Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to develop and implement marketing strategies, to expand both the client base and business turnover.

The unit describes the function of regularly developing and integrating a full range of marketing strategies and tasks to expand and diversify the client base, maintain and improve client re-booking, and increase average client spending in a personal services environment. Ongoing monitoring and adjustment of marketing activities, along with evaluation of business performance, are also required to achieve ongoing business success.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.

Application of the unit 

This unit applies to the full range of personal services industry sector environments and may include single or multiple outlet businesses.

Personal services managers may also be small business owners, and are required to apply initiative and judgement across a broad range of management functions.

Prerequisite units 

Employability skills 

This unit contains employability skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

ELEMENT 

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA 

1

Develop marketing strategies.

1.1

Analyse the business and its key services and products to determine the focus of marketing activities that support business objectives.

1.2

Evaluate the customer demographic  and target market  for the business as a basis for marketing strategies.

1.3

Determine marketing  objectives and strategies  in consultation with relevant people  and according to the business plan.

2

Determine a marketing mix for the business.

2.1

Balance volumes and pricing of service and product mix to optimise turnover and profit.

2.2

Evaluate costs and benefits of providing different services  and product ranges  and consider the results in determining the marketing mix of the business.

2.3

Determine the marketing mix according to market and business needs, legislation , codes and national standards relevant to the workplace .

3

Implement marketing strategies.

3.1

Brief persons involved in the marketing effort  on their roles and responsibilities to ensure the success of marketing strategies.

3.2

Plan and implement promotional activities  according to marketing objectives and budgetary requirements.

4

Monitor and improve marketing performance.

4.1

Regularly monitor marketing activities and evaluate business performance against targets.

4.2

Analyse performance gaps  and take corrective action or set new targets.

4.3

Encourage relevant people to propose ways to improve marketing performance.

4.4

Seek customer reaction  to all aspects of the marketing mix, and analyse to improve targeting and outcomes.

4.5

Conduct ongoing research of customer requirements to identify opportunities for change and improvement.

4.6

Monitor changes in market opportunities and investigate new business opportunities that assist business development.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

Required skills 

The following skills must be assessed as part of this unit:

• communication skills that take into account the culture, background and abilities of suppliers, staff and clients, while demonstrating communication techniques, including:

• listening and questioning techniques
• verbal and non-verbal communication skills
• negotiation techniques

• literacy skills to:

• research, analyse and interpret marketing information
• prepare reports
• document results

• numeracy skills to:

• calculate fixed and variable costs
• calculate team and individual target turnover
• determine and monitor stock level costs and turnover
• evaluate business turnover and profit
• interpret and maintain data
• set and manage budgets for marketing and promotion

• problem-solving skills to identify performance gaps and take corrective action
• technology skills to use salon business and marketing software as a research, planning and evaluation tool
• record-keeping skills to:

• organise marketing research
• track progress towards the achievement of marketing goals.

Required knowledge 

The following knowledge must be assessed as part of this unit:

• current and desired business demographic
• target market for the business
• risks and benefits of the marketing strategies outlined in the range statement in the context of the particular business
• risks and benefits of the promotional activities outlined in the range statement in the context of the particular business
• range and availability of new products and services
• sources of product supply
• valid methods for measuring and evaluating customer reaction to marketing and promotional strategies in the context of the particular business.

EVIDENCE GUIDE 

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit 

Evidence of the following is essential:

• developing a mix of marketing and promotional strategies that complement the business
• implementing and regularly monitoring and adjusting the marketing and promotional strategies to optimise the chances of business success
• maintaining, monitoring and evaluating service and sales delivery
• regularly and accurately maintaining records and interpreting data on service and sales delivery
• applying research skills to investigate and evaluate market opportunities for the business.

Context of and specific resources for assessment 

Assessment must ensure:

• that competency is consistently demonstrated over a period of time and observed by the assessor or the technical expert working in partnership with the assessor as described in the Assessment Guidelines
• that competency is demonstrated in the workplace or a simulated workplace environment in a range of situations which may include client interruptions and involvement in other related activities normally expected in the workplace.

Assessment must ensure access to:

• relevant salon business software
• appropriate text and online research resources
• information regarding relevant business networks and experts
• appropriate marketing and promotional documentation and resources normally used in personal services businesses, including sample organisational strategic and marketing plans
• simulated data and information records from relevant previous marketing research activities in personal services businesses
• direct marketing activity data
• relevant industry codes of practice.

Methods of assessment 

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

• direct observation of the learner undertaking the marketing and promotional tasks in for an actual or simulated personal services business, over sufficient time to demonstrate handling of a range of contingencies, including:

• developing and integrating a full range of marketing strategies to expand and diversify the client base
• maintaining and improving client re-booking
• increasing average client spending
• evaluating the outcomes of strategies

• portfolio of evidence demonstrating the planning, implementation and evaluation of marketing and promotional strategies designed to improve business turnover, including the analysis and evaluation of customer reactions
• case studies related to specific salon marketing and promotional scenarios
• third-party reports from technical experts
• written and oral questioning appropriate to the language and literacy level of the learner, to assess the required skills and knowledge of this unit.

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

• BSBSMB404A Undertake business planning
• SIBXPSM502A Manage treatment services and sales delivery.

RANGE STATEMENT 

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Customer demographic  may include:

• residential and 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
• 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, 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
• accountants or other specialist services
• family members
• team members
• regulatory bodies
• suppliers.

Services  may include:

• full range of hairdressing services
• areas of hairdressing service specialisation
• full range of beauty services
• areas of beauty service specialisation
• complementary services available from the same business.

Product ranges  may include:

• professional hairdressing products
• professional beauty products
• retail hair care products
• retail skin care products
• sundry hair or beauty 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 or territory, and local government legislative requirements affecting business operation, especially in regard to:

• occupational health and safety and environmental issues
• equal employment opportunity
• industrial relations
• 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
• 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
• inefficient time management of treatment
• 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.

Sector 

Cross-Sector

Competency field 

Personal Services Management