To weather today ’ s climate , spas must have the built-in mechanisms of self-preservation : grassroots marketing efforts that connect with every customer , sound payroll practices that protect the bottom line , inventory management that lowers liabilities and recognition efforts that motivate the team .
For spa leaders , this takes a heightened level of personal and organizational self-awareness . It has become very difficult for leaders to find time for future planning amidst staffing and resource reductions . So , when opportunities for strategizing do arise , we must be in tune — able to trust our intuition and innate sense of the best path forward . With heightened self-awareness , we can proceed with ruthless prioritization of business goals , clear facilitation of a few impactful initiatives and confidence to engage in any difficult conversations .
The most important thing spas can do today to plan for tomorrow is to focus on rebuilding a wellness team culture centered on true human connections . People have been shaken to the core both personally and professionally throughout the pandemic . More than ever , we want to be part of something purposeful , authentic and connected . Something that matters . We want to see our colleagues and leaders operate from the heart . Gone are the days of prescribed management rhetoric — leaders need to communicate from a place of empathy and selfawareness , to share their vision and re-build a wellness team culture founded on trust .
The human connection forged within spa teams will naturally flow into the connections between team members and customers . Coming out of the pandemic , spas are poised to capitalize on our greatest strength — the unique ability we have to connect deeply with customers on their health and wellbeing . Although personalization has always been a key to spas ’ success , it will serve as the greatest differentiator as we wade out of a purely digital , e-commerce-based existence .
Spas must be acutely aware of their customer ’ s behaviors and expectations to deliver a hyper-personalized experience that they cannot get anywhere else . As such , spa leaders need to re-build teams that leverage talented , multi-skilled specialists to drive trust , customer relationships and revenue opportunities . Given the disruption the pandemic has thrown into people ’ s lives , spa leaders need to demonstrate flexibility , consistency and transparency to attract team members who value the same .
With increasing demand in an evolving industry , spa leaders will need to spend most of their time focused on wellness trends , customer behaviors , service delivery and business strategies – with little time for managing disruption to the team dynamic . Everyone on the team needs to be focused on the same goal : customer connection and satisfaction . Spa experiences will be infused with new touches of wellness , delivered by specialists who do so from the heart .
MARCH 2021 ■ PULSE 47