Oncology esthetics is a way for spas and medi spas to give back to their communities. Through the power of touch and soothing care, you help people living with cancer go through the most difficult time in their lives.
Before offering this specialty treatment in your spa, here are 3 things we learned about oncology esthetics that you might want to know:
1. Oncology clients come in for relaxation first
Surgeries are stressful for everybody but it is doubly difficult for people with cancer who are dealing with this life-or-death condition every day. Research shows that oncology clients seek help for relaxation first before skincare. Soothing massages and facials have been shown to make them need less pain medication afterward.
2. Oncology esthetics must mitigate side effects and prevent infections
The skin is the largest organ of the body and the first line of defense against diseases. For oncology clients what is normally harmless for the rest of us could leave them vulnerable. For example, moisturizers can contain alcohol that worsens such side effects like radiation burns and extremely dry, peeling skin.
3. Oncology clients need personalized treatment
What works for one guest may not work for another. For untrained spa professionals, knowing what’s effective for each client will be a matter of trial and error. You could also cause harm unwittingly.
On the Expert Interview with Dori Soukup and Morag Currin, President of Oncology Training International (OTI) and Founder of Oncology Esthetics®, spa and medi spa professionals will gain valuable information on how to tailor treatments and avoid dangerous trials and errors, among others. Morag is the acknowledged expert and trainer on Oncology Esthetics.
Join the discussion on the Ins and Outs of offering Oncology Esthetics in your spa on Monday, June 15th, at 3:00 PM Eastern, and get expert advice on how to help people living with cancer in your community while expanding your menu. Click here to register and learn more »
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 »
Say an entrepreneur is interested in buying your spa business. Do you know how much it is worth right now so you can set the right price?
Most small business owners do not have a definite idea of the current value of their businesses. No wonder, because that number isn’t part of day-to-day business operations. It is an exercise reserved for when you are divesting interest in your spa or salon, for example, handing it over to another or retiring.
Did you know that identifying how much your spa is worth is part of regular business processes? However, you would be better off if you do not undertake this valuation process on your own.
Chances are you will be selling only one business in your whole life. Because you are not a corporate buyer—whose job it is to routinely appraise businesses and negotiate the best price for them—you might be putting the wrong price tag on your spa.
Imagine this: You have decided that your business is worth $1 million. You believe it is a fair amount. It is also exactly the kind of money you would need to live your retirement in style. You would feel extremely cheated, however, if you discovered down the line that you could have sold your spa for $5 million instead! (I would imagine you would be crying in your cup for a long time to come!)
InSPAration Management has created an 8-part CoachMe Gold series, Financial Freedom, to avert this kind of disaster. Not only will spa entrepreneurs learn how to correctly determine how much their businesses are worth, the training will also help you sell it for top dollar. In the first module alone, you will define your “Enough is Enough Number” and learn more about the “4% Thumb-Rule.” These are important numbers that you must be familiar with.
Even if you are still having the time of your life growing your spa right now, you will want to know more about the Financial Freedom coaching series. It’s not only about crafting a business exit strategy, but more importantly, it’s all about growing your business to three, five, even 10x its size today, creating systems and structures to put spa success on auto-pilot, and securing your financial future the best way. Click here to learn more about Financial Freedom now ?
Congratulations if you do not have “Pearla* Prima Donna” in your spa team. But she is found in most teams. She is the one who does not know what “teamwork” means.
It is easy to recognize her—no one wants to work with her. Talented, yes, but also demanding and difficult.
The bad news: prima donnas harm your spa’s guest experience. Guests are in your spa to relax and de-stress, and they can easily pick up on negative behavior. Tension in your spa keeps them away. Pearla Prima Donna is actually costing you business!
Here are the five prima donna attitudes, and how to handle them:
1. “That’s not my job!”
People are given a task because they are the best at it, so let them know about this when you assign the task. Get into the habit of letting your team members know when they have done a good job—a little praise goes a long way to building up team morale.
2. “It’s not my fault.”
Making mistakes is part of success, but the knee-jerk reaction when something fails is for everyone to distance themselves. Start implementing the “It’s not my fault, but it’s still my problem” philosophy, if you have not done it already. Regardless of who is to blame, it is still everyone’s responsibility to fix it.
3. “It’s not my problem.”
People stay away from problems because of fear—no one wants to absorb it. Nobody is taking action to solve it either. Show your team you are on their side, that you want them to win. With this show of support, problem-solving becomes a team effort, not an individual burden.
4. “It won’t work.”
You do not want a close-minded person in your team. Over time, you will see your whole team shutting down ideas, resisting change, and your spa missing out on opportunities. Probe for reasons behind any resistance. Welcome and discuss opinions. Get your team involved in making things work to get that buy-in.
5. “I am way overqualified for this job.”
You know they are super qualified, but they still agreed to take on the job. Give them more responsibilities—assign challenging tasks, use them as mentors, ask them for ideas and inputs, get them to implement things, and allow a little more autonomy so they can be more productive.
How do you handle negative team behavior? Share your thoughts and success stories in the comments below!
Want to learn more about how to build a high-performing team? Arm your spa team today with the tools to become more successful, and grow your spa business exponentially. Register for the Spa Management Essentials series today ?
* Our apologies if your name is Pearla. The name is just for illustration purposes. 😉
In the last business blog, we talked about the first three best practices to turn your spa website into a revenue-generating website.
On this post, we will discuss the next three strategies so your spa website is a powerful tool to bring in new guests, increase your capacity and retention rates, and get to that level of success you will enjoy!
1. Focused on benefits
Are the words on your website solving problems for your visitors? Is the web copy suggesting ways for them to look and feel better? People go online to find information—about spa treatments and spa products. What you can do, and how you solve problems. Are you answering their questions and offering solutions? This allows you to show credibility and position you as an expert, as well as builds trust in your consumer’s mind.
2. Generates revenues
Is your website generating revenue? Your copy may be compelling, but if it is not asking people to take action, then your website is nothing but an online brochure. Get them to sign up for offers, download free reports, buy gift cards and products, make reservations, share feedback and testimonials, or ask a question, to name a few. There are many ways have them take action and to “buy” from you!
3. Targets the right audience
How will you know if you are reaching your target market? Google Analytics can help you measure how many visits you get on your site, how long they stayed, what pages they viewed, how they arrived at your site, and many more. Best of all, it is is free. It will show you where you need to improve, and what you are doing well, so you can leverage this in making more money.
So, is your website generating income for your spa? At the end of the day, your spa website should be a profit center, not a costly burden to your bottom line.
Have any thoughts about this topic? Share with us your comments!
Learn more about how to use landing pages on your spa website to attract more prospects and increase spa capacity levels. Join us today in the teleseminar on “How to Quickly and Easily Create Landing Pages” in the CoachMe Gold series, Make Your Spa Social Media Work For You on April 28, 2015 at 4:00 PM Eastern »
Is your spa website getting you a piece of that $15+ billion US spa market? Do you know how much revenue it has brought you since launching it?
Here are three of the six spa website best practices to implement to turn your spa website into an income-generating tool:
1. More than an online brochure
In the past, you can get away with a website that simply listed your products and services, address, and some graphics. Today, slapping your spa menu or brochure onto a website is the best way to turn away potential spa guests permanently. Your website has to engage their attention, hook them with benefits, and get them to connect with you.
2. Build relationships
When people come to your site, are they compelled to start a conversation with you? Does the language say there is a real person behind it? On your site, they should find rich, engaging content that appeals to their interests, provides solutions to their problems, solicits their opinions, or simply gets them to connect with you.
3. Grow client list
Your spa website is not a flyer. It is a way for you to capture your prospects’ information—their name and email address. This process is the core of your marketing efforts. Over time, your website should build on it. Your spa list is a ready-made audience for your products, treatments, and offers!
In part two, we will discuss three more spa website best practices. Stay tuned!
Share your concerns with your website and let us help you!
InSPAration Management can help you connect with your guests and clients to increase retention rates and attract new clients. Done for Me! Spa Marketing is a time-saving, revenue generating program that gives you more time to focus on your spa. Click here to learn more »
Want to know more how you can generate more revenues from your spa website? Join us for the upcoming teleseminar on “How to Quickly and Easily Create Landing Pages” in the CoachMe Gold series, Make Your Spa Social Media Work For You on April 28, 2015 at 4:00 PM Eastern to know more »
(Contributed by Walter Bergeron)
If you’re really serious about growing your spa business, you’ve probably considered joining a Mastermind group, or may now be part of one. Engaging in the power of a Mastermind group is a fantastic way to navigate yourself down the shortcut to prosperity!
Here are top 3 ways you can make the most out of your Mastermind group:
Secret Gem #1. Don’t be the smartest person in the room.
Now this may sound counterintuitive because it sure feels good to be the sharpest tack in the bunch. In a Mastermind, however, this can be a great disadvantage to you. You should seek out groups with members who are exceedingly more successful than you are. Better, take a shot and get into a group whose members are way out of your league. Your growth—and consequently, your spa business’s—will come from stretching your reach and becoming involved with those who have done far more than you.
Secret Gem #2. Pay for it.
You get what you pay for. You also get back the same amount of effort you put into something. Masterminds are no exception to these time-tested truths. When there is a sacrifice or a substantial cost to membership, you will find that you put much more effort into the group as well as demand better solutions from it. When you write that very large check for your Mastermind it will make you demand results from the group. You will not settle for mediocre solutions from them. Feeling the pain of knowing that the cost of getting in was substantial will produce results many times more valuable than the cost of the membership.
Secret Gem #3. Get uncomfortable.
Part of the power of Mastermind is to stretch your mind to what else is possible. You can do that more easily when you are in an unfamiliar place. Travelling beyond your backyard will force you out of your comfort zone and put your mind in a state that will more readily accept alternative suggestions and different inputs from others. You will need to communicate what you are thinking and reveal things about yourself and your business that are uncomfortable, leaving you feeling vulnerable and exposed. Fear not, for this is where the breakthroughs happen. If you keep yourself guarded and you will not let others in to help you, then you are wasting the resources of this powerful group dynamic.
Take these tips to heart and they will help guide you to the transformational results of a “Mastermind Fortune.”
Have some thoughts to add to this? Share it with us in the comments below.
InSPAration Management hosts an exclusive Spa Mastermind group, the CoachMe Platinum—an accelerated level membership designed for entrepreneurs serious about their overall GROWTH. It’s so exclusive, you need to apply to become a member! The Mastermind group is also launching a book on Amazon in a few weeks—we’ll let you know when it’s up. If you’re ready for exponential spa and salon growth, apply now to begin your Platinum journey ?
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