Slump Busters

Professional athletes experience slumps, especially baseball players. Baseball players may go several games without a hit. Failure at the plate can get into a player’s head, testing a players mental and physical fortitude. And slumps can affect the best players in the game. Bryce Harper who was the MVP of the league in 2015, hit a paltry .143 from May to June in 2018. The main reason why professional baseball players slump is because hitting a baseball is considered the hardest thing to do in sports.  

Kitchen and bath showrooms can also experience their fair share of slumps, especially as showroom traffic begins to wane, bids become more competitive, or they hit a bad streak when nothing seems to go right. How do showrooms get out of slumps?  The same techniques that baseball players use to overcome their challenges can be used by showroom owners and team members to get back on the winning track. Focus on things that you can control. Have the right approach.  Be aggressive when new opportunities present themselves. Be hyper competitive, believing that you can beat every other showroom in your market territory.

Perspective is another tool to use to break out of slumps. There are always ups and downs in business and if running a showroom was easy, everyone would do it. Hard times don’t last forever.  Keep on griding and keep moving forward.

Celebrate singles until you get the opportunity to hit a home run. Big wins are great, but they don’t happen every day.  Showrooms have small wins on every project. Don’t overlook aspects of projects that went better than expected.  Recognizing the smallest of wins can boost morale.

Focus on your and team member's strengths. Before you leave the showroom, write down two or three actions that you or team members did well and share those with team members via a hand-written note.  Simply expressing gratitude can make you and your team feel better and focus on what is going well instead of harping on failures.

If you are on a losing streak, change your mindset.  Tiny wins can be the catapult to keep your perspective and lead to the home run.  Don’t be the naysayer for your team. The power of positivity and help turn little wins into major celebrations.