General

Nothing undermines consumer confidence more in this economy than those racing around head crouched, bellowing impending doom.

Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and have the power to move the pendulum back in our favor. It is a decision you make every day to do what you can for your business. It may require that your spa business adapt and create new strategies to tackle the challenges and opportunities that can help succeed in this economy. Here are a few ideas; I would really like to hear what you are doing to help your business right now.

Sell yourself.

Networking with other businesses and potential customers is critical right now. Find other business and look for ways to promote and help each other. Focus more on businesses with similar target customers rather than a similar industry.

• Gyms
• Independent restaurants
• Clothing stores

Become an expert.

Blogging is a great way to increase search engine traffic to your website. When you blog about your spa and the industry, you are developing relevant content on your business website. And, consistent, on target and keyword-infused content, related to the spa business, is a great way to improve your search engine ranking. And, improved ranking can directly improve customer traffic to your website. A great way to start is to develop a “How to….” Blog series, relating to spa on your website.

See the Opportunities.

Renegotiate. This is a great time to renegotiate terms with your vendors. There will be vendors out there who need clients right now and you can find some great deals.

Listen. What do customers want right now? What can they afford? Knowing what your customers need and want is crucial to success. It is a great opportunity to create new price point packages or bring in a new product line that meets your existing customers needs. These customers are the most important to your business and nothing encourages loyalty more than feeling heard by a business.

Consistent service. Every employee should clearly understand how important it is to give consistent service and that level of service will have a direct impact on your spa’s revenue. There is a direct link between positive and consistent front desk customer service and customer loyalty. Engage these employees and give them the tools they need to make your business a success.

Promote Abundance.

Is there a non-profit or for-profit business that can use your services in the near future? Look for opportunities to give your products or services to businesses that can provide a win-win long term. It is an excellent opportunity to network and get your name out to the public in a positive and strong way.

"Talent is always conscious of its own abundance, and does not object to sharing." –Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Posted in Creating Customers, Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management, General • Comment »

We are consuming media at an astounding pace according to new research by Veronis Suhler Stevenson.The investment and research firm looked at media consumption based on hours per person in 2007. The outcome? 189 hours spent online per person in 2007. We are quickly evolving our approach to information and fundamentally changing the way we organize our lives using technology.

In a single sitting a person can gather information using a variety of technological tools — computer, phone and TV — while barely moving. As it becomes the norm, it makes more traditional information formats seem archaic.

It means that consumers are controlling what is seen, heard and ultimately how they choose to interact with products and services in their domain.

Therefore, the personal interaction of your business with customers has become paramount to success. That interaction may start online way before a customer enters your day spa or salon and must continue to be nurtured on their terms as they go about their life.

Small interactions are part of a long-term commitment that evolves as customers dictate how they want to hear from your business. By mindfully managing that budding communication process you can provide value to customers and build loyalty to your business.

Posted in Creating Customers, Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management, General • Comment »

The December edition of SpaFinder Lifestyle is scheduled to launch on 12/5/08.

When you opt-in for SpaFinder Lifestyle, your 12/05 email campaign will reflect this beautiful content, which encourages consumers to shop early and conveniently by buying gift certificates from your spa.

Your events are automatically included, but you can also add additional content. Go to Email Marketing on the Marketing tab to make changes.

Haven't opted in yet to use this great marketing tool for your spa? Learn more or just login into your SpaBoom account and you can turn it on with one click on the Today page.

Future SpaFinder Lifestyle email newsletters will be scheduled for the first Thursday of each month. It's a great way to stay in touch with your clients!

Posted in Spa Marketing, General • 2 Comments »

At first glance this article can be unsettling. But read with a critical eye. Most online stores must use price to sell this season and are burdened with heavy shipping costs. Take advantage of the cumulative resources and services your spa and business website can provide to clients this holiday season.

Shop with ease advantage. Clients can purchase an Instant Gift Certificate to your spa from the comfort of their homes.

No shipping cost advantage. Online retailers are cutting prices but they can’t change the fact that their products must be shipped to the recipient. There are no shipping costs associated with purchasing Instant Gift Certificates.

Loyalty Advantage. Clients who purchase Instant Gift Certificates from your spa know your spa. An Instant Gift Certificate from your spa website is an extension of business and an added service for your clients.

Advertising Advantage. Online retailers are spending lots of money this year to advertise in hopes of increasing traffic to their websites. Take advantage by advertising to customers right now when they are in your spa. Send them home with a flyer that promotes Instant Gift Certificates or email them about holiday specials and gift options.

Posted in Spa Marketing, General, Spa Gift Certificates • 1 Comment »

If you'd like to help all the economically stressed consumers out there — and give them a little push to choose your spa for their holiday purchases — we've just made it super-easy to run percentage discount specials for your Instant Gift Certificates:

1. Go to Marketing, Events and select your Holidays event, or add a new one.
2. If you currently have an event with "Featured services", I'd recommend keeping those, so you'll want to add a new event. You might also want to add a new event to run your special for a shorter time period.
3. If you're adding a new event, you'll need to enter a headline like "Gift Certificate Sale" and a narrative, for example, "Save on all your holiday gift-giving, this week only!".
4. Enter the time period for which you want the discount to apply with the "Start date" and "End date".
5. For "Special", select "Percentage discount" and enter the discount % you'd like.
6. Modify the "Offer description" if you desire — this will appear at the top of your Instant Gift Certificate page.
7. Bring up your Instant Gift Certificate page and make sure it looks the way you want!

If you'd like to see the possibilities, try it out over on SpaDemo where we currently have both a percentage discount event and a featured services event running.

A couple of notes:

• Percentage discounts apply in addition to any discounted prices you've entered in another event for "Featured services".
• "Featured services" are now brought to the top on your Instant Gift Certificates page to better highlight them. If you've previously been creating a services category to do exactly that, now it just happens automatically!
• Current events are automatically included in email marketing campaigns by default — it's great idea to time an email at the start of your promotion.

Happy discounting!

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At first glance we might imagine those elusive attributes to include an unwavering devotion to their leader or an employee with an unsatisfied debt to their employer. But in reality, what makes an employee great are attributes that are not external or forced, they well up naturally from certain individuals and it makes them a prize at the front desk or back office.

The top ten attributes include:

1. Great Attitude.
2. Curious.
3. Takes initiative and has the drive to complete projects.
4. Self-Directed, independent worker.
5. Problem solver.
6. Meets deadlines.
7. Respectful to coworkers and customers.
8. Fair.
9. Thinks out of the box.
10. Good grammar.

My friend Molly opened a high-end boutique and desperately needed an employee to complement her amazing creative force. One day, a lovely, young married couple came into the store. As they browsed, Molly overheard the woman say, “This is the kind of place I want to work.” Molly spoke up, interviewed and then hired Lauren on the spot. Molly intuitively sensed that Lauren was detailed oriented, a self-starter and clearly had a great personality. Lauren created the perfect balance to Molly’s strengths and they both feel incredibly lucky to work together.

Look for these attributes in potential employees and cultivate them when you see them in your workplace. Nurturing great employees by making them feel engaged and successful will launch them toward a new level of success in your company.

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You can succeed during this recession if you have a well thought out plan and a bit of persistence. When things are a little tougher, it simply separates out those who are prepared to work harder and more creatively.

Customers are your personal recession buster - but only if you focus on them more completely, deeply and consistently than ever before. Think about it this way - your Customers are the source of all revenue for your salon or spa; your Customers write your paycheck. It makes sense to build and deepen your relationships with them always, but it's never more true than in times where they are buying less. Your Customers are looking for new solutions. Your Customers want help. Your Customers need you.

Five Ideas

Here are five ways you can focus on deepening your relationships with your Customers, starting right now.

• Get in touch. Stop by, make a call, send a handwritten note, send an email (in that order of priority - the further up this list the more valuable the contact will be). Let them know you care, take the effort to be connected.
• Stay in touch. Don't make this contact a one-time event but part of an ongoing process of staying in touch.
• Ask how you can help them. No strings and no qualifiers. Do you appreciate it when someone offers to help you with something? So will your Customers, even if they don't take you up on the offer.
• Educate them. Send an article, share an idea. After you know how you can help or what their challenges are, it will be easier to determine the best things to share based on their interests and needs. The goal is to engage your customers. Talk about them, ask about them, provide ideas for them and communicate in terms of them.
• Focus on serving not selling. People buy from those they like, trust and respect. Sales will come. Focus on the person, building the relationship and serving them.

A Final Thought
A recession calls for additional effort from your side to attract new customers, hold on to existing ones and increase the dollar amount that those customers spend.

Use these ideas so your salon or spa will survive the downturn. Only businesses with a solid foundation and foresight survive the inevitable bad times that go along with managing a business. You want to be one of them!!

These are just five ideas - let us come up with fifty-five more for your business. Call or email me for a FREE 45 Minute Consultation to discuss how we can help you beat the recession! 866.288.7353

With almost 20 years experience in new business start-ups and transformations, Ana Loiselle-Donahue is a specialist in finding new sources of revenue and growth for companies of all sizes. She founded theSECRET in 2004 to help businesses flourish through creative - and powerful - new solutions; including brand development, strategic financial planning and employee training. She has already helped numerous companies improve their performance through innovative business practices. Her process is based on six key steps - Systems, Economics, Compensation, Retention, Education and Teamwork. Ana's background includes a long career in the salon/spa industry as a product sales representative, educator, management consultant, and spa owner. Her leadership foresight was influential in making her former business, Anna Luis Salon & Day Spa a two time National award winner of Salon Today's Top 200 Fastest Growing Salons. She holds a license in both cosmetology and aesthetics; making her more then just a consultant but a true mentor and coach.

Posted in the SECRET, Spa Business Management, General • 2 Comments »

So Cyber Monday follows Black Friday, both ominously descriptive names designed to encourage us to shop.

Similar to the Hallmark holidays we have grown to love, Shop.org created the neologism Cyber Monday three years ago in an effort to ignite mind blowing online holiday sales.

The idea is that as people all over the world trudge back to work, still full from Thanksgiving turkey, they plunk down at their desk not to work but to buy holiday gifts online.

I am all for being prepared — your spa website should be ready for a flood of Instant Gift Certificate sales — but can’t we come up with a better name that does not imply the end of days?

Posted in Spa Marketing, General, Spa Gift Certificates • Comment »

A recent New York Times article (registration required) highlights a new state program that works with Salons to identify signs of domestic abuse in their clients. Salons and their hair stylists in Manhattan and across the country are being trained to identify the signs of abuse and direct woman to available community resources and therapy targeted toward ending domestic violence.

From the article:

Posted in General • 3 Comments »

We hear it again and again, Spa Emergency reviewers are rejoicing in what we already know. Instant Gift Certificates are an easy, fast way to give friends and family a wonderful gift. I just read some reviews, and this is what people have to say:

SpaBoom Instant Gift Certificates are a wonderful selling tool for your busy clients. Remind them to get online and purchase Instant Gift Certificates from your spa website this holiday. Then send them to Spa Emergency to purchase gifts for their out-of-town friends and family.

Posted in Spa Marketing, General, Spa Gift Certificates • 2 Comments »

Instant Gift Certificate sales are still rising, but the National Retail Federation predicts a 5.6% decline in sales of gift cards this holiday season as consumers seek bargains on gifts instead. This would be the first drop in the six years it has tracked the category.

It's always a great idea to highlight services and packages for the holidays. Just go into Marketing, Events and click on the "A Gift for Holiday Present" event that we've already created for you. You can then choose Featured Services to promote, and enter a discount if you desire (learn more).

What new features would you like to see in Instant Gift Certificates for promotional discounts? Potential examples:

• 10% discount on all gift certificates
• Buy one gift certificate at full price, and receive 20% off a second one
• Purchase a gift certificate of $100 or more, and receive a $20 gift certificate for yourself
• Discounts based on entering a promotional code

Of course, you'd pick the actual amounts.

Are you discounting gift certificates for the holidays? What else are you doing to address the economic climate this holiday? We'd love to hear how you're approaching this, and, as always, thank you for your feedback!

Posted in Spa Marketing, General, Spa Gift Certificates • 8 Comments »

SpaBoom will be closing for the Thanksgiving holiday at end of business on Wednesday, November 26th, and will reopen on Monday, December 1st.

We wish you all a warm, festive and safe Thanksgiving!

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It is going to be a fierce holiday retail season with companies large and small all vying for your customer’s attention. Stay top of mind this season by taking advantage of what makes you special. The very nature of your business involves an important and intimate relationship with each customer. From the onset, there is a necessary degree of trust involved in the services day spas offer to their clients.

Customers may be staying away from retail stores altogether this year and will be looking for deals online. Take advantage of the opportunity to let your customers know they can purchase a gift from you online.

Utilize your SpaBoom email marketing tools to communicate with customers and get their attention. Customers can purchase online gift certificates right from the comfort of their home. No shipping costs, driving or stressful retail experiences. It is immediate, easy and they can purchase a gift from you right up to the last minute.

Be the best deal and make sure your customers hear from you this holiday.

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It is coming. The stress, irritability, insomnia, anxiety, headache, indigestion, muscle tension and the non-caffeinated induced jitters that come with working in the service industry over the holidays.

Manage it this holiday with effective strategies to combat the ill effects of holiday stress.

Make the best of your time right now. Try to get all your personal holiday planning done right now.

Don’t wait until the last moment to get things done when you know you will be working 12-hour days as the holiday approaches. If you prepare beforehand, it will reduce stress and allow you to concentrate on the task at hand.

Bring work with you. There will be moments this holiday when you will wait. Pack your calendar and to-do list each day and whip it out when you are stuck in a line or waiting for the train to arrive.

Keep moving. It is important to maintain your daily exercise routine. It is critical to exercise regularly, with music or in quiet solitude, to keep your body in balance and harmonized.

Take breaks while you work. It is critical to have a few moments during the day to recharge so take regular breaks. Even better, if you can get outside, walk around the block and breathe some fresh air.

Laugh. It is contagious. In the stressful holiday season co-workers will take the cue from you so take a positive approach and make the holiday fun.

Smile. It is hard to be in a bad mood when smiling. A successful retailer once told me, “you can hire a nice, friendly salesperson and teach them to do just about anything well, but you can’t teach someone to be nice.” I am always looking for that friendly face in a store, it works like a magnet and can be highly contagious in a sea of grumpy faces.

We all have the opportunity to enjoy this holiday season but just like anything you can’t help others until you have helped yourself. Be proactive with a self-care approach to the season and infuse your work environment with a sense of calm.

Posted in Spa Business Management, General • Comment »

We talk to spa owners who work hard everyday to reduce the carbon footprint associated with running their businesses. Spa owners are looking at their services, products and operational practices with a goal to reduce their impact on our planet.

Consider the time and cost put toward shopping for friends and family during the holiday. In the past there were endless trips to the mall, heaps of ribbon, a rush to ship before deadlines and piles of packaging that contributes to paper mountains in our landfills.

Today, giving the instant gift of spa is an opportunity to provide a solution with a minimal impact on our planet. Feel good about encouraging clients to purchase an online gift from your spa. It is a gift that sends peace and tranquility spiked with a helping of goodwill.

Posted in Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management, General • 1 Comment »

Email campaign launches on 11/15

When you opt-in for SpaFinder Lifestyle, we're using this great content to enhance your 11/15 email campaign which encourages consumers to shop early and conveniently by buying gift certificates from your spa.

Your events are automatically included, but you can also add additional content. Go to Email Marketing on the Marketing tab to make changes.

Haven't opted in yet to use this great marketing tool for your spa? Learn more or just login into your SpaBoom account and you can turn it on with one click on the Today page.

Future SpaFinder Lifestyle email newsletters will be scheduled for the first Thursday of each month. It's a great way to stay in touch with your clients!

Posted in General • 2 Comments »

Last year I was delighted to learn that a friend had joined my gym and I was going to receive a $100 referral fee. It was unexpected, I made the recommendation because I truly enjoy going to this gym and consider it an integral part of my life.

Last week I noticed a huge poster being put up at the gym promoting the $100 referral reward, to me it is a no brainer. I want this gym to be successful and I am glad to spread the word to other friends and family.

According to a recent article in the New York Times referral marketing is a powerful means to generate new customers because the recommendation comes from a trusted source. This article offers in depth and "how to" advice from experts in referral marketing.

In this economy, your customers are a bright source for referrals. Who better to ask for a referral than existing customers who are already happy and satisfied with the spa services you provide?

Posted in Creating Customers, Spa Marketing, Spa Business Management, General • 2 Comments »

6 days doesn't seem like much, but during prime shopping season it can be critical to reaching projected sales goals.

Are you doing anything different to market your spa's great offerings given the shorter shopping season?

How about a dedicated email to your clients reminding them how easy purchasing great gifts in the form of Instant Gift Certificates can be? They can literally stay in their PJs and take care of their holiday shopping — at their leisure, in the peace and comfort of their living room/bedroom/study/kitchen.

Meanwhile, be sure to use Instant POP to remind your clients already in your spa receiving services to visit your website for beautiful and Instant solutions to their gift giving this holiday!

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This is where I think spas have it right; they have perfected the skill of single tasking for their clients. A recent article in the New York Times, speaks to the hazards of multitasking and its direct effect on our stressed out life and work environments.

It is a gift to dedicate a slice of our lives to the spa experience. Where else are we asked to refrain from phone calls and loud voices in conversation and encouraged to harmonize with a peaceful environment?

In a spa setting we remove all the bling from our bodies and slip on a robe designed for its basic comfort and simplicity.

In a world of forced multitasking and living on the loudest setting it is important to have the rare, single task experience that a spa gives naturally to its clients without interruption.

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Planning to be at ISPA this year? Be sure to stop by the SpaBoom booth for a chat and a chocolate!

Embracing an Experience is the theme of the conference this year, with tons of education and networking opportunities for attendees!

For more on ISPA, click here.

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