The word acting can quickly fill tummies with butterflies, thoughts of memorizing elaborate scripts and for most, it means coming face-to-face with the most terrifying fear of all… the paralyzing angst of possibly embarrassing yourself in front of any kind of audience. Oh my! This seemingly uncontrollable full-body reaction is triggered by the fear of making a mistake, going blank, rejection or looking foolish or stupid.
Okay, take a breath and relax. Don’t confuse terrible actors or a bad act with “acting” itself. The word really just refers to the taking of deliberate action to connect with your audience, who, for the purpose of your job in the salon, is any guest who walks into the facility.
Too many tanning salon operators fail to act, behaving the exact same way on the tanning salon business stage as they do when they are not at work. This “go through the motions,” clock in/clock out mentality trains your bronze beauty-seeking guests to follow that pattern too, never trying anything new and never really being engaged or inspired at all during their salon visits.
Your role as a salon professional is really just about making a choice. Everybody acts differently depending who they’re in front of at any moment. Not fake or phony! We simply choose what part of ourselves we want to reveal based on who we’re with at that moment. Whether it’s a friend, family member, acquaintance, boss, colleague or salon guest, we make conscious choices on how we will act. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call this process “getting into character.”
Which character do you choose? (And be honest with yourself, because I can’t hear your answer!) Do you choose to offer your guests an engaging tanning experience? OR, do you choose to stand at the counter to ask for names, scan finger prints, point to a tanning room and occasionally sell a lotion when someone actually answers, “NO! I’m not all set with my tanning lotion today.”?
A Quick Guide to Getting Into Perfect Character Every Time You Step Onto Your Salon Business Stage:
Attitude. Zoom in on exactly why it is that you show up to work. The big ones: Gotta pay bills. Gotta eat. Love to shop. Mani/Pedi? Maybe even learn new life skills, or probably a little bit of all these reasons. Zoom in, and then choose the attitude that will best help you get what you need and want.
Audience. Be laser-focused on what your guests want from you and your salon and deliver that to them. The big ones: to look good, to feel good about themselves and sometimes to just relax or get away from work. Or, could be just to treat themselves to a little “me time.” Whatever the reason is, you should know it and act on it.
Practice. Great actors prepare and practice. Ask yourself one question: how can I deliver a more engaging experience to our salon guests? By making their regular visits more of a treat than an automated routine? By sharing your inside knowledge about a lotion that is perfect for their skin? Or making a guest feel good just ‘cuz you’re happy to see them? Note what each guest needs and then, practice the action that makes it happen for them.
