purchase.
A customer asking about the benefits of adding red-light therapy to their package.

Action Item:

Schedule regular role-playing exercises to help your staff become comfortable with sales conversations.

Step 5: Offer Incentives and Track Progress

Incentivize your staff to hit their sales and membership targets. Offer rewards like gift cards, extra time off, or even team outings for meeting specific goals. At the same time, keep track of each team member's progress through regular check-ins.

Ways to Incentivize Staff:

Monthly Sales Contests: The employee with the highest product sales or most membership sign-ups wins a prize.
Milestone Rewards: Offer a reward for hitting certain milestones, such as 50 memberships sold in a quarter.

Action Item:

Create an incentive program that rewards staff for meeting or exceeding sales goals, and track progress to ensure everyone stays motivated.

Step 6: Bring Your Team to the VIBE Event

One of the most effective ways to boost your staff’s skills is by giving them access to the best training in the industry. That’s why we encourage you to bring your team to the Heartland Presents VIBE event on January 24-25th. This event is packed with hands-on training, networking opportunities, and insights from industry experts that your staff can bring back to your salon.

Why VIBE is a Must for Your Team:

Valuable Skills: Your staff will learn the latest sales and marketing techniques that they can immediately apply to increase product sales and memberships.
Networking: The chance to connect with other salon owners and professionals will help your staff gain new perspectives and ideas.
Ongoing Resources: They’ll walk away with a wealth of resources to continue improving their skills.

Special Offer: Early bird registration is just $99 (until October 31st), after which the price increases to $149. As an added incentive, salon owners will receive a credit for the ticket price if they bring their staff to the event. Don’t miss out!

Register your staff for the Heartland Presents VIBE event by October 31st to take advantage of the early bird price and set them up for success!

Final Checklist for Creating a Structured Training System in Your Salon:

Define Clear Training Goals: Set measurable targets for product sales and membership sign-ups.
Develop a Training Schedule: Implement ongoing training sessions for product knowledge and sales techniques.
Provide Sales Tools: Equip your staff with cheat sheets, FAQ sheets, and other resources to help them sell confidently.
Role-Playing Exercises: Conduct regular role-playing scenarios to help your team practice their sales conversations.
Offer Incentives: Create an incentive program to motivate staff and reward high performance.
Attend the VIBE Event: Bring your team to Heartland Presents VIBE to gain valuable training and resources that will benefit your salon long-term.

Ready to Train and Empower Your Team?

By creating a structured training system, you’ll not only set your staff up for success but also grow your salon’s revenue through increased product sales and membership sign-ups. Remember, investing in your team today means higher returns for your salon tomorrow.

And don’t forget to register for the Heartland Presents VIBE event for even more learning opportunities. Early bird registration ends October 31st—take advantage of this great opportunity to give your team the skills they need to excel.

Your salon’s success starts with well-trained, confident staff. Let’s make it happen!