For entertainment Saturday night, we watched the Tooth Fairy movie with Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson. Have you seen it?  It had a very good message.  He played Derek Thomas, one of the toughest hockey players, until he was sentenced to one week of Tooth Fairy duty.  I am not going to ruin the movie for you in case you want to see it….The point of the movie was that he did not believe in many things. He had a negative outlook on life, and it got to the point where he did not even try any more.  And of course, he did not believe in the tooth fairy either, nor the ability to beat the odds and become something. Instead of encouraging young people to dream and believe, he would say you’ll never make it, never amount to anything, so don’t even try kid!  You get the picture, right?  You might even have a family member or a friend who fits this description.  The world is full of people who can’t believe, who are negative or say well, that’s never going to happen…

Fortunately, by the end of the movie, Thompson became a believer and things improved for him.  But first, he had to believe.  So the movie had a very good message for kids and adults alike!

Belief is a positive tonic that helps people grow beyond their dreams. Here are some of my favorite quotes on belief:

1.    Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers, you cannot be successful or happy.
Norman Vincent Peale

2.    Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.
Eleanor Roosevelt

3.    If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can’t, you’re right.

Mary Kay Ash

4.    Keep your dreams alive! Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication.

Remember, all things are possible for those who believe.
Gail Devers

How many times have you heard great stories about belief, faith and visualization that came true?  There are many examples of those types of stories.  Just look at Oprah, Bill Gates, Edison, Colonel Sanders, the list goes on… How about Jim Carrey?  Before he became rich and famous, he wrote himself a check for $10 Million. He put it in his wallet and would go up to the Hollywood look-out, dreaming and believing that he could make it.  And sure enough, in couple of years, he was paid $10 Million for his role in the movie Mask!

I am sure you have experienced success from believing. I know I have many times.  But the thing that separates the successful from the ones that really soar is self sabotage.  We believe and we are on our way, then all of the sudden, we put the brakes on.  In the Tooth Fairy movie, they scripted a perfect example of self sabotage. You’ll know what I am talking about when you watch it. 

Self Sabotage is deliberate destruction of one’s ability.  There is even a self sabotage syndrome where doctors actually treat people for self destruction.  This condition is very sad since it is a result of one’s own thoughts.  Remember “The Secret” and all the hype around it last year… Well, “The Secret” was a new way to practice Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.  Have you read it?  If you haven’t, you need to. Think and Grow Rich is a book that I read over 20 years ago and it changed my life.  I give it to every Leap Ahead spa leader seminar attendee and ask them to read it before they even come to the seminar. You need to live with success in your head and in your thoughts. You can’t afford to self sabotage your ability, that’s like committing suicide on your dreams.

I see this scenario all the time in the spa industry! Therapists refuse to recommend products and miss out on thousands of dollars per year in income.  Or they refuse to really discover their guest’s needs, so they don’t upgrade their treatment to raise the volume per guest, improve the guest experience and make more money.  Or a spa director or team leader who doesn’t invest in training to improve performance and sits back hoping things are going to get better on their own.  Or those who use a lame economy as an excuse for poor performance, I can go on & on with all the negative thinking we encounter…  So if you are a spa leader, check your belief system. See where you stand. During your next team meeting, check your team’s belief system. Talk about belief and self sabotage. Show your team how this affects everyone’s lives. Call us and reserve a webinar on Personal Transformation.  Let us help you reposition your belief system to achieve greater success!

Go ahead and believe… It’s a lot better than not believing!!!

Happy Mother’s Day!

May 9^th is Mother’s day, the day we all honor our Moms. As a mom, my son Charlie who is 13 gave me an early mother’s day gift; it was the best gift any mom could ask for… he was invited to join the Junior National Honor Society.  He was one of 24  who were selected from over 700 kids, needless to say It was my best gift ever and I  loved it!  Between his commitment to education, music, boy scouts and take wando and excelling at all it makes feel like mother’s day is an everyday occasion not only once a year.  But on mother’s day he always does something special for me to show how much he loves me and appreciates me.  I am sure your children do the same for you.

 Being a mom is a big responsibility and sometimes as a business owner you might feel like you are a mom to more than your children you feel all your employees are also your children.  We try to teach them, develop them, look after them and so on…

In this issue I am focusing on leadership which is a direct link with motherhood.  As a mother you are leader to your children same as your role at work.  There are many responsibilities and pressures to be the best leader you can be at home and at work.  According to recent studies

women who work full-time and have children under the age of 13 report the greatest stress worldwide.  You are trying to juggle home and work and make sure everyone is happy and taken care off.  So on this mother’s day let someone else take care of you.  Consider going for a spa day at another spa.  I am often amazed how little spa professionals go to spas.  We need to practice what we preach and take care of ourselves so we can in return take care of others.

I was thinking about this on my last flight as I watching the pre-flight video they always tell you to put on your own oxygen mask first before you try to help others.  I’ve listen to this tape hundreds of times but this time it kind of stuck with me.  Make a commitment to taking care of yourself first so you can take care of others and have a happy mother’s day!! I hope that this mother’s day you get the best gift whatever that maybe… please tell us all about it!

Do you work all the time, with little or no time for anything else? 

We get so wrapped up in the rat race. Going, going, going… that many of us are workaholics. 

According to Webster, the true definition of a workaholic is someone with a compulsive need to work. They can’t help themselves.  They have things they think they need to do and they do them. 

This week has been a very busy week for me… many things to accomplish with many deadlines. Waking up early and working late.  A new InSPAration Management client From Active Orthopedic got me thinking this week about my work habits.  I sent him some emails late night, a few nights in a row.  One night, he wrote back with three words “do you sleep”?  few more late emails… he replied, “You don’t sleep do you?”  So it got me thinking about my work schedule and my life balance… Am I a workaholic?  If you ask my family they will tell you yes.  But workaholics are often in denial, just like me. Everyone says you need balance in your life.  Easy to say, hard to practice.

I met my friend Carla this afternoon in Winter Park. We sat outside to have an early dinner.  Carla is the president of the Esthetics Association Florida.  We were talking about business first and then got personal only to find out that she is a workaholic too.  She goes to sleep at 11:30pm and wakes up at 4:00 in the morning to work.  How many of us are out there?  Why do we keep this type of lifestyle?  Not much room for fun, play, entertainment, love etc.

We need a workaholic association that will teach us how to stop working and goof off.  I don’t want to say have fun because to a workaholic work is fun.  We need lessons in how to be goofy, be playful and just relax. 

Here I am, a person in the spa industry, in and out of spas all of time. I take care of myself, but it all has to be super fast.  For example, last week my friend Cheryl who owns the Day Spa @ Pelican Bay invited me to get a manicure, a pedicure and try her new Oxxium gel nails.  What did I say?  How long will it take?  So I decided to get only a manicure.  I drove the poor nail tech crazy by being impatient because it took 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes.  So yes, I am a workaholic because I can’t stop enough to enjoy a spa treatment.  Are you as bad as I am? If you are, maybe we can develop a how to relax club and learn how we can have more balance in our life.  It’s Easter Weekend…Speaking to all my workaholics friends, take time this weekend to JUST RELAX! Happy Easter! 

I have to tell you about Beth Pestotnick with Skin Essentials in Colorado.  I started working with Beth in Nov of last year. She hired our firm to help her with executive coaching.  She was already doing many things right, but she knew she could even be doing better. Beth wanted to make a solid plan for success and take her business to the next level.  Her goals included expanding her business, increase her revenue, maximize her capacity, get her team to stretch and become better performers.  She also wanted to get a better hand on her finances. We formulated her budget and changed the compensation plan to our VPG ComPlan.

When we implement the VPG ComPlan with clients, the first step of the process is to discover the teams’ current VPG. We send a pre-calculated excel spread sheet so they can enter their service, retail volume and number of guests. It automatically calculates every person’s VPG, each dept’s VPG and the spa as a whole.   This is where I was so surprised.  Beth and her teams’ VPG where already far higher than anyone I had worked with!  Their service VPG was $94 and their retail VPG was $88.  Those were incredible numbers.  Normally, day spa VPG for service is $60 to $70. Retail is lucky to be around $25, and that’s usually on the high side.  I was so amazed, I called Beth to see if her numbers were accurate. She said, “Yes, I double checked everything.” I thought, “Wow, that is incredible! And here, she wants to do even better!” 

I wish more people were like Beth.  So we started working together. We redid her menu, came up with marketing strategies, calculated her budget, implemented a new compensation plan and more… But the best news came last week during our coaching session.  Beth wanted to compare how much her team is making under the new complan verses her old plan. To do that, we had to discuss VPGs.  This is where I fell off my chair!

Beth’s VPG went through the roof.  Her VPGs were the highest I have ever calculated!  $198 for retail and their service VPG was over $130!!!

2009                                       2010                       Increase

Service             $ 94                                        $135                       $62%

Retail               $88                                        $198                       124%

That is incredible!  It just goes to show, you can improve what you measure.  Beth began tracking VOLUME PER GUEST when we started working together, and now look at her numbers!  Her entire team is focused on VPG and has bought into the program.

Congratulations to Beth and her entire team for doing such a great job!  You have the highest Retail VPG numbers I have ever seen!!!  

What can we take from this success story?  Through desire, dedication, coaching and commitment everything is possible.  If Beth and her team at Skin Essentials can do that, so can you!!

I am so proud of her accomplishments and our InSPAration Management coaching programs.  Deep in my heart, I wish our entire spa industry would change their compensation plan to the VPG Complan and begin delivering better experiences and fulfilling their client’s needs while elevating revenue per guest. You can do that too! Reach out to a professional coach and exceed your own expectations!

Want to learn about the VPG ComPlan? Sign up for a free demonstration today!

We just came back from the IECSC spa show in NY. It was great to see old friends and make new ones. The show was very busy, I’m happy to say! I conducted two sessions. One was going from solo to expanding your business.  I was so happy to see many people were expanding or opening new business.   The second session was about incorporating wellness into your spa program. As you know, you should have shifted your menu from pampering to wellness by now. If you have not, you should do it now!  Also at the show, I met several professionals who are opening new wellness centers.  I am always excited to see people entering the spa industry and attending industry trade shows. It’s a great place to do some of your homework.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of a tradeshow:

1.       Show program:  Download or get a hard copy prior to the show.

2.       Education: Usually shows offer some free classes and some that require fees. Look over the topics and choose the ones that will address your needs.

3.       Exhibitors: Look over the exhibitor list and choose the one you want to see.

4.       Networking:  Leave time to meet new people and connect with fiends.

5.       Business cards:  Have your business cards with you at all times.  I am surprised how many people do not carry their business cards.

6.       Company brochure:  It’s also wise to have your company’s brochure.   

 A trade show is not a place to be shy.  You need to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people.   Go on a discovery journey and learn about new things that will help your business.

 I want to share something my team and I experienced at the show.   Not only did I speak at the show, but we also exhibited.  We decided to do something special and giveaway 5 discs from our spa success library for people who registered with us.  It’s a great way for us to collect leads and give something in return to the people who register.  My team was asking people as they walked by if they would like to register to win 5 Success Library CD’s. The smart ones stopped by and registered! Unfortunate for others, some people said no.  How can you say no to a chance to win a $750 Spa Success Library?  I guess they did not want to be more successful!  How can they not be interested in elevating their success? 

When you go to a trade show you need to open up your eyes and ears and take advantage of good offers.  Normally, you get the best deal at tradeshows, so take advantage and come prepared.  

Here is the winner of the Success Library - A vlaue of $725

Congratulations to Rachel Schinosi You WON!

1.       Don’t sell, Recommend! Improve spa upgrades and spa retail

2.       Reception and Profits – Turn reception into a profit center

3.       10 Economical Marketing Strategies – Shoestring spa marketing

4.       Secrets to Event Planning – Earn thousands on your next spa event

5.       Team Building with C.L.A.R.I.T.I. –Hire and maintain a professional team

Tell us about your tradeshow experiences. We would love to hear from you!

last week I conducted the Leap Ahead with Leadership Excellence spa leaders seminar in Orlando Florida.  We had 20 professionals join me from all over the country. I met some amazing professionals.   You know what is most amazing to me every time I hold one of these events is the type of professionals that attend.  they are all already successful they just want to be even more successful.   They all received a new spa business model and the blueprint on how to elevate their spa’s success. thank you all for joining me and I wish everyone great success!

You should join us for the next Leap Ahead so you too can Leap in 2010.

This week I am going to Indiana to work with a client who is opening a brand new medi spa. And then off to NY to the IECSC show.  I will be speaking… Check out the shcedule and come by to see me. I am doing two sessions one about going from solo to owning your own spa and the second one is about expanding your spa wellness program and increasing profits, hope to see you there.

 I was in Daytona Beach all this week.  This morning as I was out getting my coffee, I passed by the Daytona Race Track.  In case you don’t know, the Daytona 500 is approaching quickly. It’s next weekend but already people are piling in Daytona Beach.  As I was driving by, campers are lined up in the infield with very few spots left.  This is the biggest car race of the year!  Daytona Beach has done a great job marketing this event.  The city captures thousands of tourists who spend millions of dollars during the month of February.  So here is a question for you, why does the American public love racing so much?  As a matter of fact, racing is the number one watched sport in America.  Yes, more than football, basketball, and even baseball.  Aren’t you surprised to hear that?  I guess we just love speed!

You’ve been in the “rat race.” It seems that we are in a constant rush and moving at a very fast speed. Doing, doing, doing, our life is a race.  That’s why people need to go to the spa, right? To slow down, relax, and recharge, so they can continue with the race. 

Just like in a real race, drivers have to make a PIT STOP.  If they don’t, they can’t finish the race.  We need to apply the same philosophy to our business. Pretend your spa business is a car in a race. Once you get on the track, you are there with all your competition, going around and around.  But while you are doing that, you have to plan your spa winning strategies.  You need to know when it’s time for new tires, gas, check the oil, wash the windshield, etc.  Also, a key factor is your spa team.  Are they on top of their game?  Can they deliver quality service at a fast pace so you can win the race?

Many business people skip the pit stop. They don’t take time to learn and fine tune their strategies. They just keep going around and around, with no end in mind.  It’s sad but true, we see it all the time as a consulting firm.  Only the top 20% of all businesses have a strategic plan. The rest barely make ends meet. 

When we host the Leap Ahead spa director seminar, the people who attend are the people who are already successful and they want to be more successful.  The people who urgently need this educational event are nowhere to be found! They are on the race track with no plan and no chance to win. Sooner or later, they will run out of gas or even crash!  Sorry to be so blunt, but it is true.

If you have not made a PIT STOP recently; you should, so you can at least have a chance at winning the race.  Join us for our LEAP AHEAD in 2010 seminar.  Let us help you win the race!!

While conducting Spa marketing assessments with clients, I discover that many of them think that marketing is advertising. Because advertising is so expensive, they think that they can’t market.  That is wrong thinking.  First, advertising is one component of a marketing mix. There are many marketing mix options available for you to choose from and many are low cost.

Here are a few economical Spa marketing mixes that you can implement within your marketing plan.

In-spa marketing

 Always display your promotions in a prominent location within the spa in order to upgrade and sell additional services and products.

q    Public speaking

Position yourself as the expert on the spa lifestyle within your community.  Promote the spa lifestyle and your spa as much as possible.

q      Special events

Spa events are great way to introduce new guests to your spa. Select the type of spa event you would like to host and follow the structure outlined in our calendar section of our InSPAration Management marketing manual.

q  Spa promotions

Promotions are a great marketing tool. They help you increase the number of services from one treatment to two or more.

q   Spa coupons – spa dollars

Utilize as needed; especially for events and self generated efforts.

q  Business-2-Business alliance

A great way to promote your spa business!  Create a list of businesses in your area that compliment your spa such as: Plastic Surgeons, Dermatologists, etc. Visit them, introduce your spa and have an agreement ready to present.

Vital to your business:

Client Relation Management - CRM

Acquiring and retaining spa clients is the heart and soul of marketing and business. Managing your client base requires a CRM system to monitor client-to-business relations.  Building your database is the most important thing you can do.  Once you have a database, you are able to market to them over and over.  Having a CRM program allows you to segment your list and identify:

• Buying habits
• Response to special offers
• Pricing analysis
• Popular products

This practice is essential to your business success!

Must Do:

Building Your Database

Building your database is a most crucial activity; without it, marketing becomes difficult and too costly.  Make it a habit to gain every client’s contact information and continuously update it.

Steps to Building your database:

1. The easiest way to build your database is by offering a “register to win” strategy on your home page.
2. On the phone.  Your receptionist should ask every person who calls in for their name and their email address. 
3. Collect info at every event that you hold, at functions you attend or sponsor and at Tradeshows.
4. Business alliance websites
5. Business to business lead boxes

Give away a treatment or have a product drawing once a month or quarterly.  List the winners on your website. 

 If you want your business to thrive, you must have an annual marketing plan.  Decide on how much you are going to invest in marketing.  Select your marketing mix and detail your annual plan.  This will drive traffic to your spa and increase your capacity.

you need help with your marketing plan ask inSPAration Management and we will help you. 

A decade came to an end yesterday and a new one has begun!  I remember when 2010 seemed so far away… but now, here it is, knocking on our doors.  Hope this year and this decade brings everyone great health, wealth, and happiness!

What did you do last night? I stayed home with my family, saw a movie, and then watched New Year celebrations from around the world.  For years, while in the hospitality industry, I always had to work on the holidays when everyone else I knew was off. I never had the week between Christmas and New Year off, not to mention other holidays. I missed out on many fun things with friends and family. I guess that’s what happens when you have a J.O.B. But for the past decade, since I became self employed, I am now blessed with the FREEDOM to take off whenever I want to, working when I want. Not having a JOB working for someone else is great!  I guess that’s how many entrepreneurs feel. After all, you probably became an entrepreneur because you did not want someone to dictate to you when and what you should do, right?  However; this past year, I received so many phone calls from entrepreneurs who own their own spa but are working harder in their business than ever before.  Many owners are performing treatments instead of working ON their business. They don’t have the freedom they deserve.

Last year, we helped many entrepreneurs get out of the treatment room. We guided them to work on their business, to make it more successful, and begin living with freedom, rather than becoming a prisoner to their job.  What about you? Are you working too hard? Can’t take time off? Skipped a vacation or two? Time for a change! This is a great time to make the change. It’s a new year, a new decade, and let there be a new you!

Let us help you! You can start by attending the Leap Ahead Spa Director Seminar on Feb 22-24 in Orlando. You will get your hands on a new business model and a blueprint on how to transform your business and begin living the life you deserve!

We’ve helped many spa owners transform their business!  Shannon and Amy own Heavenly Hands in Mustang, Oklahoma. They both worked in the room: one massage after another, all day, every day. Working, working, working, until they attended our spa director seminar last year. They moved to a larger location and are no longer in the room. Now, they work ON their business!

Or Mary from Gainesville, Florida. She owns a 5,000 SF spa and was still in the room when I met her.  She attended the seminar and now she is working ON her business instead of in it! Mary is achieving a new level of success and has more freedom than ever before!

I was speaking to a husband of an owner the other day who attended the Leap Ahead sneak preview call. He is considering attending the seminar. I was answering some of his questions when I discovered he does the financials for his wife’s spa. So I asked him how the business was going. He proceeded to tell me that everything was great. They are so busy then I asked if they have the freedom to have a quality lifestyle and take time off? So he said, “Oh no, my wife is so busy she can’t take time off!”  He proceeded to tell me that she is in the room working 10 to 12 hours a day!  I thought to myself, that’s crazy!  He thinks they are doing great when his wife is in the room being a slave to her business!  Then, he went on to tell me how she loves doing that! Who loves being in a treatment room all day when they own the business?

Remember, the reason you went into business is to have the freedom to do what you want when you want. If you are not doing that, you need help and you need to make changes.  So start this new decade on the right foot. Start thinking differently! There are answers out there. The best part is you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Let us help gain your freedom and make 2010 your best year ever!

Let’s go back to the 80 - 20 rule.  The economist Pareto discovered in the early 1900’s that 80% of the wealth in Italy was held by 20% of the population.  I had written about this previously, but it is a good time to talk about it again.  I am frequently asked questions about gift giving to clients.  From What should I give them for Christmas? to How do I determine who my top clients are?  Here are some tips to help you:

1. Run a report by client and identify the top 20% spenders. Now, you have the answer of who to focus on.  The top 20% will probably represent 80% of your business. 
2. The second question I am often asked is: How much should I spend on each client?  That could vary depending on your budget.  Your gifting should be a line item in your budget.  If your overall marketing budget is 10% of your gross revenue, then perhaps gift giving could represent 2% of that amount.   Convert that 2% into a dollar amount. Now you know how much you can afford to spend on gifts to your top clients. 
3. The third question I am asked is: What should we get them?  There are several things you can do. The most popular item should be products from your spa, preferably branded items; such as robes, wraps etc.  Or it could be something like a complimentary treatment or a gift card.  It could be a book or something that has to do with health and wellness.   This really should be planned far in advance and ordered during the end of August.  But most important: It’s the thought that counts! Don’t get hung up on price.
4. You could also recognize them as a VIP client in your newsletter or during your holiday party by giving them a different color name tag.  They could receive a bigger and better goody bag. Get your brand to help you in recognizing your top clients who especially purchase products on regular basis.
5. If you have no budget at all, you can send a Christmas/Holiday card with a complimentary upgrade for their next visit.

The fourth question I am asked is: What should we do for all the other clients?  Sending holiday wishes via a card or an electronic card is appropriate. 

Here is what we did at InSPAration Management this year.  We gave our top 20% a gift. Then, we sent out a gift in our newsletter for all other clients to join us for a webinar in January.  The webinar is for the Don’t Sell, Recommend! Our number one educational program, a value of $99, they can attend totally free.  If you did not see it, and you are either a client or a newsletter subscriber of InSPAration Moments, make sure you sign up! 

Hope you are having a busy month, and remember, the important fact is to recognize your clients and your team members!