Elements and Performance Criteria

Customer demographic may include:

residential and/or business location in relation to the business

age group categories including:

18-25

25-35

35-45

45+

gender

socioeconomic groups.

Target market may include:

being confined to:

a particular age demographic

a particular socioeconomic group

growth in low performing age-group categories

increasing the services side of the business

retail consumers

services consumers

groups and/or individuals.

Marketing strategies may include:
increasing the average client bill through staff incentives
incentives to attract new clients
off-peak promotion ideas
incentive schemes to encourage re-booking by clients
pricing, presentation and display of products and services
promotion and advertising
changing the service and professional product range and retail range and/or mix
pursuing cost leadership and/or product differentiation within a specialist market segment
creating a very different product line or service so that the business becomes a class leader in the industry.

Relevant people may include:
owner/operator partners
financial backers
accountant or other specialist services
family members
team members
regulatory bodies
suppliers.

Services may include:

the full range of hairdressing services

areas of hairdressing service specialisation

complementary services available from the same business such as:

fingernail services

make-up services

facial and body massage services.

Product ranges may include:
professional hairdressing products
retail hair care products
retail skin care products
sundry hair care equipment
other retail products stocked by the business.

Legislation, codes and national standards relevant to the workplace may include:
award and enterprise agreements and relevant industrial instruments
federal, state/territory and local government legislative requirements affecting business operation, especially in regard to occupational health and safety and environmental issues; and equal employment opportunity, industrial relations and anti-discrimination legislation
relevant industry codes of practice.

Persons involved in the marketing effort may include:
team members
partners
advertising professionals
promotions professionals
graphic designers
photographers
printers
product suppliers.

Promotional activities may include:
website
word of mouth, referrals and testimonials
professional and industry journals
advertising in newspapers, on radio or on television
mail drops
display posters
telephone canvassing
exhibitions and in-store promotions
sponsorship
the development of networks and strategic alliances
staff development programs to enhance customer service orientation
staff incentives
client incentives, including loyalty programs and discounting.

Performance gaps may include:
level of customer service provided by team or individual staff member is below required standard
average dollar value per client is below required level
individual staff member down-time
under achievement of turnover targets by some team members
profit margins being set too low
insufficient allocation of funds to marketing.

Customer reaction may be determined through:
survey or other feedback mechanisms
informal discussion
customer meetings and focus groups
sales to contact ratio
trend analysis.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit
demonstrated ability to develop a marketing strategy and choose a marketing mix that complements the business
demonstrated ability to implement and monitor the marketing strategy/plan to optimise the chances of business success.

Context of assessment
For valid and reliable assessment of this unit, competency should be consistently demonstrated over a period of time and observed by the assessor and/or the technical expert working in partnership with the assessor. The technical expert may include the hairdresser and/or an experienced person at the workplace.
Competency should be demonstrated in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment in a range of situations that may include client interruptions and involvement in other related activities normally expected in the workplace. For further guidance on the use of an appropriate simulated environment, refer to the Assessment Guidelines in this Training Package.

Specific resources for assessment
Competency for this unit should be assessed through access to:
a fully equipped and staffed working hairdressing salon or simulated salon environment
hairdressing products, tools and equipment
multiple clients with a diverse range of hairdressing services' requirements
information on professional hairdressing and retail hair care product suppliers
relevant workplace documentation including:
awards
health regulations
occupational health and safety regulations
training agreements
workplace policies and procedures
a hard copy or electronic salon appointment and point-of-sale system.

Relationship to other units
This unit requires an assessment outcome that includes evidence of the ability to integrate a full range of operational management strategies and tasks to maintain and improve hairdressing services and sales delivery in a hairdressing salon.
none.
none.

Method of assessment
The following assessment methods are suggested.
Observation of the learner performing a range of tasks in an actual or simulated salon environment, over sufficient time to demonstrate his/her handling of a range of contingencies. Tasks may include:
observation of the person integrating and applying the skills and knowledge described in this unit in the workplace.
Third-party reports from a supervisor.
Workplace projects involving the collection and analysis of business performance data and marketing and promotional information.
Answers to specific questions about skills and knowledge.
Case studies related to specific hairdressing promotional scenarios.

Evidence required for demonstration of consistent performance
For valid and reliable assessment of this unit, evidence should be gathered through a range of methods to indicate consistent performance.
It can be gathered from assessment of the unit of competency alone, through an integrated assessment activity or through a combination of both.
Evidence should be gathered as part of the learning process.

Collecting analysing and organising information
Using online point-of-sale data to interpret changes in service provision and turnover during a promotion requires information to be collected, analysed and organised. (2)

Planning and organising activities
Implementing an incentive scheme that offers clients re-booking on the day of service a small discount on the cost of their next appointment, requires the team to be briefed and discount rates to be planned and organised. (2)

Working with others and in teams
Reaching consensus with the team on a range of marketing strategies and implementing them for turnover performance improvement require teamwork. (3)

Using mathematical ideas and techniques
Training staff to recognise their individual down-time and increase their average client bill requires the application of mathematical ideas and techniques. (3)

Solving problems
Identifying performance gaps in the business turnover and devising corrective action strategies require the application of problem solving skills. (3)

Using technology
Using online data to monitor and improve business performance requires the use of technology. (2)