This summer is starting off with all kinds of media and news.  If we choose to look at the cup half full, we can realize this is an excellent time to reflect, review and become reenergized.  When I first became a business owner I was always anxious and nervous when business slowed down.  I have come to understand that this is really an opportunity to take better care of myself and "go with the flow". 

Regardless of what is going on in our economy, your target market, mainly women over 25,  want to feel nurtured, appreciated and supported as they multi-task and spend much of their lives taking care of others.  You can always find ways to deliver a little piece of heaven to them in their busy week if you stop and think about it.  If you are slow, send out cards to your customers, call them with a special value, donate services to your community.  I always felt it was far better to be busy and giving of myself than "waiting" for the business to come. 

How about running a holiday-at-home special?  Since people don't want to spend money to travel far from home, capitalize on this trend, and create a vacation package.  If I still had my salon, and needed to boost summer sales,  I would create something like a Tropical Hawaiian Half Day of Beauty.  I would make small flyers, decorate them like a Hawaiian menu, and have lots of fun with the theme.  I'd give each customer a Hawaiian necklace when they came in, pour them a fruity drink, play relaxing Hawaiian music (maybe with birds and ocean sounds), in the treatment room, give them a coconut or pineapple body lotion with their massage and make it really memorable.  There are many ways to deliver something special, even when times are tough.  Turn it into a positive.

I am excited to see what this industry brings us all in the later part of 2008.  I think you will be surprised if you experience a slow down now, because all that could change in a month or so. 

Wishing you a wonderful summer and lots of success!

Ellen

IECSC - Las Vegas

We are very excited to exhibit at the Las Vegas Spa show June 28th - 30. Our Booth # is 1865 and we would love to give you a sample, meet with you and offer you our show special.

If you cannot make it to the show, but would like to take advantage of this special, it will be good through Monday, July 7th. Hope to see you there!

The International Esthetics, Cosmetics & Spa Conference
The Las Vegas Convention Center
June 28 - July 1, 2008.
Booth #1865

Purifying Cleanser 8oz

Formulated for all skin types this gentle cleansing gel helps remove excess oil, debris and makeup, thoroughly dissolving impurities. Papaya extract helps dissolve accumulated dead cell build-up while giving a smooth, polished glow without over drying.

Blended with natural orange and papaya extracts our Purifying Cleanser gently exfoliates, helps reduce the appearance of dark spots, helps reduce and control mild breakouts and brightens dull or sallow complexions.

THE FUTURE OF SPA SURVIVAL


As the professional spa industry becomes more mature and competitive, it is important that spa owners "re-think" how to increase their retail sales in order to remain profitable and protect this very lucrative part of their business.

What I have found in my twenty years in this industry is that it does not matter if you are a small salon or a large, resort day spa, RETENTION RULES! Customer retention should be broken down into two categories: retention on services and retention on products. This not only should be analyzed regularly, but should be scrutinized to see where weak links lurk in the system. I think you will find that your retention on salon only brands is higher, but could be amazing if you added private label to the mix.

The reason we began our private label division, Global Beauty, was to help in this effort. If we agree that client retention is critical for long term survival, then the savvy spa owner must embrace the idea of private label skin care. The problem in the past was that there were not many choices, either with low enough minimums, in product formulations, or packaging options. This has all changed.

When a spa owner offers a high quality, private label line, the internet becomes your friend and a great way for loyal customers to purchase their products. If you only carry the main brands, it is very possible (and likely), that your loyal customer knows that they can go to a myriad of websites to buy those same products (that your technicians spend time educating them on). Furthermore, these internet retail web sites will ship them their products providing free shipping, and may undercut your pricing. Don't believe that since your customers love you and your spa that if they are out of their product that out of sheer loyalty they will only buy from you. Not anymore, and certainly not by the internet savvy youth.

So, why is there resistance and fear to bring in private label? Generally speaking, because spa owners don't believe in the product, and their own lack of sales skills. The lack of enthusiasm is evident, and the staff too lacks the confidence. Having been a former salon owner, and consultant to spas nationwide, I see this all too often. Furthermore, spa owners tend to rely solely on sales reps to educate their staff and keep them enthusiastic. Since this is the spa's "signature" brand, they need to take responsibility for the branding of the line, and treating it like a separate retail business.

At Global Beauty, because we are well aware of how spa owners are overwhelmed with much of their other day to day tasks and responsibilities, we have tried to help spas brand their own lines, provide state-of-the-art cosmeceutical, formulations along with packaging choices, label choices and little or no artwork charges. We have added salon sales teleseminars at no additional charge for spas. Minimums are low so the spa owner can focus on investing some of the extra income on building their brand, building on-line sales for their brand and ensuring customer retention of products.

At first building your own high-performance private label line is hard work, but if you keep your eye on the prize, you will find that the investment in time and training in building your own line, will far outweigh the disadvantages, providing you with the loyal retail customer fan base that you desire.