Being Ruthless with Your Salon Business
by Greg Milner on Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
In business, patience is over-rated. Which is a good thing, because I have very little of it.
Last week a technical fault in our database system (run from Arizona by a prominent US company) resulted in thousands of salon owners getting multiple copies of our weekly email, and prompted a sarcastic rant from me the following day, and an apology for the foul-up.
The vast majority saw the humour, but I was bemused by one or two people who chided me and suggested I ‘thank them (the supplier) for making it work most of the time’.
I find this attitude in business a curious one.
To me, simply doing one’s job according to the job description is hardly activity worthy of praise. I praise and reward when somebody goes above and beyond the call of duty, not simply doing what they’re paid to do.
And when somebody fails to do what they’re paid to do, then I’m quite justifiably grumpy about it. I get even grumpier when I, the customer (or employer) has to bear the cost of a supplier’s (or employee’s) foul-up.
Very few people are prepared to be accountable. But those who are reap the rewards. It is precisely for this reason that we offer things like 30-day Test Drives of the entire Inner Circle program, plus no-questions-asked money back guarantees – so that we bear the risks of not doing our job properly, not the customer.
When a supplier or employee fails to deliver, and takes no responsibility for that failure, that’s when I see red.
When your staff or suppliers foul up, ask them this question:
“What are you going to do to compensate me for this failure of yours to do what you are being paid to do?”
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A post by Greg Milner The odd idea, a bit of prodding, a nudge here and there, a little fun, and the occasional dose of brutal reality. Greg is co-founder and CEO of Worldwide Salon Marketing, a writer, direct response marketing consultant, specialist marketing systems adviser and coach. |
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