Did you ever consider how much a salon is like a football team?
You may laugh at that, but think about it! The game is nothing without its players and a salon is nothing without its stylists, so both are all about the human element.
The football team trains with coaches…many coaches! They have:
Throwing coaches,
Sideline coaches,
Running coaches,
Defensive coaches,
Offensive coaches, etc.
We have coaches of all descriptions as well. We have color technicians, cutting authorities, texture experts, etc. Then for the mental aspect of the game, the football franchise offers sports psychologists to encourage forward thinking and visualization techniques to instill a win-win attitude. In the salon industry we have salon managers and owners who give one-on-one coaching sessions to help each individual service provider develop as a professional and offer inspirational and motivational guidance.
The football game itself is all about time! Every second of the game is accounted for (if you forget the commercials!) in quarters, broken down into downs and minutes.
What can we learn from the football team? Let’s take a look at what makes a football team successful. The first thing is their game plan or their game book. As much time that is spent on the field is also spent in front of a board strategizing about plays, it is much like a chess game. They need to determine that if “A” does this, then “B” will do that. They hypothesize future actions on the playing field.
If we take that scenario and use it in our salon business, we have a better chance of determining the outcome of our future. Planning, planning and more planning will aid us in getting to where we want to go.
How much time are you spending in front of that blackboard to determine where it is you want to take your business? As a salon owner it is often hard to find to find the time in your busy day to do the planning, but it is an essential ingredient to your future success. Start scheduling planning time into your schedule, right now. Think like a Heismann Trophy winner!
Of course, team work plays a major role in the development of a winning football team. They have offensive and defensive teams in play at different times. They work in a coordinated fashion, replacing each other as the need arises. We have service providers and back-up staff that also come into play at different times. And it is this hand-off from service provider to support staff that can create huge success and profits in the salon.
Catherine has a game plan in place for her salon/spa business. She will be spending several days with the ownership group. Two of those days will be at a retreat, where they will strategize on every aspect of the salon. After analyzing their business they will then make informed decisions and set goals for the upcoming year!
It is imperative that we all spend time at the blackboard planning moves for the game!
And let’s not forget the huddle! Got to love the huddle – all those guys gathered in a tight circle to discuss the next move! So remember to use the huddle philosophy in the salon.
Get your group together before your first clients arrive and have a quick five minute group huddle. Set an up-beat tone, remind staff of promotions and news, any special clients to watch out for, etc. Above all, huddles help us function as a team and remind us all that we are part and a piece of the salon framework.
And finally, to finish off with the sports metaphor, take a look at how the stadiums keep their attendees informed. They have huge screens that post scores, do replays, give stats, and advertise products. We should be doing the same thing with our fans(clients)
- Inform them,
- Give stats,
- Advertise/ Promote
- Ask them to come back!
Now ask yourself: Are you going to PLAN for a winning season, or are you just going to HOPE? The ball is, as they say, in your hands, get running, and there it is….TOUCHDOWN!