Targets can be a powerful tool for growing your salon or they can quietly do more harm than good. The difference comes down to how they’re set, communicated and supported. When targets feel arbitrary or unachievable, they create pressure without purpose. But when they’re thoughtful and tied to something meaningful, they energise your team and drive real results. Here’s how to get it right.
1. Make targets personal, not just business-driven
A revenue target that serves the salon’s bottom line isn’t automatically motivating for the person behind the chair. The most effective targets are ones that feel relevant to the individual. That might mean tying targets to a team member’s personal income goals, their career progression, or a skill they’re working to develop. When your team can see a direct connection between hitting their target and something they care about, the motivation becomes intrinsic rather than imposed.
2. Set targets that stretch without overwhelming
There’s a fine balance between a target that challenges someone and one that feels impossible from day one. If your team looks at their targets and immediately feels defeated, those numbers aren’t going to inspire action. Aim for goals that require genuine effort but are clearly within reach with consistency. Starting slightly above current performance and building from there is a much more sustainable approach than setting aspirational numbers that have no basis in reality.
3. Make progress visible
One of the most underrated parts of target-setting is making sure your team can see how they’re tracking in real time. When progress is invisible, it’s easy to lose momentum or not realise there’s a gap to close until it’s too late. Kitomba’s targets and incentives feature lets each team member see their own performance against their goals, which keeps things front of mind and gives them the information they need to adjust their approach during the week, not after it.
4. Celebrate the wins, big and small
Hitting a target deserves recognition. Not every achievement needs a grand gesture, but acknowledging progress, whether it’s a shoutout in a team meeting, a message in the group chat, or a small reward, goes a long way towards building a culture where people feel seen and valued. Teams that feel recognised are more engaged, more motivated, and more likely to keep pushing towards the next goal.
Targets work best when they feel like a shared pursuit rather than a top-down requirement. When your team understands the why behind the numbers and feels supported along the way, they stop being a source of stress and start becoming a genuine driver of growth.
Want to see how Kitomba’s targets and incentives feature works?