Homecare Recommendations for Success.

9 Ideas You Want for Achieving Sales After Spa Treatments to Boost Your Business

How well is your team performing when it comes to sales after a facial? Some Spas have figured out how to include this critical step into their team's daily routine, having their team members at ease with this 'sales' step and seeing remarkable results on their business's top and bottom line.

But I also know that this is far from being the norm looking at this particular part of the Spa & Wellness business internationally. I will never forget when I was appointed for the first time Spa Manager; my team made it clear upfront: "We don't sell!" That was a statement, but with training, belief, and perseverance, we moved within a few years from 11,000 Euros monthly in retail sales to 100,000 Euros monthly - and every team member, even the massage therapists, were part of this!

You wonder indeed how that happened and if it is only linked to homecare recommendations or the use of prescription cards. The answer is yes and no. No, because in that particular Spa where this incredible increase happened, we added many lifestyle items to the retail merchandising at the same time we introduced prescription cards; we added products above our average retail $ per item as well. And YES, we refined our prescription cards and worked on getting the team on board for having the guest LOVE leaving with products. Again, though, there are several aspects to this. It is not just one switch that you turn, and your team sells. That would be magical. It takes undoubtedly time, consistency, and patience.

The main point of my vision has been the following

Training. Don't compromise on training! I invite you to look at my blog post from a few months ago to dive deeper into this magic. You want to make sure your team knows the products very well and is trained on techniques to communicate with the customer, so they can't resist but take some products home without feeling forced.

Some of you may think we paid them a lot of commissions and incentives. Incentives may help but I would never go beyond 10% commission and also go by tiers. And then product incentives can be nice. It is always a plus to have the product houses you work with reward the team members selling products and allowing them to experience the products they use. But these two won't change much if there is no training, no praise, and no plan for flow happening. 

Here is my 9-step plan:

1. Have the guest fill in on the guest intake form which products they use. This information is crucial for the esthetician to get an idea of what the skincare routine of the guest is like.

2. Present the core products used no matter the skin type at the offset of the facial - ideally in retail bottles. A familiarization process starts precisely here.

3. A skin consultation is a must in each facial service. The esthetician should ask the guest what the main skin concerns are to get more information on tailoring the facial and which results are essential to the guest.

4. Ideally, during the consultation, the esthetician asks some open-ended questions based on the information on the guest intake. For example, if the guest has highlighted that they use a mask, but no exfoliant, a question during the skin consultation may be, "How often do you exfoliate your skin every week/ every month?" If the guest does not use any scrub, just by having heard the question, the guest will feel guilty about their skin and feel they should be exfoliating. All estheticians will confirm that's an essential step from time to time in the skincare routine.

5. Have a mirror handy after the treatment and speak to the guest about the results that have been achieved tailored to the initial conversation in points 3. and 4. . It is important to share which products achieved which result by saying, i.e., "You can see the lines around your eye zone have been plumped/ reduced/ smoothed by doing a soft exfoliation, and your skin loved the XX eye cream. It drank it. I would recommend repeating the exfoliation once a week and continuing with the eye cream morning and evening so the results from today can be maintained." - Again, this is part of the selling process while the guest is still on the treatment table.

6. Once the guest is escorted to the relaxation lounge, the esthetician should hand the guest a prescription card with the homecare recommendations. They must be in line with what has been addressed to be relevant. I love that the esthetician lets the guest know that the recommendations are left at reception for the guest to take a look at.

7. After that, the communication between the esthetician and the receptionist on key concerns and information will help the receptionist conclude the sale. The recommended products are pulled from the shelf and placed on the guest's invoice for a smooth closing.

8. At check out, before presenting the invoice, the receptionist shares with the guest that the esthetician has left certain products for the guest to take a look at and may say: "Here is your homecare recommendation. Your esthetician shared that your eye zone/ your skin especially enjoyed this eye cream and this scrub." and presents while saying this the two products in front of the guest to touch them. 8 out of 10 guests buy at least one if not both products.

   Here are some additional tips: Usually, our esthetician has 3-5 products recommended. Never just one as then the guest has the choice between 1 and 0, which we don't want. Offering 2 raises your chances drastically of selling at least 1 product.

   If the guest declines, we love to offer the guest some free samples, which gives the guests a good feeling of their decision and leaves a good impression of your Spa.

9. Celebrate! Celebrate your team, their success, and their wins. Make every sale, no matter if it is one product, five or more products, a reason to congratulate, encourage, and share your excitement with them, which ultimately will get your team excited.

One last observation: in many Spas, the prescription card/ pads are coming from the product houses and do not reflect the Spa’s image and standing. I know it's an investment, but a good one to create your Spa's own prescription cards. Sometimes they may be printed in-house, sometimes through a printer. I saw Spas where the prescription cards were part of the Spa's collateral package. Again, there is no right or wrong here but keep in mind that this part of the guests' journey is part of their overall experience.

I would love how your Spa or Wellness business approaches the homecare recommendations after facials. Please share with us below.