In a previous blog post (read it here), I broke down the most common facials available with a short pro and con of the service itself. This time I want to discuss the business side of adding a facial treatment to your spa or salon.
To successfully sell facials (or any service) you need to cover five areas thoroughly;
1). PRICE – Be sure your clients see the value of the treatment in relationship to the price
2). DEMOGRAPHIC – Does your clientele really want this type of treatment?
3). MARKETING – Can you market your treatments to attract enough attention and business?
4). STAFF – Are your staff (or yourself) well trained to perform the service with great results?
5). FRONT DESK – Does your front line personnel (or yourself) know how to sell this service? through consultations?
But wait… is your new facial service positioned for profit?
Before you begin doing all the demographic and competitor research, you should make sure that your facial is positioned to be profitable – what I mean by that is simply; Will offering facial service type X actually make you money? The most accurate way to do this is by doing a service margin analysis .
If it turns out that your costs to perform this treatment are too high, you will have to either adjust the costs down - or increase the price, which is dependant on both your demographics and competitors.
Now lets look a little closer at each of the five areas you need to work if you want to have your new facial treatments be successful.
PRICE
This is going to be dependant on your existing and potential clientele type as well as the general demographics of your business location. If you currently cater to bargain hunters, or have a location in a lower income area, it will be difficult to offer treatments that cost more than these types of customers are willing to spend. If however, you have value seeking and result oriented clients then it will be much easier to price your service to be profitable.
If you are a luxury Spa or Salon focused on your client's experience, it will be easy to mark your prices higher than the competition, but even if you are a home-based business don't try to match prices with your lowest priced competitor.
When you are pricing, it is important to focus on what your price will mean to your ideal customer. Having a higher price brings the expectation of value to be delivered and it's important to deliver that value. Having a higher price also repels 'cost-focused' clients. Finally, having a higher price will increase your revenue potential – even if you have fewer clients.
So, what is critical here is to focus your message on the result that will be obtained by your treatments and not the price and the easiest way to do this is with proof. Focus on stories of past clients (as well as before/after photos) illustrating the results that prospective new clients can enjoy from your new treatments.
DEMOGRAPHIC
Again, here you need to understand your existing customer base and identify who your ideal client should be. If you already have the right type of clients, then you should be canvassing them to find out if they would be excited by the possibility of your business adding facial treatments. If you are giving great results and service and you are doing a good job of marketing, you can expect your clientele to come from as far as a 20 to 30 minute drive radius – and depending on the size of the population can offer great potential growth.
MARKETING
Whenever adding a new service or treatment, it is key to get the message out to both your existing customers as well as to reach new clients. There are numerous channels to get your message out, including social media, your website and blog, local television, radio and newspapers, indoor/outdoor signage, business print materials such as service menus, etc,
With so many options, it would be impossible to cover all of them in depth, but I can offers at least a few practical ideas to get started;
* Reposition your new facial treatments on your service menu to take up the prime visual real estate
* Pre-selling treatment packages
* Record a 'on-hold' phone message about your new treatment
* Host a launch party
* Email all your existing clients about your new facial services and offer a introductory multi-date treatment special
* Bundle an existing service with your new treatment
Once your service has become a mature offering you might consider;
* Offer a valued customer loyalty discount or free service after 5 paid treatments
* Offer a referral reward to existing customers who bring in new clients for this treatment
* Start a referral program with staff
* Solicit testimonials for your social media channels
* Take mobile video testimonials and play them on YouTube as well as in your place of business
STAFF
Whether you are a multi-staff salon or a soloprenuer, it is critical that your staff (or yourself) have sufficient training with your new services to be able to perform quality, result driven treatments. This is critical to retaining your clientele (which is much less expensive than acquiring new customers) and increasing their lifetime value. Training and education should be on-going, as new technologies and supporting products are constantly be made available.
Don't ignore one of the best ways to increase your revenue potential; By up-selling supporting pre- and post-skincare products that are beneficial and add value to your client's ability to maximize the results of their facial service.
FRONT DESK
When I refer to the 'front desk', I'm referring to the face of your business. Who is the first person your client or potential customer comes in contact with – and are they maximizing the potential to sell your services?
Be sure your point of entry has your marketing materials and that your front desk person both actively informs clients of all you services when they arrive as well as books follow up appointments before your customer leaves.
Another great way to increase business is through consultations. To help ensure your success with your new service, it's important to not only attract clients through your front door – it's equally important to move them forward to purchasing your new treatments. A thorough, quality consultation is an integral part of winning new business and having your front staff book consultation appointments can greatly increase the value of each of your clients when they choose to spend more on additional treatments and services.
BOTTOM LINE
No matter which of the following facial treatments you choose to add to your spa; Microdermabrasion Facial, Silkpeel Facial, Hydrating Facial, Hydrafacial, Chemical Facial Peel, Ionic Facial (Galvanic Facial), LED (red light) Facial or a Photo Facial (IPL - Intense Pulsed Light), understanding your real demographics and the needs of your clients will help you make the right choice and maximize your potential for success.
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If you want to learn more about the Dermalase IPL - the lowest priced, Health Canada approved Hair Removal and Skin Rejuvenation device manufactured and serviced right here in Canada, including training and certification - just give us a call at 604-788-3413 to book your FREE demonstration.