Some aspects of retail employee training are universal and obvious… how to operate the cash register or computer, how to open and close up the place, how to handle money, inventory management, basic security procedures, basic customer service and basic product familiarity. In any retail environment these things apply, but in the personal care industry there's one aspect which may be more important and more exclusive to beauty stores: a thorough understanding of the products, their ingredients, their use and their effects.

Unlike a retail operation that sells televisions, clothing or housewares, selling products for use on the human body requires a strong sense of ethics and responsibility because some of these products contain chemicals that could potentially cause harm if used improperly. And since beauty store employees are often asked by customers to describe the way in which products should be used, it's vitally important that staff members are intimately familiar with the merchandise.

"It's all about the products," says Sandra Perkins, owner of Sandy's Supply in Chicago. "Not just from a liability perspective, but also from a marketing perspective. Beauty consumers in ethnic markets have very specific hair and skin care needs, and their needs are different from what exists in the mainstream. Employees need to know the difference between products for Asian hair and products for African American hair for example. This requires a lot of ancillary education, beyond just the day-to-day management of a retail store."

Perkins, whose store is located in a multicultural neighborhood, maintains a full-time staff of two, supplemented with six part-timers. As an African American woman, Perkins knows what her customers want, and makes sure that knowledge is imparted to every employee she hires. She also encourages her employees to use product samples in order to get familiar with the products so that they can recommend them first-hand to customers.

"A good portion of my product samples go to my employees," Perkins reports. "If a staff member can tell a customer, 'I've used this conditioner and it really works,' it sells the product better than advertising ever could. When new products come in, I encourage my employees try them and give me their reviews. If the reviews are consistently bad, in conjunction with my customers' feedback, I'll reconsider carrying the product."

The difference between a good employee and a great employee has everything to do with their knowledge of -- and enthusiasm for -- the products. But product knowledge means nothing if the employee's personality is lackluster, indifferent or even hostile.

"If I had to pinpoint one element that makes an employee effective and valuable, it would be personality," Perkins says. "And if an employee hates her job, doesn't want to be here, isn't happy with her working conditions, she's not going to do a good job. So employee morale is more important than many retailers will acknowledge. If the employees aren't happy, the customers can feel it, and they won't want to patronize your business."

Cindy Shane is a retired HR executive for a division of Citicorp in Atlanta, GA, Shane has trained thousands of people, including other trainers, and notes that the key to successful training is to make sure the employees know their audience and know their products. She emphasizes that retailers should not hesitate to spend a reasonable amount of time and money on developing this expertise.

"For example," says Shane, "if you're training someone as a marketing director for a cruise line, he can't really sell the product unless he's been on the cruise. So you have to give him a week in the Caribbean as part of his training. But be careful not to go overboard, because employees will eventually leave, so keep everything in balance. Some companies will require a contract or even hold paychecks in arrears in order to guarantee the employee will stick around long enough to make the training investment worthwhile."

The equivalent of this for beauty stores would be sending your staff members to the major beauty shows, at your expense. It's not only educational and inspiring for the employee, but it's also a sign that you trust them and have enough respect for their professionalism to let them represent your store to other professionals. It's also important to make sure they have access to current industry news and trends, so be sure to make industry trade publications (like OTC Beauty) available to your staff, and allow them to read during lulls in store traffic.

Training and maintaining employees doesn't have to be a nightmare if relationships are built on communication, trust and respect. Acting like a dictator or a cruel taskmaster isn't going to create anything but animosity and rebellion, and you will have an extraordinarily high employee turnover. Think of your employees as partners who share the common goal of growing your business, and provide attractive incentives to keep them interested and inspired.
The business world can be cold, harsh and unforgiving, but remember that the key word in personnel is "person," and that's what it's all about.

SIDEBAR:
How to Instill Confidence and Loyalty in Your Employees

. Treat them with respect. Don't patronize or talk down to them. Give them credit for their wisdom and experience.
. Be generous with praise and sparing with criticism. In fact, criticism is completely unnecessary. The best way to train is to give gentle corrections when the inevitable mistakes are made. Criticism, anger or expressions of exacerbation will only serve to intimidate someone. Teach by positive reinforcement, not negative.
. Pay them appropriately. Wages should be competitive with similar stores in your neighborhood, and if possible, even higher. You want to attract the best, most experienced people you can find. Money talks.
. Set up an incentive program based on performance. Pay raises, promotions and time off are valuable rewards and give your staff something to work toward. Let them know that you promote from within so that as the business grows, they have the opportunity for promotions and/or pay increases.
. Have an open door policy for employees to voice their complaints and suggestions… in the privacy of your office. Some companies hold regular staff meetings, which are excellent for brainstorming and dispensing general information to a group of people. But some issues are best addressed in private, so make sure your staff knows that you will listen and can be trusted.
. Give frequent rewards for no reason at all. But don't try to take your staff out to dinner or throw them a party. This will only impose on their free time and make them feel obligated to attend the event. Instead, reward them with what they want most… freedom and money. Time is money, so give them generous doses of both. An afternoon off on a slow day or a $100 bonus for doing a super job during a busy week is probably the single most effective way to boost employee morale.