The CEA Annual Convention, July 25-28 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, will include: 

We’ve been featuring State Relations Committee members each week in WINK, but we’ve also had the pleasure of adding several more members to the team in recent weeks. This team’s responsibilities include the monitoring of regulatory and legislative issues at the state level and communicating those issues to the membership.

A major goal is to create a network of advocates/watchdogs across the country who can mobilize our membership on important issues affecting their schools. If you have questions about regulations within your state, it’s important that you know who your AACS state representative is and that you contact them. Click here for a current list of committee members.

In case you missed last week’s issue of WINK, we wanted to share with you some highlights from our Spring Operations Conference. Check out the slideshow which features pictures from the event, including our live photo booth that was in the Expo Hall.

Heard at AACS Spring Conference: You can make your school’s Open House events more effective by inviting local salons and spas to host a job fair during the event. Think of the inspiration your prospective students will gain by seeing future jobs they could have in the beauty and wellness industry.

1. "I think a simple rule of business is, if you do the things that are easier first, then you can actually make a lot of progress." – Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder
   
   
2. "I pace myself by taking a weeklong vacation every four months." – Marissa Mayer, Yahoo! CEO
   
   
3. "Force yourself to prioritize so you will finish at least that one critical task when you have the most energy and the fewest distractions." – Tony Schwartz, CEO of The Energy Project
   
   
4. "My single most effective trick for getting things done is to stop doing what I’m doing and get some sleep." – Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post founder
   
   
5. "Work out." – Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder
   
   
6. "I get up around 4:30, and naturally the first thing I do is make some coffee." – Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and CEO

Uncover the secrets of today's successful businesses and their strategies of first-class customer service. RT105 – Raising the Bar to ‘First-Class’ Customer Service is a course in the AACS Online Training Center, facilitated by Dr. Jean Norris. You will learn the components of first impressions that can help you increase and keep your enrollments. Understand how to locate the specific areas of your operations where you can implement an improved customer service plan for your school—whether it is admissions, student services or academics. AACS members have access to a member-only VIP discount code.

Every instructor knows that an irate customer in the student salon or a meltdown in the classroom can disrupt an otherwise great day. However, these behavioral incidents don’t have to send a day off track if the principles of the "psy-cosmetology" are applied. Read this article by Dr. Lew Losoncy in the latest edition of BeautyLink. And be sure to attend the CEA Annual Convention in July to hear Dr. Losoncy as this year’s keynote speaker!