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Are Your Salon and Spa Customers Under Serviced?

Guest post by: Caroline Nelson

Article Overview: Article by: Caroline Nelson is a beauty industry specific business coach & author Teaser Copy: Learn how to make the most of every customer encounter. How to deliver the most professional salon or spa skincare service.

Are Your Salon and Spa Customers Under Serviced?

In fact do you really know what their skin care needs, wants and desires might be? Or has your business just become a pamper palace? One of the biggest problems I see currently facing the beauty industry began with the advent of the spa concept. This happened when we the aestheticians became as relaxed as our customers. Relaxation became the prime importance and unfortunately treatment results and solutions took a back seat.

Now please don't get me wrong, I love the spa concept, and in fact did own a day spa for twelve years, one that successfully combined real salon spa treatment results, relaxation and fully servicing client home care requirements.

What really saddened me is the fact that as an industry we have allowed our market share to be eroded by the large international commercial cosmetic companies who have focused on giving the customer their "needs, wants and desires" in retail skin care. And because we took our eyes-off-the-ball we have all but lost our retail business while everyday their sales market share grows larger.

It's now time to turn the tide around and fight to get our retail sales market share back. But how can we accomplish this? I believe we can do it by being the "experts" we trained to be. We must stop pussy footing around and get back to the basics. And the basics are:

 Client questionnaires

 Analysis/Consultation

 Full treatment recommendations

 Results driven treatment

 Retailing all home care requirements

 Re-Book and Pre-Book

 Following-up on results

Now at this time you may be saying "We do all this" but do you. And if it's done, how effectively is it? Let's take each basic and see how expertly it's attended to.

Client questionnaires: Client questionnaires must and should always be completed, however if they don't ask the right questions they could just be useless. Apart from the usual questions regarding medical history etc what else should you know. The most important would be "what are your real skin care concerns", and have an easy check list that can be ticked off. And when you treat the skin always, always treat these needs first - because you may never get the chance to again. This is "make or break time", don't treat their needs, wants and desires and never see the client again.

Analysis/Consultation: Using the best available diagnostic tools analysis the skin conditions and combined with all gathered information, and in respect of client desired results discuss full treatment recommendations. I would also recommend attending an Advanced Analysis training program to sharpen up your skills in this area.

Full treatment recommendations: Are just that - don't pre-judge, just professionally recommend the course or program that will met and surpass the client's expectations. Always offer options, including payment options if a program is recommended. And never ever close the client's wallet or pocket book for them. It must always be their decision. Don't pre-judge if they can or can not afford the service. It is only your job to present your expert recommendation.

Results driven treatment: Many clients are lost after the first treatment this is most often because the aesthetician took the too gentle approach. To get the results the client wants will sometime take a combination of treatment modalities. Communication with the client is vital, and should be in a positive confident voice. As a professional it is your duty to fully educate the client on the treatment procedure to be used, the products and their benefits. This is pre-selling and will ensure a far higher retailing rate. But above all, get the maximum results you can safely deliver, and explain how these results will be built upon with additional treatment. Recommend the full goal plan.

Retailing Home Care: The correct home care routine not only supports in-salon treatment, it is the Key to corrective skin therapy. The professional is the expert not the girl in the department store make. Make sure the client knows this. An as the expert make sure you are completely fully and up-to-dated product knowledge trained. Confidence comes from knowing your products well. The other important aspect to home care is the client must be educated on all product benefits and their correct usage.

Re-Book and Pre-Book: Re-book for the next treatment and pre-book for a program of treatments.

Following up on results: This shows professional care and attention, and should be part of the service and is the way you can ascertain where the clients full "needs, wants and desires" and been met. If not it gives you the chance to correct the situation. I suggest contacting the client 48 - 72 hours after a first time service or retail. It is also advisable to contact all clients who are on a new treatment or retail program.

© Copyright Caroline Nelson 2012

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Article Tags: better communication, better productivity, better sales, business, business owner, day spa, improve communication, improve productivity, improve sales, increase productivity, increase sales, manager, more communication, more sales, salon, salon manager, salon owner, salon spa, spa, spa owner



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