“Those who know me well say I can sell ice to Eskimos.”
— TIFFANY SMALL
RETAILING IN THE
Spa World
BY
TERRI
SMITH
Ten years ago, I decided to make a career change and leave a job I loved in the cosmetic industry to
open a luxury day spa in my hometown of Carmel, Indiana. My previous experience as regional
marketing manager for a branch of the Estee Lauder Corporation paved way toward becoming the
top retailer in the country, with three spa locations and A Yoga Lounge with over 100 employees.
46
PULSE
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September 2016
for you to increase your bottom line as I have with 25 percent
retail-to-service ratio selling US$10,000 minimum in retail sales
per week. Let’s get started!
Train your team like an athlete.
You must provide all the tools they need to
succeed. Train your team to sell like an athlete
trains to run. Have you ever tried the 5K Runner
app? The app is designed to get you off your
couch to running a 5K marathon. It’s not going to happen
overnight so break it down and coach your team along the way.
LESSON
Selling products in the spa industry presented many obstacles
for me to overcome:
l How do I get the “buy-in” of the importance of recommending home care for our therapist?
l How do I duplicate my selling techniques to all my
employees?
l Will the vendors negotiate to my terms of doing business?
l How can I attract a front staff team who can close the sale?
l Which products should I select that will sell in my spa?
l How can I effectively present the products to the guests?
Sound familiar to you? Hopefully this article will pave the way