What Is a Good Salon Contest to Run for Employees?

Contests motivate employees to improve in areas like sales, customer service and upselling. If your hairstylists need motivation to perform up to your standards, organize a salon contest based on friendly competition. The entertaining aspect of a contest often makes it more motivating than simply nagging your stylists to sell more.


Before you decide on the details of the salon competition, you need to determine your purpose. An increase in sales is often the desired outcome for contests in the retail industry. This might come in the form of higher product sales, performing more services on each client or attracting new clients. You may want to improve the customer service provided by the salon. Use customer comment cards as a way to measure this for the competition.


Structure the competition so that all employees have a fair chance to participate and win. A simple concept for the contest makes it easier for you to track. The salon employees have a better understanding of what they need to do to win and may work harder to earn the prize. The easiest option is simply to choose the winner based on who has the highest numbers, especially if your competition is based on sales. For example, keep a running total of how much each stylist has in product sales to determine the winner. To encourage camaraderie with your employees, divide the staff into teams that compete together. The team with the best numbers together wins.

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The rewards for the competition need to be appealing enough to encourage enthusiastic participation. An affordable option is to award a gift card to a local business. Consider local restaurants, stores or spas if your salon doesn't offer extensive services like facials and massages. Another thrifty prize is to award the winner an extra day of vacation. Cash bonuses are nearly always motivating. Award cash bonuses in graduated amounts for first, second and third place in the competition.


Keep the employees updated on the totals for the competition as it's going on so they have an idea of where they stand. The frequent updates help motivate the employees because they are able see their nearest competitors and know how much they need to improve to take over first place.


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