Salon Success Secrets

Eliminating Anxiety For New Talent

• Lindsay Lowe & Jen Booth

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The PAD Framework transforms salon communication by eliminating anxiety and building confidence in teams and with clients. We break down how Presence, Acknowledgement, and Duplication create powerful connections that lead to better retention of both staff and clients.

• Anxiety literally means "to choke" and can rob your team of presence, confidence, and connection ability
• The PAD Framework (Presence, Acknowledgement, Duplication) transforms communication and eliminates anxiety
• Presence requires getting out of your head, making eye contact, and being fully in the moment with people
• Acknowledgement is neutral – it doesn't mean agreement, just confirmation that you received the communication
• Duplication means repeating back exactly what someone said without adding or subtracting from it
• Clients don't leave salons because of technical skills but because they feel unseen, unheard, or unsupported
• The same principle applies to stylists – they leave when they don't feel valued by leadership
• Training in communication frameworks should come before technical training for new talent
• When anxiety is eliminated, confidence radiates and creates exceptional client experiences

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Speaker 1:

Welcome back to another episode of Salon Success Secrets, and today we're talking about something every salon leader, educator and beauty pro has felt. It's anxiety. You know that buzzing voice in your head that says buzzing voice in your head that says don't mess this up, or what if I'm not good enough, or what if they don't like me? Now here's the truth Anxiety will rob you, will actually rob your new talent of their presence, their confidence and their ability to connect. But what if we told you that there's a framework that literally eliminates that noise, a way to step into the most powerful version of yourself and become the communicator that everyone listens to.

Speaker 2:

Who doesn't want to be the communicator that everyone listens to? You know, this incredible framework is what we call the pad framework. You know, you always think, hey, in the middle of the night, when something comes up in your head, you wish you had a pad of paper to write it down on so that you could eliminate that thought. And what pad stands for is presence, acknowledgement and duplication. And when your team learns this, the shift is so magical it almost feels unfair, you know. But before we break down pad, I want to tell you a quick story. The other day, one of my newest team members left me a handwritten card, and we always give new team members a fun little welcome gift. You know that includes some products and skincare and, um, you know she. She said, you know she was thankful for all the stuff, that she was using and loving it.

Speaker 2:

But what she wrote next stopped me in my tracks. You know, she said what I'm most thankful for is that emotions are so high and you calmed all of my fear and anxieties. And when she said that, those disappeared. You know, think about that. She didn't thank me just for the retail or, you know, having a career map or any of that. It was exactly because the anxiety was gone. You know, and here's what I want you to think about as a salon owner, what if your salon became the place where new talent didn't just feel anxious? It's where they weren't just in their heads. You know, from the very first conversation they felt confident and calm because you gave them the tools to communicate with power wow, that's such a good story.

Speaker 1:

Uh, lindsey, I love that she even topped it off with a handwritten note to thank you. And it's so true. As a salon owner, we don't always realize how much anxiety a new team member has and how, like, just truly understanding what anxiety is, helping them understand that and then using this framework, how much magic can be created. And I'll never forget the one time when I learned that the word anxiety, the root word anxiety, actually means to choke, and so a lot of times, what was really freeing for me when I learned that is that I think it's a trendy word that people throw around a lot, and if you really truly understand the definition of what it means, understand the definition of what it means, I think it does help you recreate that. That the word you use, or the framework, because I see it in our companies as well, like when we bring those new hires in, they are just very anxious. You can almost feel that energy and then teaching them and you as the leader, having that pad framework can be such a beautiful tool. So let's get to the framework. Let's start with P, which P is presence, and you know presence is when you get out of your own head and into the room. You know, magic happens when you're fully there, like, think about this. Have you ever tried to talk to someone who's scrolling their phone while you're telling them something important? Like in that moment you almost feel like invisible. But when someone locks eyes, you know, sits down their distractions and really sees you, anxiety starts to dissolve.

Speaker 1:

We have our salon retreat coming up and we have two new team members They've met, they haven't even started. Actually, one had one day on board of onboarding and you know, when she um came in, I could tell we invited them to the salon retreat and you could tell they're very anxious because they didn't know what to expect. They didn't know what was, uh, what it was going to be about. And so, you know, I just sent her a really like great video saying, hey, we'd love to have you. And so, you know, I just sent her a really like great video saying, hey, we'd love to have you, it'd be a great way to get your career going. And then, when she came in that day for her first onboarding, you know, I high-fived her, I locked eyes with her and you know, the most beautiful part about that is she texts later on that night and said, hey, I made up my mind, I'll be at that salon retreat and I thought, wow, that's the power of presence, of really being there with someone.

Speaker 2:

I love that, jen, and you know that really ties in perfect to what you're talking about earlier too, with anxiety, like it's to choke, like when you think about it, like when someone's feeling anxious about something. There's something that there's they're choking on, you know, and it really makes me think of my kids always laugh when that. I'm sure you've probably heard the song anxiety. Okay, I'm not gonna go into a music career, but you know, you know I'm talking about really sing anxiety over and over.

Speaker 2:

Anytime it comes on the radio, I'm like we are absolutely not going to be listening to this song, not in my car, not today. We are not getting excited about choking Like, could you imagine having a song where they were like choking, you know what? That would never be a banger, you know. But it's so true, Like when you are present enough as a leader that you can acknowledge or that you can. You're so present that you can see, you can spot that somebody is choking in that moment and you can help free whatever that blockage is, you know, and really help give them some tools instantly as a leader. I love that. So when we look at that second step of the pad framework, we've already done presence, which is step number one. Then we get to acknowledgement, you know, and acknowledgement is the oxygen of human connection, you know. And so when you're new, you're desperate to know if you're doing something right, because anxiety can scream do I belong here? Do they see me? You know, but a simple acknowledgement, you know. Acknowledgement in in the sentence, but acknowledgement in general is great, you know. So simple acknowledgement could be like hey, I love how you handled that guest check-in. Or I noticed how prepared you came for your consultation. You know what that does is it starts to rewire that fear that somebody has going on, because, you know, acknowledgement can turn anxiety into assurance. You know they feel like, ok, I understand this. You know, I think too, if you've ever had a conversation with somebody where they don't acknowledge that you are talking to them, it can feel like a persuasive conversation can turn into a convincing conversation really quickly. You know, I know I had a person who is who I shared a close relationship with for a lot of years, who did not acknowledge. You know things that I said, just simple acknowledgement, like got it, I hear you? Yes, you know, even a head shake. There's so many different ways that you can acknowledge during a conversation. I think you know, if you've ever held a salon celebration or a team meeting, you know maybe you've noticed like hey, there's not a lot of acknowledgement from the crowd. And you know, acknowledgement truly is the oxygen of human connection and when it's missing you can feel it. And we actually just had a. We're going through our leadership mindset mastery program. I think there's seven new leaders on my team that have identified themselves, as you know, future leaders who are going through this course and yesterday when we were, we actually were talking about acknowledgement, and you know how acknowledgement is actually a neutral thing.

Speaker 2:

A lot of people put meanings on words that don't exist. You know, like I think one of the biggest ones that stands out for me there is the word consequence. You know, everybody usually thinks consequences are bad. Um, but consequence, the word itself, is a very neutral meaning. It's like the, you know, outcome of a specific set of actions. So it's not good or bad. Like a lot of times we'll think that it's bad because our consequences growing up, maybe we're you've gotten trouble. But also the consequence of doing good things is good things can happen, you know. And so how this all relates to acknowledgement is.

Speaker 2:

Acknowledgement is a very neutral word. It doesn't mean you're agreeing or disagreeing with somebody, it just means that you receive the communication that they gave to you. And so even just helping, you know people understand that like hey, if it's a really crazy situation that they're in, they still want to acknowledge the person. Like when a person tells them all this stuff, you can simply say got it, or thank you, or I hear you, or you know, just keeping that acknowledgement neutral can still be one of the most powerful tools, but it lets the other person know I received it. I got it. I acknowledge what you said to me.

Speaker 1:

So good, what a what a game changer. I love that, lindsay. So we've gone over presence, we've gone over acknowledgement and now let's head to the D of the framework, which is actually duplication. And so this is the game changer. You guys, you know, duplication is repeating back what you heard, you know, to prove you under, to prove that you understand. And when you think about it, when you're duplicating something, you want to say it exactly and precisely, as is not adding anything to it, not subtract anything to it, because one of the greatest human needs is to feel heard. And so when you learn to duplicate, you know what a new team member is saying. And then you also teach them to duplicate too when it comes to working with guests. You know that really is a magical moment.

Speaker 1:

And when you think about it, an example of this would be like hey, tell me what's most important for you to learn on your first day? That would be a great question to ask a new team member. And they say, oh, I need to know where to put my stuff. And you spend the entire day going over things and you don't really, you know, acknowledge or duplicate that. They say, hey, I need to know where to put my stuff. It actually breaks that trust. I need to know where to put my stuff. It actually breaks that trust.

Speaker 1:

And so really being able to duplicate, repeat back, understand what's important for them, not add anything to it help get that answer they're searching for. Like that helps to build the relationship and it's also teaching them too about the power of duplication. You know from a guest perspective. You know if a guest says, hey, I want to feel lighter, fresher and more like myself and your new talent says so, you're looking for a cut that feels um, airy and, you know, effortless, uh, something that gives you a fresh version of yourself, like the guest instantly feels heard. And when new talent starts to practice that duplication, their confidence skyrockets. You as a leader. When you practice that duplication, your confidence skyrockets too. You know they stop thinking about that next question and start leaning into the connection.

Speaker 2:

Yes, you know, I'll never forget when I was shadowing a consultation quite some time ago, but the beauty pro was, you know, asking good questions, but she was clearly distracted and you know, she was glancing around, like almost like she was like looking for a clock, or down at her tools, or you know she was clearly in her head. What was is what was going on, you know. And so that, yes, that she was working down, working with she like totally shut down, you know, her answers became short, her arms were like crossed, you know, and the service that followed was totally transactional. There was no transformation that was created at all. You know so. But imagine now if that same consultation had presence. There was eye contact. You know she was leaning in or taking notes, or you know some way letting her know that she was getting it and then acknowledging it. You know, thank you for sharing that. You know, I love that. You're looking for more movement. You know, then, duplication. So, if I'm hearing you right, you'd love to keep your length, um, but add texture so it doesn't feel heavy or whatever it is. You know, do you feel that difference? You know, anxiety replaced with connection. It's like fear replaced with trust, and that's truly pad and action.

Speaker 2:

And you know we talk about this a lot like how do you duplicate? Because a lot of times you know a guest will come in and they'll say I want chunky highlights and the. You know, if you are a stylist, you'd be like oh so you want to see like some pops of color, and they're. They're like no, I want chunky highlights. Oh so you want some like stripes, and they're like no, I want chunky highlights. Oh so you want some like stripes, and they're like no, I want chunky highlights. You know, just duplicate what they say and then you can ask more questions to understand it deeper, got it? So you want chunky highlights? Perfect, okay, Do you have any pictures, any inspiration of what chunky highlights are to you? I'd love to dive deeper into this look, you know so. So really duplicating what they say and then, you know, putting it into action, because that that truly is how you use pad to win, using pad to win.

Speaker 1:

I love that. So let's put all this together for you as a salon owner and leader and think about this If you truly want to eliminate turnover, if you want to build confident new talent that guests trust instantly, you can't just train them in balayage and blowouts or haircutting, like you've got to train them in communication frameworks like pad as well. Actually, that's one of the greatest things I feel like we should train first before we actually get into the skillset stuff. Um, because here's the truth, you guys, is people like guests don't leave salons because of hair. They leave because they feel unseen, unheard or unsupported.

Speaker 1:

And the flip side of that is true with people leaving salons. I think people leave salons sometimes because they don't feel seen, they don't feel heard or they don't feel supported as well. And so when you train new talents and you help them master pad, not only does their anxiety melt away, but your guests feel that calm confidence too. And guests and guess what calm confidence guests do? They come back, you know, they rebook, they refer and they truly rave about your business and your salon.

Speaker 2:

Now, if you're listening to this right now, you know, I know you want that kind of an environment. You want your team walking in with their heads held high, anxiety gone, confidence radiating and guests saying this was the best consultation I've ever had. You know, the question is how do you get your whole team there consistently every day? I'll tell you, but first I want you to imagine this. You know, imagine what changes when every beauty pro on your team feels powerful in the conversation. You know, imagine what happens to your retention, to your referrals, to your revenue. Imagine what it feels like when you're no longer carrying the anxiety for your team because they know how to eliminate it themselves.

Speaker 2:

You know we built a brand new program inside of Salon Business School to do exactly this. It's called Million Dollar Beauty Pro, and here's the belief that we stand on Team-based beauty pros earn millions more, not just in revenue, which they will do, but in impact in revenue, which they will do, but an impact in confidence and an influence. You know, and inside of this program we go deep into frameworks like pad, but also into sales. You know how do they overcome those limiting beliefs around selling. It's the one of most beautiful things on earth when you know how to do it the right way without being pushy. You know we talk about service mindset, leadership. You know, and your team doesn't just know what to do. They become million dollar communicators who can change lives behind the chair.

Speaker 1:

So good, million dollar communicators. So you guys, here's the next step Pull out your phone right now or, if you're looking at it, get to your text message. Text the word pro to us, that's it, just text pro. You'll get the details on million dollar beauty pro and you'll see how we're equipping salon teams everywhere to eliminate anxiety. Clip in salon teams everywhere to eliminate anxiety, to master communication and create million dollar results. Because the truth is, anxiety doesn't have to run your salon. Presence acknowledgement and duplication can All right.

Speaker 2:

Sorry, jen, if you're wondering where to send that text, to send it to four, six, nine, two, eight, three, five, five, nine zero. So the word pro P? R? O to four, six, nine, two, eight, three, five, five, nine zero.

Speaker 1:

I left out the most important part, didn't I?

Speaker 2:

I was so excited.

Speaker 1:

You guys want to get to pro text. The world pro it's coming.

Speaker 2:

Awesome, all right Beauty pros, leaders, salon owners, go practice pad this week. Watch the magic unfold and when you're ready to give your team this transformation, text us the word. Pro, we can't wait to see you soon.