Whether your Clients book treatments for self-care, skin care, relaxation — or a combination of all three — they visit your spa knowing they’ll leave their appointment looking and feeling their best. And while ideally they’ll see you in person as often as possible, the best way to keep them coming back is to send clients home with product recommendations that will help extend the benefits and results of their spa treatments. After all, long-term skin care results aren’t just achieved in the treatment room.
There are a few simple steps you can take to make sure you and your clients get the most out of your time together — and that those benefits extend far beyond the spa. Read on for some simple and useful tips that will allow you to make your customers happy while increasing your sales.
Why is home care important?
While your clients undoubtedly leave their treatments glowing, we all know that long-term skin care goals require more than regular spa visits. Making the most of post-spa results requires some at-home care, so equipping them with the tools to maintain their results between appointments is an important part of the process.
Did you know that 89% of retail customers welcome home care recommendations and that over 85% of spa customers report purchasing skin care products after being recommended by spa staff? In other words, clients want to know how to make the results last after their appointment and are happy to spend money to make it happen. By recommending retail products to customers, you can help them achieve their beauty goals while achieving your sales goals. So, how do you do it? We’ve outlined some best practices that will make the process as smooth as your skin after a body wrap.
Ask questions
Asking your Client to fill out a skin care consultation form is a great first step in getting to know their needs, concerns, preferences and habits. All of these details will help you familiarize yourself with the best spa treatment to meet these needs, as well as the products you recommend for home use. Eminence provides tools such as custom Eminence Skin Care Consultation Form and Home Care Routine Cards that help spa professionals create at-home protocols that address clients’ skin concerns and goals.
Explore customer needs
Ask questions to get to the root of their problems or pain points. It can be helpful to get a feel for the types of products they’ve used in the past, including what they liked or didn’t like and why. Having a list of questions prepared will help you refine your home care protocol and recommend products that will help your Client achieve their skin and self-care goals.
Step by step
Some clients love hearing all about their treatments in real time. They look forward to hearing what products you use and why, and asking questions about their own specific skin. This type of play also allows you to customize the treatment based on things like aroma and texture preferences, as well as optimal results. The more they enjoy the treatment and hear about the benefits of the products you use, the more likely they are to make a purchase on their way out.
Provide Product Experience
A great way to make a customer fall in love with a product is to let them experience it. Things like fragrance, texture and ease of application can be proven either during or after a treatment. A sample on the back of the hand can work wonders, as can sending a few samples home with them.
Product education
You are the expert and your Client is often interested in learning more. Discover the unique features of the products and highlight the results you have seen. Often this is their first interaction with a particular ingredient or type of treatment, and your expertise and deep knowledge can help convert them into a retail customer.
Encourage use at home
Asking your customers about their home routines is a great way to fill in the blanks and recommend products they may be missing. Again, you are the expert and clients want to maintain the results achieved from their treatments after they leave the spa. Introduce them to a step or product that may not currently be part of their routine (such as a toner, essential oil, eye cream, or mask) and explain the benefits of adding it to their regimen.
Samples
Include a sample or two that goes well with all the products they buy. Once they have a chance to try it at home, they are more likely to buy it next time. And if you’ve recommended some products but they refuse to buy on the spot, sending a few samples home with customers gives them a chance to try the products on their own time and notice the results, which could ultimately lead them back to spa for future purchase.
Positive Retail Space
The look and feel of the space is such an important part of the experience. Strategically merchandising products with a clean, uncluttered display — and incorporating brand elements, booths, samples and Eminence materials — can go a long way in encouraging customers to make a purchase.
Home care routine
Whether you have talked with the Client through each step of the treatment or are continuing the routine afterward, providing a detailed list of products used, along with a complete home care routine card, is perhaps the most important step in the process. Not only will it list every product you used and give them a guide to home care, but it will also stay on their record or future reference. If they misplace the list or come back asking about a specific product or routine, you or your staff will be able to refer back to it easily and help them reap the benefits again.
After Treatment
When the Client’s treatment is over, make sure that the last interactions are pleasant, informative and positive, as this is the final impression that will be left. Choose three products to display at the front desk and let the front desk staff know the “why” behind these recommendations. In a poll, over 80% of Spa Managers said it was very important for their staff to be effective in recommending home care.
Products should also be listed on the routine home care card that you will send home with the Customer. All of this attention will help the Client feel cared for, that all questions have been answered, and that the entire spa supports their well-being.
Find out more about becoming an Eminence Organics Spa partner or to find out more about how Eminence Organic Skin Care can support your business.
This article was originally published in July 2023.
