Achieving a “WOW experience” for clients is the goal – but are you consistently creating the same feeling for your team?

In the competitive salon, spa, and clinic industry, being “average” is no longer good enough. It’s about cultivating a culture where engaged employees deliver extraordinary experiences – every single day. This requires you to master what customer experience and leadership legend, Calvin Stovall, calls The Art of the WOW Experience. 

As an author and the CEO of ICONIC Presentations, LLC, Calvin is a native Chicagoan with nearly 30 years of leadership expertise, earned in the hospitality and non-profit industries. His unique, high-energy style, informed by his passion for soul music, engages audiences nationwide as he shares practical principles for organizations looking to reach ICONIC status. 

Calvin recently conquered the main stage at our 10th Phorest Summit, leaving a wake of infectious energy and electrifying charisma behind. Whether he’s channeling his Soul Train moves or singing along to Queen's We Will Rock You, when Calvin’s in the room, you can’t miss him.

If you’re ready to stop settling and start building and maintaining an extraordinary business, you’re in the right place. 

You Have To “Move Like You Mean It” 

Calvin’s philosophy demands a fundamental shift in your mindset and how you approach your business. A simple framework, he notes, can help any organization or individual achieve lasting success. By studying the world’s most enduring brands, Calvin developed The Iconic Framework, urging leaders to redefine their potential and push the boundaries of what’s possible. This process of fundamental shift and redefinition is the first stage in The Art of the WOW Experience.

“What makes your salon, spa, or clinic inimitable in the eyes of your customers?” 

Think of the greats: Iconic brands like Disney are known for creating magic. Chick-fil-A is a standout for exceptional customer service with their three-time-repeated phrase, my pleasure. You too can gain clarity on your inimitable quality – the major “thing” that defines what you stand for and what you want your customers to know you for.

The Iconic Framework

A four-pillar framework designed by Calvin to help your business last a long, long time:

1. Be Unique: What sets you apart from the competition? Your purpose and your ‘why’ are essential, as the rest of the framework won’t work without it.
2. Be Authentic: This isn’t just about being yourself; it’s about actively walking in your customers’ and employees' shoes. This requires empathy, humility, and transparency as a leader.
3. Be Passionate: You can accomplish anything with passion – a trait you either have or you don’t. Lead with vitality and vigor, as your team will mirror what they see.
4. Be Consistent: Never get complacent. Focus on what matters most, and never let success cause you to become too comfortable. 

Define Your What, Where, & Why

Why do you exist beyond what you do or sell?

Calvin hits on the importance of knowing your mission (the “what”), having vision (the “where”), and defining your purpose (the “why”). As a business owner, knowing your intrinsic motivator is what gets you out of bed every day and off to work. 

This is no easy feat and requires a deep dive into understanding. Start by asking: Who are we, and what needs do we fulfil in society? Calvin also recommends listening to Simon Sinek’s “Start with Why” – an incredible 18-minute Ted Talk. 

In addition to discovering your purpose, culture is paramount to longevity and retention. 

Culture is Everything – Period.

Management expert, Peter Drucker, said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” This powerful message underpins Calvin’s beliefs around culture. He explains that a business can have the best plan and a flawless strategy, but without an engaged, excited team eager to come to work, it’s all for nothing.

As a quick exercise, try asking yourself two questions: 

1. What would people say about your business when you’re not there?
2. What do they say about you as a leader when you're not there? 

What was your initial reflection? Perhaps your customers feel welcomed during every visit and consistently give high praise. However, you might find your employees feel differently about your leadership, saying you’re often too busy, standoffish, or that they feel neglected.

Consider this data Calvin shared from Gallup’s Q¹² engagement survey, which is based on research on highly engaged teams and helps leaders understand the effects of engagement on business outcomes. 

• They are 78% less likely to experience absenteeism 
• They see 21% lower turnoverfor high-turnover organizations

Engagement is critical. The culture you keep needs to be a constant focus, and it needs to be maintained and nurtured for consistency. 

Now It’s Time to “Amp it Up!”

The customer experience is driven by the employee experience. In fact, 75% of your brand's perception is driven by those who employ your team. So when Calvin tells you to “amp it up” – the second step in The Art of Wow Experience – he’s directly addressing your internal culture. 

The promise is clear: If you take care of your employees, they’ll take care of you, and by extension, the customer.

But here’s the challenge: A Gallup report found that 70% of employees are not engaged at work, a disconnect that costs the global economy $8.8 trillion annually in lost productivity. Calvin explains that a leader is directly responsible for reversing this trend.

How to Be the “Hype Person” of Your Business:

• Own the Engagement: Leaders are responsible for engaging, empowering, and inspiring their team. Employees are happier when their boss provides resources, listens to their concerns, and considers their well-being. 
• Fight Soundbite Culture: With everything fast-paced and at your fingertips, Calvin highlights the importance of leaders to prioritize dialogue with 1:1 meetings and team huddles to form genuine connections. 
• Remember Your Two Customers: You have two customers – internal (your team) and external (your clients). Invest time in making both happy. Know your team and show up for your customers.
• Acknowledge & Appreciate: The simple gesture of saying “thank you” goes a long way. Acknowledge and celebrate your people’s successes – big or small. 
• Cultivate Mindset: Think of your mindset as a magnet. If you focus on problems, you attract problems. If you focus on solutions, you attract solutions. 

Remember to “Never Lose the Beat”

The third and final step in Calvin’s The Art of Wow Experience is all about staying curious and on top of consumer behaviors and industry shifts.  

The failure to innovate or change can mean the failure of a business. Calvin uses the example of Blockbuster when Netflix came on the scene. Blockbuster’s assumption that customers would happily collect DVDs and video games forever didn’t happen. Their failure to innovate or change caused them to fall behind and ultimately led to bankruptcy with the arrival of streaming. 

It’s vital to always ask yourself: What can we do better? 

Your customers are on a quest for the next best thing, always. If you know that, if you’re asking questions and continually trying to improve, you will “never lose the beat.”

[Spotify embed]: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4nHDtUx3EayY5bQHM1PXEo?si=oEuojlfnQVi0ks1wa_ksmQ&nd=1&dlsi=da6e36ba57bc409b

Your Partner for an Iconic Workplace Culture

To build an inimitable, long-lasting brand, each customer interaction your team has should be positive – more than just functional and transactional. This is where the right management software becomes your friend (and strategic asset).

The Phorest platform helps you execute on Calvin’s practical customer experience and leadership principles, making your culture stronger and your business more efficient and successful. 

The WOW Experience at Every Stage 

1. Pre-Appointment: The First Impression

The WOW Experience begins before the client ever steps foot through the door. 

• Online Booking: A confusing booking process can break a great first impression. Phorest’s 24/7 Online Booking is seamlessly integrated with your website and social channels. Clients can schedule, rebook, and manage their appointments effortlessly.

2. During the Appointment: Cultivating Connection

A client’s physical presence is your greatest opportunity to forge an emotional bond through personalization. 

• Client Management: Make your clients feel seen. Phorest’s software gives your team consumer insights and information to really personalize the experience. Imagine a staff member saying, “Welcome back. I noticed you needed those new products last time, and we have them in-stock and ready for you.” This turns a transaction into a connection and deepens customer loyalty. 
• Client Loyalty Program: Phorest’s Digital Loyalty Program increases revenue while instantly rewarding and recognizing your clients. This makes customers feel valued, provides extra incentive for their continued business, and allows you to track success and maximize client lifetime value with built-in reporting. 

3. Post-Appointment: Ensuring Consistency & Longevity

The client’s experience lingers long after they walk out the door. Consistency is key to ensuring they return and the relationship lasts. 

• Automated SMS & Email: Keep your salon, spa, or clinic full. Through automated SMS and email confirmations, reminders, rebooking, and review requests, the WOW experience lives on. Phorest’s Rebooking and Client Reconnect features re-engage and draw clients back through the door. 
• 5-Star Online Reviews: When you make a memorable experience, customers become your advocates. Phorest’s review feature maximizes your online reputation by automatically prompting happy clients for reviews, generating referrals, and sending 5-star reviews to your Google or Facebook profile with one click.

If you’d like to explore and learn more about how Phorest Salon, Spa & Clinic Management Software can help personalize, simplify, and grow your business, visit our Features page here. 

Look Beyond Your Sector

Calvin learned a valuable lesson from his mamma growing up in Cabrini-Green, a housing project on Chicago’s Near North Side. She taught him and his younger brother to “never look at things in a vacuum.” It’s a big, beautiful world out there, and inspiration can come from anywhere. 

She always encouraged Calvin to look at the direct competition as well as outside of your industry. There are things happening around the world on an innovative scale that you can bring into your own business. 

The 10-90 Rule

Calvin acknowledges that leading a salon, spa, or clinic is tough. It comes with high demands, daily challenges, and the pressure of keeping a team engaged. But in the face of all that, there is one thing no one can ever take from you, he says. And that is your power of choice.

How are you going to feel on any given day? How will you react to an unexpected life or business situation? The choice is yours. 

The 10-90 Rule: Life is 10% what happens to us, and 90% how we react to it. 

Calvin’s Final Mic Drop 

“It's up to you. You're the heart, you're the rhythm. And you're the soul of this industry. Let's go!”

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