Between a Rock and a Soft Place
September 25th, 2008 • Posted by Seth Gardenswartz • Permalink
I had the pleasure of spending three days at the Red Mountain Spa and Resort in Utah this week, while attending the SpaFinder learning event. Invited were top spa owners, operators and some of the sharpest people in the spa business. Over the next weeks, we will share some of the key ideas and themes discussed regarding spa products, operations, marketing and benchmarks.
As a prologue to the series, I want to make one overall observation. As the country obsesses with the economic issues confronting all of us, the smart operators are not waiting for a recovery to bail them out. They are proactively making adjustments and plans. Some are changing their compensation structures (a major issue discussed at this retreat), while others are making operational changes designed to follow customer's changing behaviors. Many are looking for innovative ways to market themselves in a cost effective manner (like Instant Gift Certificates and Dynamic Websites — at least half of the attendees were SpaBoomers!).
The lesson is clear — there will be winners in this next quarter or two and they will be the ones who are making a plan.
Posted in SpaFinder, Spa Business Management, General • Share • Trackback