When was the last time you called a spa, and experienced their reception department? Too often many spa leaders overlook the impact of their reception and reservation on their bottom line. Spas are losing new guests and missing out on sales because their R&R are not delivering a great guest experience.
Here are three simple spa reception mistakes that are so easy to make:
1. Your spa menu is your best-kept secret.
One time, I decided to get a spa treatment on an extended trip. Surprise! My hotel room did not have a spa menu. Whether your spa is part of a hotel or not, your spa menu must be available where the guests are (hotel rooms, lobbies, etc.). Strike up an agreement with the hotel, and use your spa’s treatments and products as added value to their offerings. This way, you are broadening your reach.
2. Your on-hold message tells guests nothing.
When you call most companies now, you get to listen to marketing spiels when you are on hold. For a few minutes, you hear about special offers, new products or services, or other promotional items. Whether you like it or not, you are a captive audience.
The on-hold message is a simple but effective promotional tool that tells guests immediately what they can expect from you. Write a script today for your on-hold message, and when you finally speak with your guest, reinforce the offer.
3. Your reception department do not have scripts for guest interactions.
Our coaching calls always hammer on having communication scripts written out and ready for every guest interaction—from talking over the phone, to welcoming a new guest, to probing guest concerns, to starting a treatment, to recommending an upgrade, or even to asking for a review. Everything!
Scripts lend confidence to your front line people. Because they know the end they want for every guest interaction—and how to get there—your team can capitalize on every opportunity for a sale or recommendation. They do not pepper their guest dialogues with “um”, “like”, “ah”, and “you know” that make them appear clueless to your guests.
Remember that quality guest experience—and better profits—begins with the first “Hello!” Have a friend or family member call your spa. Get them to listen to your reception and reservation department. How did you do? See where you stand and make adjustments where necessary.
Have any thoughts, concerns, or spa reception success stories? Share them in the comments section below!
Join us for the upcoming Reinvent Your Business (Volume 2) teleseminar on June 2nd, at 4:00 PM Eastern. You will learn everything you need to know on how to transform your “Wow!” guest experience to glowing online reviews . Register now »
Join us for the upcoming Reinvent Your Business (Volume 2) teleseminar on June 2nd, at 4:00 PM Eastern. You will learn everything you need to know on how to transform your “Wow!” guest experience to glowing online reviews . Register now »
Have you ever wondered what kind of impression your spa is making when a new guest enters your doors? Consider this: your spa reception is a major profit center, and the receptionist is going to be the first person that a guest will encounter. Is that person going to help increase your revenue or harm your bottom line?
Trust is a critical aspect of every spa business. If you have been delivering results through your treatments and therapists, your guests should be lapping up the recommendations you make for products and treatment upgrades. You do not need a hard sell; all you need is recommend, and the sale follows.
This is why, as a spa leader, you always have to check how your front line team is doing. How effective are they at projecting a competent, professional image? Do not be like an experienced I’ve had. The receptionist had bright pink hair, a plunging neckline showing lip-shaped tattoos, and an unapproachable demeanor. She did not even bother to greet me! I hightailed it out of there.
You will never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Follow these image-enhancing tips to put your best foot forward:
- Adopt a uniform or professional attire for your front liners and therapists.
- Create your own communication script, from meeting first-time guests to talking with them on the phone to every possible guest interaction there is, using carefully selected words that convey your image, values and culture.
- For that matter, make sure your receptionists and therapists have superior communication skills. Clean up language, even when talking to each other.
- Train your team in effective listening, helping them to understand sub-text and zeroing in on guest concerns. That’s where opportunities for retail sales and upgrades are found.
- The telephone is also a major part of your leads generation—craft scripts for responding to inquiries, customer complaints, etc., that will project a helpful, supportive image over the wire. (Make sure your team answers calls with a smile, which shows over the line.)
- Create a problem-solving and guest satisfaction culture, training your team to be swift in anticipating and addressing guest problems.
- Make sure that your team has exceptional knowledge of every product and treatment that you have, so they can recommend at-home maintenance and upgrades where needed.
- Stay organized, including all work space.
Trust is an important aspect of spa-guest relations. Join us to learn more about trust-based selling in the Reinvent Your Business teleseminar on April 7th, 4:00 PM Eastern ?
When your spa team thinks of sales, something terrible comes to mind. Let’s face it: No one really likes to sell. Your team would rather provide a great spa experience. Selling is for the brave.
If you want stellar spa growth rates year after year, you need to focus on sales. No sales means no profits, and no profits means you might as well close your spa now.
Seasoned salespeople have plans—dollar goals and strategies on how to acquire leads and how to turn them into buying clients. They have a sales model.
1. Spa professionals must have a Spa Sales Model—the blueprint of your sales efforts. Without it you’re operating your spa business with the Hit-and-Miss Sales Model—if you hit at something often enough, you may not miss your revenue goals this time. (Good luck with that!)
2. Your spa sales blueprint must include a plan on creating new sales streams. It is true that you should do more of what works, and throw away those that failed. It is equally true that you should always have new ways to make more money.
3. So, revisit your programs—new members, loyalty programs, referrals, joint ventures—and revitalize them. Add offers to existing programs, or introduce new ones if you do not have them yet.
4. Link compensation to performance. Reward your team MVP—the top producer—for contributing to increased sales through higher product or treatment upgrade recommendations. Learn about the VPG Volume Per Guest compensation model and boost your profits.
There are many ways to invigorate your sales efforts and achieve phenomenal growth. Discover how you can train your team to become better at generating revenue through recommendations. Join the Reinvent Your Business (Volume II) seminar on Tuesday, April 7th, at 4:00 PM Eastern ?
nce. Selling is for the brave.
If you want stellar spa growth rates year after year, you need to focus on sales. No sales means no profits, and no profits means you might as well close your spa now.
Seasoned salespeople have plans—dollar goals and strategies on how to acquire leads and how to turn them into buying clients. They have a sales model.
1. Spa professionals must have a Spa Sales Model—the blueprint of your sales efforts. Without it you’re operating your spa business with the Hit-and-Miss Sales Model—if you hit at something often enough, you may not miss your revenue goals this time. (Good luck with that!)
2. Your spa sales blueprint must include a plan on creating new sales streams. It is true that you should do more of what works, and throw away those that failed. It is equally true that you should always have new ways to make more money.
3. So, revisit your programs—new members, loyalty programs, referrals, joint ventures—and revitalize them. Add offers to existing programs, or introduce new ones if you do not have them yet.
4. Link compensation to performance. Reward your team MVP—the top producer—for contributing to increased sales through higher product or treatment upgrade recommendations. Learn about the VPG Volume Per Guest compensation model and boost your profits.
There are many ways to invigorate your sales efforts and achieve phenomenal growth. Discover how you can train your team to become better at generating revenue through recommendations. Join the Reinvent Your Business (Volume II) seminar on Tuesday, April 7th, at 4:00 PM Eastern ?
Fact: It costs you five times more to acquire a new client than to keep existing ones who are already buying products and treatments from your spa.
You get more sales from these established relationships, too.
There is a wealth of potential for more retail sales and upgrade opportunities in these relationships by discovering your guests’ needs and expectations.
So what do they look forward to when guests enter your treatment rooms? They want to step out relaxed and stress-free, of course. Ultimately, they want to look and feel great.
That is why when your guest is on a pedi/mani chair, for example, listen to their chatter. There is a good chance they are airing out lifestyle problems—what stresses them about their looks, health, and general well-being.
When they do, that is your cue to recommend spa products and treatment upgrades because they are turning to you for advice. They trust you and your professional experience of providing solutions to their problems. When your guests trust you, recommendations are a natural result.
At the heart of your advice is a way out of a stressful situation. Key to trust-based selling is educating your guests in how to quickly ease their pain. But it may also mean sharing a mix of maintenance tips, and spa treatments or products that are not currently on the spa menu. Your goal is to provide a benefit, not a hard sell. Selling creates immediate objections in your guest’s mind. Recommending solutions, meanwhile, keeps your customers open to suggestions.
Make sure you’re helping people figure out what they need to maintain the results they are already enjoying between spa visits. When you are suggesting, your capitalizing on your spa’s established reputation of making people look and feel better—their basic goal in visiting your spa. The customer is happy. Your bottom line is happy. It’s a win-win!
Discover how you can leverage trust relationships and tap into retail sales and upgrade opportunities in increasing your sales. Join us on April 7th, at 4:00 pm, for the new CoachMe Gold seminar Reinvent Your Business to learn more ?
When business owners first go into business they are excited, eager, motivated and can’t wait to get started. Then reality sits in and the bills start piling up, followed by pressure, tension anxiety. If you are like most owners you are always looking for ways to cut expenses and generate more revenue so it’s worth it to be in business.
The main reason entrepreneurs go into business for themselves is to be their own boss, have more freedom, and make more money. But here is the sad fact: in most cases business owners don’t pay themselves, they end up working harder and make less money. According to US census statistic an average business makes about 7% net profit. Yes there are some businesses that make more, some less, and some make none. Where do you stand? Are your overhead expenses diminishing your bottom line? If so, read the first of this 4 part series to learn strategies on gaining financial health.
1. Have a Budget
Most spa and salon owners who call our office seeking business help don’t have a budget. Without a spa budget, you are allowing your business to manage you instead of you managing it. Whether you have a large, medium, small spa or are even a solo-preneur, you must have a budget. Your budget should include a monthly breakdown of all your finances, such as:
1. Have a Budget
Most spa and salon owners who call our office seeking business help don’t have a budget. Without a spa budget, you are allowing your business to manage you instead of you managing it. Whether you have a large, medium, small spa or are even a solo-preneur, you must have a budget. Your budget should include a monthly breakdown of all your finances, such as:
- Number of spa clients you expect to see monthly
- Forecasted service revenue
- Forecasted retail revenue
- Spa product cost
- Compensation cost
- Spa Operating cost
- Spa Marketing expenses
- Budgeted profit
