Guest post by Colleen Fennell, TUBC student at our CNW Campus.
On April 30th, we took a field trip to Monte Clare bowling alley to see a presentation by Michael Cole. This was by far the best and most helpful class I have attended. He opened my eyes to different retail tactics, as well as ways to improve myself as an individual, both in my work and my personal attitude.
He talked to us about the difference between a “red” attitude and a “blue” attitude, red being negative and blue positive. He explained how having a “red” attitude can spiral into a tornado of negative energy, pulling everyone near it into it’s grasp. I know that there were plenty of people at this school who could relate with this idea, as everyone has seen something like this happen, whether with a guest, teacher, or another student. Michael taught us how we can avoid situations similar to the tornado of bad energy, and even how we can help to diffuse it if we do see something like that starting.
Other than the personal ideas, the most important lesson that I took away from his class was how to approach upsells, retail, and rebooking without guests. It’s amazing to me how simple the ideas are, but it took me hearing it explained by him for it to really “click” in my head. Even something as simple as pulling the chair out for our guest could be the selling point of them coming back to see us again.
Another thing that grabbed my attention is that instead of just talking to us, he included us in everything that he was doing, making us repeat key topics, and even making us laugh until we were in tears. I have a feeling that I wasn’t the only one that forgot that it was a class by the end of it. It seemed as if it was more of a conversation that he was having with us, while teaching us very important skills at the same time.
This was definitely one of the best experiences that I have had at Tricoci University, and as someone who is about to graduate, I know that I’ll use this information in the future, whether it be for continuing education or when I’m working in a salon.