Spa Business Management | SpaBoom

Who Are You Now?

March 25, 2013

Have you taken time lately to assess your business, and compare it to where you were a year ago? Or even a few months ago?

From a marketing perspective, continually looking closely at who and what we are and how we’ve evolved is essential to keeping all of our messaging consistent and fresh. We grow and change more than we realize, sometimes, and doing so with specific goals in mind and strategies for adjusting means we can do so comfortably and gracefully.

Things you need to ask yourself on a regular basis:

Have we added a new service that’s become a permanent offering? If so, have we added that to our service menu and any printed media that reflects services?
Have we shifted direction in any way? Become known for a particular offering or specialty? If so, have we mentioned that in emails, blog articles, social media and other outbound messaging? Have we updated our service menu accordingly?
Have we added to or changed our retail offerings? If so, do our clients all know our favorite product line(s) and why we feature them? People love to hear not just the what’s of what you do, but the why’s as well. You’re experts, and your opinion matters. Which also means any change warrants mention in an email, on your website, on social media, and certainly on your blog. People look for news from you in different places; be sure you’re reaching them in their individual information comfort zones.
Do we need to examine profitability and turn of our retail lines and adjust? Do we need to promote certain items more during services in order to move sluggish inventory? Do we need to discontinue items that simply do not appeal to our clientele? Look at your numbers, your average turn on retail, and on how you’re promoting. You may find hidden opportunities using only the communication between your practitioners and clients that will help create awareness and generate sales. And yes, you knew I was going to say this, talk about it on your website, in emails, in blog articles, and in social media. Make your audience feel like it has the inside track when it comes to info on your products. People like that.

Managing a spa or salon, or running a solo practitioner operation takes energy, creativity, passion and drive. Honest self-assessments work in all aspects of your operation, and small adjustments can mean big improvements on the face that you show your clients as well as the financial health of your business.

Take the time to reflect, and we’ll bet you’ll be pleased with the results.

The Lowerst Paid but Most Influential

March 20, 2013

Your front desk staff holds a lot of power in spite of the fact that they’re typically compensated less than anyone else. Training them well and to represent you best is key!

Your Very Own Mobile App Is Coming!

March 18, 2013

Did you know that there are 165M handheld devices out there now? That’s a whole lot of smart phones and tablets serving to connect people with their world. And if you think about that number relative to say, 2 years ago, it’s a bit shocking.

Who knew that the internet and mobile accessibility would change how we connect, live and work so completely in such a short time? Well, in all fairness, Steve Jobs (may he rest in peace) and Mark Zuckerberg did, but we can’t all see their version of the future.

Since mobile accessibility clearly isn’t going away, we’ve got a great marketing tool for your business to reach out — a mobile app for your spa or salon. You’ll be able to easily connect with all of those device users, and make that connection work for your business.

What you’ll be able to do, out of the gate:

Promote specials and events directly to your clients

Promote your featured service or specialty treatments in a location that allows for purchasing on the spot

Offer up convenient booking or request appointments accessibility

Serve up easy blog article access

Make it convenient to purchase Instant Gift Certificates directly on the smartphone or tablet

Doesn’t that sound perfect, especially if you don’t have to do anything to make those things happen? Just know, we’ve got your app on the way! SpaBoom is getting set to deliver the best mobile spa/salon app around!

Why? Because our experience in the spa and salon industry makes us very good at knowing what spas and salons need. And our success with thousands of marketing campaigns helps us predict what consumers are expecting.

We are in the final phase of development and would love to hear any suggestions you have regarding feature requests for the SpaBoom mobile app, or what we’re fondly referring to as – Our little ‘SpaBaby’.

The Best Secret Shopper Secrets — You Need Them!

Providing phenomenal services means knowing exactly what your clients are experiencing when they visit. Knowing what works is important, knowing what needs a little focus is critical to maintaining that great reputation you’ve worked so hard to achieve!

The Power of You (Pricing Power)

March 13, 2013

Brand is worth a lot when it comes to pricing. Dena and Seth discuss more thoughts to consider as you take full advantage of your hard work building a strong brand, and how to reflect that in your pricing.

Are You ‘Going to Press’ or ‘Out to Pasture’

March 11, 2013

Bill and Janell discuss exactly how modern marketing means you’re essentially your own publisher. Print ads and traditional advertising have fallen from grace and the new media requires your full attention in terms of generating great content, across the board, all year long.

Show Me the Money!

March 6, 2013

Should you increase your prices? If so, on which services? Pricing is tricky, but with some deliberate thought before you adjust you can make the best choice for you given your current business objectives.

First, look around you.

What is the market rate for service offerings comparable to yours? Are spas in your area offering one hour massages within a pretty tight range? Is your current price somewhere within that? If not, is there natural room for increase that will bring your rates into the norm without pricing yourself out of the local market?

Also, are you known for a special service/technique/package that means you have some market power with regard to pricing? If so, a modest increase within that offering or offering set can take advantage of the work you’ve done building up that great service or package, and chances are clients you’ve already hooked will remain so with little or no push-back.

Second, look within. Your service menu, that is.

Raising prices across the board might not be the best approach when, instead, you can choose a type of service, say multi-process color, and opt to raise the average price on those. You know the real cost of providing your services, so use that knowledge to ensure that you are receiving solid prices where you’re offering up the best perceived value, and know where it’s best to let prices remain where they are, at least for the moment. There may be more room for price increases in a highly-coveted series of color treatments than there are in just haircuts/styling, for example.

OR you can create a new perception of a service by offering the same service for less time, and keep the price the same. With this strategy, throwing in a nice little take-away lotion or potion might be an additional consideration.

Pricing always boils down to knowing what you’re worth. What is the real value that your clients perceive in your services and offerings as a whole? There is nothing wrong with earning what you’re really worth where perceived value is high. In other services that may not be as coveted by your clients, a less aggressive pricing strategy may prove to be the best.

How to avoid becoming irrelevant

March 3, 2013

A guest article by Neil Ducoff

In business, becoming irrelevant means that your company is indistinguishable from the bulk of your competition. It means that your service or product is easily replaceable. It means that you are competing on price rather than value, expertise, innovation or exclusivity. I don’t know about you, but anything remotely connecting my company, my work or life to the term “irrelevant” sends shivers up and down my spine. I’d rather throw in the towel than go to work every day knowing that what I do doesn’t make a difference.

All leaders must fear irrelevance. It’s the difference between leading a company to achieve the extraordinary or leading it to mediocrity. As a leader, your job is to achieve the extraordinary. Yet, if you wander around your company, you’ll see signs of thinking and behavior that feeds mediocrity. It could be something as simple as an employee who comes to work with an “I don’t care” attitude. I don’t about you, but I don’t care to sign paychecks for employees that don’t care.

Here are some no-compromise strategies to avoid becoming irrelevant:

Kick your own butt: That’s right – you need to kick your own butt. Leading people and growing a company is relentlessly hard work. If you keep talking about getting to that “next level” but never gain any ground, than you’re not leading with the intensity that next level requires. Got that? As a cyclist, if I want to improve my average speed (my next level), I need to peddle with greater intensity and power. That’s why I signed up for week-long professional Spring Training Camp next March in the mountains of North Carolina. My butt is going to get kicked for sure.
Today matters: Another day of average is another day of compromise. A company becomes irrelevant one day at a time – one missed opportunity at a time. Today is Monday. What are you going to do today that will lead to extraordinary? And what about the rest of the week? Oh, and then a fresh new year called 2013 has already begun. If 2012 had smatterings of irrelevancy, what are you going to do today to prevent that from spilling over into 2013? Today matters more than ever. Tick tock, tick tock…make it count.
Fear feeds irrelevant thinking and behavior: Fear that change will rock the boat too much that key employees may leave. Key employees are those that believe in vision of the company, and you as a leader, will support change initiatives. An employee that generates high sales, or has certain expertise, that resists change and is ego-driven – not team-driven – IS NOT a key employee. I’m not suggesting that you fire seemingly key employees, I’m suggesting that you do what’s best for the company without fear getting in your way.
Accountability rocks: Successful change initiatives are built on a foundation of accountability to achieving the desired outcome. Accountability begins with you, the leader. Too many leaders think the key to accountability is having the right consequences. Put your energy and focus into clarifying expectations, building the right systems, training how to use those systems and coaching them to succeed. Achieving extraordinary is the result of people working hard for things they want to achieve – not from doing good enough to avoid the consequences.
Ban mediocrity: Indifference feeds mediocrity. Indifference is that toxic “I don’t care” thinking and behavior that exists to some degree in all companies. If you want to ban mediocrity, you need to give your team something to strive and fight for – something that grabs their imagination and awakens their spirit. Chances are some people just got bored with the same old routine. Others stopped believing because you may have stopped believing. Perhaps it’s time to put action and energy behind what you believe your company is capable of achieving.
Take some risks: Not every idea is going to be a winner, but the more ideas you throw against the wall, the better your chances of finding some winners. Seth Godin says, “Ship something out the door every day.” He also says, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Success is a numbers game. It rises from repeated failures until the right outcome occurs. Celebrate it. Bask in the warm glow of success while it lasts. Keep taking risks to find that next winner. It’s what leaders do.

— NEIL DUCOFF, Founder & CEO, STRATEGIES

Check out Neil’s book: Fast Forward – Second Edition

The Definitive Guide to Salon, Spa and Medspa Management

SECOND EDITION – COMPLETELY RE-WRITTEN FOR 2013!

Maintenance, Maintenance, Maintenance

February 26, 2013

Staying fresh and perky takes a little work, as you well know. Watch for ways to ensure you’re using SpaBoom’s wide assortment of GC designs, Email templates and Default Campaigns to reach your audience with style.

How One Spa Found $100,000!

A few months ago we talked about the changes in the economy, right here. Since our holiday revenue review, we have continued to see growth and increases in revenue across the board with our spas. This is definitely something that every spa owner wants to hear so with that in mind, we talked to one of our many spa owners that have seen gift certificate sales increase exponentially in the last few months.

Ava Bella Day Spa in Little Rock, Arkansas uses SpaBoom’s Instant Gift Certificates to offer online gift solutions to their customers. This year, Ava Bella Day Spa sold more than $29,000 worth of online Instant Gift Certificates in February leading up to Valentine’s Day, with almost $10,000 worth of online Instant Gift Certificates sold on Valentine’s Day! DeeDee Helbig, the owner of Ava Bella Day Spa, is extremely pleased with her gift certificate sales.

Since we started using SpaBoom our gift certificate sales have greatly increased! I have sold $31,000 more than last year at this time! I tell every business owner I know about SpaBoom.

Ava Bella Day Spa started using SpaBoom in April of 2012. Since then, they have sold over $100,000 in online Instant Gift Certificates. DeeDee attributes the increase in sales to the unique opportunity of convenience and enhanced abilities her clients now have to access gifts and information whenever they want or need it.