Ms. Curtis

Spas, Health & Fitness

Hotel Spas: How to Make Sure You are Selling the Right Products

By Nina Curtis, Founder & President, The Nile Institute

Seamless Experiences

With the plethora of choices consumers have today it is crucial to create spa programs that offer seamless experiences on every account. From the time the consumer calls to make an appointment to the time they walk into your spa and then leave, every moment of their time with you should be a seamless experience.

What Products Do You Really Sell?

It should be known by now that all we do is connected to selling. We sell concepts, dreams, fantasies, hope, results, and more. But so often we only think that the products on the shelf are all that we sell, but this is far from the truth and usually the last thing we sell, if we sell at all.

Consumers make choices with where they spend their time and money based on many different factors today. Reviews, the internet and personal recommendations rank high on the list for helping a consumer to make a decision on which hotel, resort or spa they choose to visit and on what products they will spend their dollars.

It would behoove all of us to take inventory on what we are really selling so that we know how to clearly and consistently market it to our potential guest.

The Product

Before any tangible product is every sold, we have sold someone on a belief (intangible). That belief is that we can solve their problem, that we are the experts and that we know what they need. This message is usually delivered through our marketing and advertisement mediums and the consumer who is looking to solve a problem makes their first purchase from there.

Did I mention that nothing is sold until a problem is solved or believed to be solved?

Consumers are seeking to solve problems. Let's think about it. A consumer is stressed, tired and overworked...they need a vacation. A consumer has achy, sore muscles, they need a massage, soak in a Jacuzzi tub, and or a steam bath. A consumer has a special event coming up and they need to look their best, they need a facial, hair styling and possible total make over.

I could go on and on with this need/solution model but I think you get the idea. What I experience more often than not when working with companies is that there are gaps in the sales model and that often the company is not aware of the products they really sell.

In the spa we sell both tangible and intangible products. Let's take inventory on what those products look like

The Product Called "You" (tangible product)

Your spa, if bottled up and put on the shelf, what would it look like? Who would it attract? What are its benefits and features? How much is it in demand? And how much does it cost? All of these questions are important to answer as this is one of the first products you sell, long before the consumer every walks in to have a treatment.

Identifying your spa as a product is essential to determining all else that you will sell. Do you have a relaxed theme that conjures up in the minds of consumers, a haven, get- away, or sanctuary? Is it a place where you come and spend a few hours or get in and get out? What is the pace and climate in your spa? Does a consumer need time to enjoy all that you offer or do the feel like they are moved through on a conveyor belt?

Looking at your spa as a product and clearly identifying its character, benefits, advantages and features will speak volumes to your team and your potential guest.

Actually defining how you spa would look on the shelf and discussing this with your team will provide everyone in the spa with a real sense of purpose and intent. Try this exercise out at your next associates' meeting. It will be interesting to see how your associates see the spa as a product.

Ask your team to define the characteristics of the spa. Ask if the spa was a product on the shelf where would it be merchandised? Would it be merchandised in the luxury category, the relaxation category or possibly the quick fix category? Ask associates, who would want to buy this product and why? Discuss the benefits, advantages and features of this product.

When I've conducted this exercise with different clients, management has always been surprised with the outcome and the opportunity that this exercise presents to get everybody on the same page, speaking the same language about the spa. I have found it to be a very motivating experience.

The Experience (intangible product)

Developing seamless experiences when it comes to what you are selling involves everyone in your organization. We start with your spa as the first product. Let's say that we have established that your spa is a luxury product that offers relaxation while delivering maximum results and customized experiences. This means that clients will be presented with the best in quality, delivered with expert attention and discernable detail.

Now all other decisions on what you sell will be based on this product's attributes. You will hire a team that is expert, discernable and interested in providing unparalleled care for your guests. The products that you choose to sit on your shelves and to be used in your treatments will offer the most advanced performance while providing your clients with a sense of exquisiteness. Your treatments will offer results, relaxation and one of a kind experience not to be found anywhere else...

The Team (tangible product)

Line them up. How do they look? Is there consistency in this particular product? Where on the shelf does this group of products fit? Very accessible, user friendly, always available, and consistent in the offering. Is this the picture you get when you look at your team? Is your team polished, knowledgeable, always wearing a smile and ready to care for your guests' every need? Does all of your team understand how they support the spa as a product? Does your team understand why you offer the treatments and products on the shelf and how all that you do complements every aspect of the spa? Can your estheticians explain to a client the offering and benefits of your body therapy and massage offering? And can you body therapist explain the benefits and advantages of your esthetic department? This is where cross-training becomes crucial. Each member of your team must understand and be able to explain to guests other services and products that will complement the treatment that they are currently experiencing. We call this up selling and link selling.

The Performance Standards (intangible product)

This product supports the experience. Your spa and teams' report card so to speak will be determined by your performance. Once you've expressed your purpose and intent, conducted treatment and product knowledge training and set the standards on how all things will be staged, you still have to measure your performance and give feedback to your team with how they are performing. Performance standards must be seamless but they must also be practiced, measured and then reviewed on a regular basis and by this I mean daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly. Do you have a performance standard checklist available for your associates so that they know at all times what is expected of them? Are these checklist measures and discussed regularly? Are incentives attached to exemplary performance?

The Goods (tangible products)

Now we come to a crucial point. What tangible products do you offer on your shelves to support all that you do? How do the tangible products your sell for your guests to take home continue and extend the experience that they gained while at your spa? How do these tangible products support your treatments in delivering on your promise of results, performance, luxury and relaxation? How do the vendors of your chosen product support you with regular training, product knowledge, marketing and sales concepts? In today's busy world, are your vendors providing training, product knowledge, marketing and sales support through the internet and webinar sessions. Is your team able to go on line at anytime to receive treatment and product knowledge training? Are you able to get on the phone and get customer support from your vendor on the spot? It's too hard to pull all of your team off the books at the same time, how is your vendor creating ways to meet your individual training and sales support needs?

How many product lines do your carry? Why? Do your lines have a direct correlation to the treatments that you offer? Does your entire team understand the purpose of your merchandise products and how they fit in to the larger picture of the spa as a product?

I was just wondering, because so often I visits spas and the team is not all ways sure why the spa sells candles, robes, slippers, lingerie, incense, you get the point. It is essential for everyone, that you expect to sell and who services your guests to know the purpose of the products you merchandise and how they fit into the overall scheme.

During associate meetings, have a person from each of your spa departments cross train others on what they do, how they do it and why they do it. Take turns each week in discussing a different treatment, its benefits and advantages along with the products that are recommended to guests to take home to continue and enhance the experience enjoyed during the spa visit

Turning Customers into Guest for life

1. Show passion in all that you do.
2. Be an expert in what you do and show that you care.
3. Know the benefits of every treatment and product that you sell.
4. Inform Guest on treatments and products that will meet their individual needs.
5. Under promise, over deliver.
6. Show delight in the care that you give.
7. Let your guest know that you are here to Serve.

Remember, guest buy to solve problems. Identify what those problems are and make a commitment to offer tangible and intangible products that deliver on the promise, while delighting the soul.

Founder and President of the Nile Institute, Nina Curtis has worked in the personal care and spa industry for more than 25 years. She holds certifications in aromatherapy, reflexology, acupressure and color therapy and was instrumental in developing of training programs for salons and spas across the country. As principal of Curtis Communications, she consults for leading companies in the personal care industry. Ms. Curtis earned a MBA from Pepperdine University, and sees the value of learning business skills that are directly applied to the spa a nd hospitality industries. Ms. Curtis can be contacted at 310-275-6453 or curtiscomm@earthlink.net Extended Bio...

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