ETS Tanning Bed Blog

Stop Employees From Sabotaging Your Business

Last week, I walked into a client’s tanning salon. There was a customer looking at lotions without any sales help and no sales clerk in sight. I poked my head down the hall, didn’t see anyone, waited a bit and then finally shouted “Hello? Is anyone there?”

Eventually, a begrudged saleswoman emerged from the back with an apron on, rubber gloves and a spray bottle of cleaning solution in her hand. She snapped off the gloves and huffed “Sorry, I was just trying to get some work done. What can I help you with?”

What struck me about her remark wasn’t the rudeness, but that she didn’t seem to realize that I was her work. As a possible customer, I am priority number one. And yet she didn’t come out when she heard the door open, she didn’t greet me properly and she didn’t present my client’s business in a manner that was at all friendly, appealing or pleasing.

The thing is, my client had no idea.

Inspect Your Business Regularly

If you’re not present in your tanning salon on a regular basis, start showing up. Start inspecting the tanning beds to make sure they’re cleaned, start popping in at random times to see how everyone is doing, start asking customers about their experience and start letting your employees know that you’re present.

Once your employees know the risk of detection is high, you’ll see an immediate improvement in their work ethic and performance.

And if your employees are too busy with other tasks, like cleaning tanning beds, to come out and make a sale for you, then consider adding more staff or tacking an extra half-hour to your work shifts to allow time for cleaning and bed maintenance.