Bioelements Dawn Gantt provides Spa Business Solutions

July 14, 2011

Keep Your Treatment Rooms Filled – Without Spending A Dime
Dawn Gantt, Bioelements Regional Education and Business Support Manager
Featured in Skin Inc. July 2011

Download the article or keep reading below.

We’ve all heard the saying “If you build it, they will come,” but in the spa industry, it simply isn’t true. You may have a state-of-the-art facility, gorgeous and inviting treatment rooms, effective facials, innovative retail products and knowledgeable staff, but that alone may not be enough to get clients filling up your appointment books.

But you also don’t need to go out and spend money on advertising gimmicks, or hire marketing gurus to get your rooms filled, either. In fact – you don’t need to go outside of your spa at all. The potential to build your business is already within your own walls. Here’s how:

Zero In On Who’s Already Walking Through The Door
Who are your current clients? If you are a full-service salon and spa, ask yourself: are hair service clients also getting spa services? How about nail clients? This may be an entirely untapped group of potential spa clientele, and they are only steps away. If you are a spa only, ask yourself: are your spa clients taking advantage of all the services you provide? Are facial clients getting waxes? Are waxing clients getting massages?

Ask Questions
Now that you’ve identified your untapped group of clients, create a short survey to capture their information. This client questionnaire should include no more than 3-5 quick questions they can fill out as they wait for their appointment. Questions such as:

Is skin care important to you?
Where do you currently purchase skin care products?
Do you receive facials at our salon/spa? If not, why?
Have you ever received a skin care service at any spa? If not, why?
What’s the most important factor when making a decision to book a new service?
(please circle) price / results / convenience

Gather the data from the answers you receive. What patterns do you see? Are hair clients not booking facials because they think they won’t see results? That’s a sign that they need to be educated on the benefits of professional skin care. Pay attention to what your clients telling you, and build a plan from there.

Target The Stylists
For those in full-service salons, hair stylists represent a golden opportunity to increase spa bookings. Typically, stylists see almost quadruple the number of clients in an average day compared to estheticians – that’s four times the opportunities to educate an individual about the benefits of pro skin care.

The best way to do this is to invite stylists right into the treatment room. Give them facials, and set them up with a product to get them excited – and get them talking to their clients. (Don’t forget that this objective works both ways – you can help them as well with your spa clients, too.) Departments have to co-exist, and this is a great way get stylists talking up your services and products in a genuine way.

Combine Promotions
It may sound simple, but it works. Car dealerships give a service incentive when you purchase a new car. The same concept works in the spa – but it’s often overlooked. Combine your retail sales with incentives on spa services. For example “Buy a complete Great Skin In A Box kit – Containing the essential skin care products you need for your exact skin type, and receive 25% off a Fast Results Facial.” This is also a great way to introduce clients to spa services they’ve never tried before.

Check Your Prices
Pay attention to your price points – where are your pricing your services? If cost is the number one priority for your clients (and you’ll know from your client questionnaire), you cannot price yourself out of the market. Your client will determine value – and if they are willing to travel out of your neighborhood to visit another spa where the prices are lower, is it worth it to you to lose the business?

Don’t forget: when the manufacturer has a price increase, it may only equate to a pennies a day – so do not think you have to increase all you services or retail prices immediately or significantly.

“Is it us?”
When you’ve exhausted all of these internal options, then take a look at your spa, your staff and your services. A “secret shopper” can go a long way in finding out what your facials and customer service are really like from a client’s perspective. Have a person who no one at your spa knows book a service (or several services) at your spa, and then report back on their experience. How were the treatments? Did they find the staff friendly? Was the spa clean? These answers may help you give your spa a tune-up, and increase repeat bookings in the process.