Shifting the Spa Retail Philosophy from Selling to Recommending!

Therapists: You want me to do what?? The number one battle facing your business is the lack of retail sales and upgrade opportunities. As a manager or owner, you know how significant retail sales and upgrades are to your profit line. Unfortunately, your team may not share that same understanding. What can you do to improve revenue generation, especially during these difficult economic times? Hold a team meeting and explain the following to your team: Fact 1: The Difference between Selling and Recommending. Selling is convincing someone to buy something whether they need it or not. Recommending is providing a solution to a specific problem or a concern. Fact 2: Studies Indicate Consumers go to Spas to: 1. Relax and de-stress 2. Look and feel better- looking for results 3. Become educated on how to live the spa lifestyle 4. Learn about new treatments/products Fact 3: An Average Person Uses 12 Different Products per Day. Guests use products, too. So if everybody buys products, which products should they purchase? Department store products, drug store products or professional products found in spas? (Does your team believe their spa products are better than department store products? Do they use their own products?) Fact 4: Guests are Seeking: • Result-driven treatments • Knowledgeable and skilled therapists • Living the Spa lifestyle by taking the spa experience home • To receive professional advice Fact 5: Guests Who Purchase Products from the Spa, Visit the Spa More Often. The product provides a link back to the therapist and the spa. Fact 6: Our Professional Obligation is to fulfill our Guests’ Needs and Offer a Complete Experience. Is your team doing that? What is a complete spa experience? A complete guest experience contains two steps: 1. Perform a result-driven treatment in the spa 2. Educate your guests and offer recommendations on how to maintain a spa lifestyle at home. Shift the philosophy within your spa: It’s not about selling products; it’s about recommending solutions to concerns your guests have. Many therapists tell us they chose a career in the spa industry to HELP people. Are they really helping your guests by letting them go and figure out on their own what products they should use between treatments? Fact 7: Remind your Team they are Licensed Professionals. They earned the right and own the responsibility to make professional recommendations to their guests. It’s their professional obligation! What can you do as a manager? Discuss all the facts above with your team and help shift the philosophy of how they view retail within your spa. It’s about recommending and not selling! To boost retail sales, you will need to provide your team with a recommending system. If you work on shifting the philosophy of how your team views retail, you will improve your guest experience and increase revenue.