Q: “As a tanning salon owner and service provider, I’m very motivated by goals both big and small. The problem is that I can’t get one of my salon employees to understand why goals are so important, and why she should be working toward them. What can I do to motivate her to achieve her sales goals?”
This is an important question because it represents an issue that many tanning salon owners deal with each day. The short and sweet answer to this is simple: salon employee who can’t understand goals are not normally high achievers.
Some people they choose to not set MEANINGFUL goals. This is why you see them playing video or computer games their whole life and never move out of their parents’ houses. Someone who does not take up the challenge of looking to accomplish goals in a tanning salon or out of it is not someone who should represent your business.
The best tanning salon staff are those employees who like to compete and love to smash through goals. They typically do this for three reasons:
- Their own satisfaction.
- To gain another person’s recognition, validation, and approval.
- For cash bonuses, raises, and to further their career.
The type of salon employee described above is who you need behind the counter at your business. Someone who doesn’t seem to care about accomplishing bigger and better things should go work at Wendy’s or some similar job.
During the job interview is where you’ll find motivated employees. To help you, we’ve come up with some questions to ask during interviews. We’ve broken it down into the questions you should ask, the goal of each question, and follow-up questions. This formula usually encourages applicants to open up with their answers. If you pay attention, their answers will give you a good idea about their character. Read through these to see how deeper questions helps you find the best salon employees.
Question #1: Tell me about your past employment and if you were promote at those jobs. What were the reason(s) your employer promoted you?
- Goal: You’re seeking an answer that says they got promoted because of increasing performances. If that’s the case, then ask what did they do to be better at their job to be eligible for promotion. Pay close attention to their answers.
Question #2: What suggestions for improvements did you make at your last job?
- Response: I helped design a new parking system for employees to improve customer access to the salon. (For example.)
- Follow-Up Question: “Can you share some details of what system was in place before? Also, tell me how your design altered what was being done?”
- Goal: This might show the candidate’s initiative and probable work pride values.
Question #3: “At your previous job, was your performance judged against other employees so you could see how you were doing compared to them?”
- Follow-Up: If they answer “yes,” ask them how they compared. If they say they were the best or among the best, ask them why they were so good?
Question #4: “What have you done in your personal or professional life that you are most proud of?”
- Goal: Their answer can give you a good indication about the applicant’s levels of self-esteem, personal values, etc.
- Response: “I had to take care of my Mom during her cancer until she passed away.”
- Follow-Up Question: “How did you find the strength to get through that?” You could also ask, “How did you find the balance between work and caring for your mother?”
- Goal: What you’re trying to ascertain is the candidate’s ability at priorities and organization, which is important in a retail sales position such as a tanning salon.
Question #5: “Do you feel like you are an organized, goal-setting person?”
- Response: Since this is a job interview, every applicant will answer in the affirmative whether it’s true or not.
- Probing Question: “Can you share a particular goal you had to accomplish and how you did that?”
- Goal: It’s one thing for the applicant to say something that they accomplished, but another to tell you HOW they did it. This should separate the real from the stock interview answers that they think you want to hear. Remember, good sales people set goals and are competitive, and you should be able to see and hear that from their interview.
Try this strategy at your tanning salon
The examples I’ve shared here are part of a strategy I use with tanning salon owners just like you. The goal is to teach them how to ask questions that allows them to learn more about their applicants. This leads to better hiring decisions and ultimately, better business. Use these tips to find the ideal employees for your tanning salon. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask this tanning salon business consultant.
