We typically think of our competitors as rivals, but I always like to see if I can find a silver lining in seemingly negative situations. So it occurred to me that we can be grateful for our competition, because they help spur us on to be the very best we can be.
In the county where I live—and probably in most cities and suburbs—there is no shortage of nail salons. They seem to pop up on every corner! I was travelling recently and found myself in need of a mani/pedi, so I stepped into a salon near my hotel. My experiences in nail salons have all been pretty indistinguishable from each other. You’re asked to pick out a color and shown a chair.
As I was heading toward the wall of polishes, I was stopped in my tracks when the woman at the door welcomed me warmly and asked if I’d like some water. As I took my seat, a sparkling glass of water appeared, complete with a slice of lemon. The woman then switched on the chair’s gentle massage setting, and I sank into the chair to relax and take in my surroundings.
I was delighted to see dishes of candy and pretzels available for their clients, as well as pots of beautiful orchids. By this time, it dawned on me that this was not your ordinary nail salon. As my fingertips slipped into the cream, which had been warmed to just the right temperature, I knew I was in for an extraordinary experience.
In an industry where competitors abound, the owners of this salon had succeeded in setting themselves apart from the others. Furthermore, they had done it with simple, inexpensive, yet memorable touches.
It’s easy to be “good enough.” In the case of the beauty industry, you want the work to be done well, the staff to be courteous, and the spa or salon to be clean. Good enough. The trick to staying ahead of the herd is to cross the good-enough threshold and imagine ways to go above and beyond it. Benchmarking best practices in your industry is one way to do it. Creating your own best practices by putting yourself in your customers’/clients’ shoes and using your creativity to develop ways to create extraordinary experiences for them is even better.