Why Being the Best in the World…Is Your Only Choice!

Our culture celebrates superstars.  We reward the product or song or the business or the employee who is number #1.  The rewards are heavily skewed…in fact it’s not uncommon that the top person gets 10 times more than the tenth person or 100 times more than the 100^th person. 

Winners win big because the marketplace loves a winner.  There is actually a law that explains this phenomenon called Zipf’s law and it applies to almost everything.  Even to the salon industry!  

Look, as humans, we have limited time and patience.  And because of this…we intentionally narrow our choices to those at the top.   Is it any wonder that the top position in Google gets almost 42% of the hits whereas the 10^th position in Google gets less than 3%.  The dropoff to number two is even more staggering…that position gets only 11% of the hits.  About 4 times less than number #1! 

Well, in the salon industry, it’s the same thing.  And if you think that the very best stylist or the very best salon owner does not do “multiples better” than the 10^th best…you’re sadly mistaken.  They do and they’re worth every penny of it. 

So being the very best in your world (your marketplace) is paramount to your success.  But what is the one thing that gets in everybody’s way without fail? 

It is what Seth Godin refers to as “The Dip”.  The dip is the thing that prevents you from being world-class at anything.  It’s the thing that happens to every one of us when we strive to be the best at anything.  And if you know how…and when it occurs…you can push yourself into being world-class.  Let me give you an example that will probably hit home. 

Remember when you opened your salon?  You started out and you were all excited.  You put in a ton of effort and you started getting some great results.  Then the dip occurred.  The dip is the long slog of time between starting and mastery.  It’s the long stretch between beginner’s luck and real accomplishment.  

To be the best “Salon owner”…you need to be good at a lot of things.  You need to be good at management, hiring, firing, looking at the numbers, marketing, staff meetings, inventory control, etc.  That is the dip. 

The people that set out to make it through the dip – that invest the time and energy and the effort to power through the dip – become the best in the world.  It’s hard!  That’s why there are only a few people who actually become world class at anything. 

And stylists are no different.  When they start out…they’re willing to do and learn almost anything.  They get their first checks and they think “this is easy”.  Then the dip occurs.  It’s often when a stylist has to learn something new or re-invent or rebuild their skills.  The ones that realize that they have to “master” their craft and add other skills like listening, product knowledge, salesmanship, and being on time…are the ones that become superstars.  They’re the ones that are booked 8 weeks out and can’t take on any new clients. 

They’re also the ones that can raise their prices in any environment because they’re rare.  Most people settle on mediocrity…unfortunately for them.  They’re the ones with 70% client retention rates on regular clients and lose 3 out of every 10 new clients.  They’re average…and our society does not reward average! 

Well, whether you’re a stylist reading this…or a salon owner (or a salon manager)…you’ve probably experienced the dip.  And about 98% of you…are in the midst of it now.  Find out what you need to do – to get to the other side.  Because being world-class is where it’s at. 

If you don’t believe me…then why do you think we only like to do what we’re already good at?  When faced with the dip…most people just suck it up and try to average their way to success.  It never works.  To be a superstar…you have to be exceptional. 

We hear all the time that life is too short.  Are you wasting your life being average?  Go ahead and make something happen…um…We’re waiting! 

P.S. Go out today and buy Seth Godin’s book “The Dip”…he’s the best in the world at what he does…it’s takes about 2 hours to read it.   It will save you years of wasting your time.  The first few sentences were actually his…I couldn’t write it any better.

Best Regards, Steve Sampson

HairMax Salon Software is a product designed to be the best investment your salon has ever made.  It is not only the easiest and most powerful salon software on the market.  It is from a company dedicated to becoming the ultimate VALUE source to the industry.