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| Business > Articles > New Year's Blues? You May Be Sitting on a Gold Mine... |
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As the seasons leave the scene these couple of following winter months can seem bleak. However, don’t despair. These months before spring may seem slight but as with all hidden gems, the act of creating opportunity is in cut, setting and polishing. You may be sitting on a gold mine and just not know it!
The Faux Gems
Think of all of those individuals who passed through your spa this fall and holiday season simply seeking a gift, a manicure, a quick facial or a massage gift certificate. I assume that your point of sale tracked them; someone took great care of them and they left happy. Nonetheless, they left. Oh, my goodness…they had the audacity to leave the building without pre-booking. Say it isn’t true! Like a great date whose phone number you may have misplaced—get those people back into your spa now!
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At this time of the year if momentum isn’t derived from holiday sales by April or May, those individuals and new opportunities will be lost forever. Invite them back for a gift with purchase. Send a, “We miss you” note. Throw a party for the newbies. Get them hooked on the latest results-producing service. Very well presented fresh water pearls, cubic zirconias, and fire treated colored stones can become regular staples in your wardrobe when placed with the right core pieces of clothing. So too | | |
can these fly-by-night, could-be clients when treated well and redirected towards regular spa therapies. Have a, “getting to know you” revisit. Introduce these individuals to a new way of life…invite their friends.
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The Real Gems
When I owned spas I often said to clients, “I love the time I spend while you are at the spa. We all enjoy you. Can you invite more of you here? I really want to meet your friends.” The trick is that I really meant every word of it. I still miss those folks. I miss our conversations. I miss the rapid fire but precise razor haircut. I miss fixing skin issues and relieving pain through therapeutic touch. For me, the constant hum of activity, creativity and conversation was a bit like heaven. What I do know is that the 20% who sustain our growth are the ones who are left behind. Why? Hmmm…, did you ever notice as a child how much laundry your mother did? Probably not! Those who love us the most are oftentimes taken for granted.
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Those clients who come in weekly, tip lavishly and regularly frequent your spa for homecare items…gosh; maybe thank them?! I find it odd how soon we forget that they are the real ones writing the bi-monthly paychecks. But we instead lavish attention on gift certificate sales, annoying walk-ins and going no where opportunities to waste time. Please get married first and only then invite those less serious characters into your home for the occasional meal. If you really want to grow your business, ask the 20% who are faithful to help you. | |
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VIP them as you should have your mom. Give them their own phone line; make emergency appointments; make everything they need happen for them at their convenience. Make it happen for those who make it happen for you. At the very least kick off the New Year with an educational event, makeover party, product giveaway or referral promotion.
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Clean Sweep
Have a blow out sale and get rid of all of the products that aren’t selling. This can mean within a line as well as doing away with an entire line. Clearance sales are typically welcomed during this time of the year when folks are tabulating taxes and licking their wounds after a robust holiday season of spending. Further, bringing in new homecare and professional products allow you to create | | |
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new menu options, audit your treatment programming and reignite your staff. Once the shelves are clear and dusted bring in some exciting products and lavishly sample clients. Offer mini treatments as complimentary add-ons to favorite services.
With the same exuberance take a fresh look at your spa. Which rooms generate the most profit and why? Which services make sense? What treatments retain the most clients or generate series sales? Which operations and management practices make sense in a uniform manner as opposed to rules that just don’t quite fit anymore? Take a walk through the spa. Should some walls be torn down? Should some rooms be changed to suit your clients’ tastes in services? Is there enough office space? Are the phones too loud to be kept in the front end of the facility? Do your computers need to be upgraded? Be brutal, be honest and get moving. New Year’s resolutions apply to spas just as much as they do to inner thighs, cellulite and that grout that simply won’t get clean in your shower.
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Staffing: Your Spa’s Lifeblood
Introduce some new life into your spa. This doesn’t simply refer to your treatment protocols and menu. It also refers to your staffing choices and staff retention tactics. Your staff touches, speaks to, relates to and influences clients on a moment to moment basis. If they aren’t happy it shows. What’s more, in a customer service environment half of your product is lost if customer service isn’t above and beyond the standard. | |
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Creating a happy staff includes making both a personal and professional commitment to their success and well being. Education such as technical support, sales seminars and customer service guidance goes a long way towards making staff members more effective at their job. The freedom to speak out and have some autonomy over their craft and daily activities, familial support such as subsidized childcare, and self-improvement programs that teach initiative, leadership and reinforce self-esteem also both assist with performance as well as overall happiness. Make this year the best year yet for morale and profitability by integrating some new staff enhancement programs in your monthly mix of activities.
Consider creating opportunities for contests, product giveaways, bonuses, cash incentives and small yet thoughtful tokens of thanks. While budgeting is always an issue even the smallest of favors will encourage team spirit and enhance morale. Create opportunities for internships, staff referrals and retention. It is always a good time to thank your stars, build relationships and create opportunities within the ranks.
Finally
Make over your spa. Completely audit your business. Tear down walls, cut out the cancer, make decisions that will make a difference. You know the saying, “If you do what you have always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” Make some bold changes that will alter your current flight plan. New Year; new business!
Next Time: In a customer service industry the customer rules the planet. How do you determine if your staff is doing the right thing in those little dark rooms? When the phone rings or a walk in opportunity presents itself, how do you know if the sale is being made or lost? Join Melinda in her next column for the Sacred 10: A Scripting Primer For Your Entire Spa Staff.
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