Magazine for the professional nail industry.
Issue link: http://nailsmag.epubxp.com/i/128780
BUSINESS} adios farewell goodbye Most likely you've heard of or played a part in some version of this story: There's a happy team of techs working together in a busy salon. Then, one day, one of the techs seems to withdraw. Two weeks later, seemingly out of nowhere, the tech announces she is leaving to go work at a neighboring salon. The team is left shell-shocked and reeling, wondering what happened, and if they should leave too. Clients are calling, the salon is buzzing, and you — the owner or manager — are left to pick up the pieces. What's your game plan? TALK TO YOUR TEAM Diffuse the situation immediately by pulling the remaining staff together. Give them a chance to talk, question, and vent, and then redirect the conversation to a positive place. Give them language to process their own disappointment, anger, hurt, or worry. Then, help them craft responses to clients about where the tech has gone and why she left. The goal here is to cast a vision about how the team will move forward successfully without her. The temptation may be to speak negatively of the tech who left. Don't. This stirs up contempt. Speak respectfully without overdoing it. One way to frame the message might sound like this: "Bethany was a sweet girl. She 116 | NAILS MAGAZINE | JUNE 2013 bye-bye bye was a good nail tech. We'll miss having her here, but she has found a place she believes will be a better fit for her. We wish her the best. We aren't going to speak badly about her. We have a great team, and I know we will continue to succeed. I'm confident in each of you and that our clients will continue to come here because they love the experience they get at the salon." Once you have affirmed your current staff, processed the emotions of losing a team member, and crafted talking points, have each person give a verbal promise to end the conversation and stop talking about the tech who is gone. Don't let the conversation continue throughout the salon in hushed tones. TALK TO THE CLIENTS "Always respond in a positive way," says Liz Mier, co-owner of Ashley Alwin Hair and Nail Salon in Grayslake, Ill. "Even if the tech left under bad conditions, tell clients she moved on looking for new opportunities." Mier also suggests language such as, "She decided to pursue a new path and we wish the best for her," or "We weren't the right fit for her." Mier says if clients continue to ask questions to find out where the tech went, she doesn't have a problem telling them the name of the salon where the tech works, even if it's local. "Clients feel lied to when you keep the When a Tech Leaves Your Team You hired her, trained her, helped fill her book, and now she's leaving the salon. What will you tell the clients? BY MICHELLE PRATT information secret," says Mier. "Our policy is to state it isn't a good fit; however, if clients continue to question, we are honest." Mier says she sends a postcard to clients saying the salon appreciates their business and loyalty. The postcard has a discount on it to encourage the client to come in and try another tech. Tracy Johnson agrees. "Ultimately it's a client's choice to stay in the salon or with the tech. If you aren't honest with the client, it will come back to bite you." Johnson, currently a booth renter in Bradenton, Fla., has been a nail tech for over 20 years. She has been in the position of both retreating tech and salon owner. When she was the tech who left, she had clients show up at her home to find out where she went. As an owner, she knew clients would have the same level of loyalty for her staff. "When a tech left, I would let clients know the tech has chosen a new venture, and I would also offer clients a discount on her next nail service if she stayed in the salon." Still, Johnson would tell clients where the tech had moved if clients ask directly. "I want all my clients to be loyal to the salon and not the service provider," says Ana Molinari, owner of Ana Molinari, a full-service salon, spa, and boutique with two locations in Sarasota, Fla. "I hope they become