ASCP Skin Deep

JULY | AUGUST 2020

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find your dream career! ascpskincare.com/career-toolkits 47 expertadvice MIND YOUR BUSINESS Prior to the current crisis, I was watching a basketball game with my son and he asked, "Why are all the pros shooting baskets before the game?" I explained, "True professionals are always working on the basic skills that make them great. What sets them apart is that they can do the basic skills like shooting free throws more consistently than others. Part of them being the best is because they work on the basics every day—especially on game day." How do we as business owners work on the basics that make us successful, especially when every day is game day? Business basics are the things that must be done in order to maintain and grow your business. From sales and marketing to employee training and effective product/service selection, these are the things we must get right. Here is a list of business basics that every business should focus on daily to ensure success. POSITIVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE As customers, we've all had a negative experience. Did we decide to return to that negative business and give them more of our hard-earned cash? Of course not. How do we as business owners ensure our clients have a positive experience? It all starts with planning to serve our clients in a whole new way. In the new normal of sanitizing everything, we can start by communicating the extra measures we are taking to make sure our clients know they are coming into a safe and sanitized environment. Social media, email, and direct mail are great ways to communicate the new and ongoing safety measures. PLANNED AND FOCUSED MARKETING Many of us are just getting back into the swing of things. What a great time to run a promotion for an existing client to refer a friend as a way to get our appointment books filled. The best way to do this is to focus all marketing activities on your most loyal clients and let them know you are looking to fill up your calendar. Many times, we assume our clients think we are always busy; if this is not the case, let them know. By providing an incentive of an upgraded service for bringing a friend or just making our clients aware that we are looking for more business, we will keep the calendar filled. PRODUCTS THAT WORK Is it time to upgrade your menu with a new product or service? Are you not getting the results you wanted with your current skin care manufacturer? Now is the best time to identify a professional skin care company that supports our industry and will be available to support your business going forward. Do your homework and narrow your list of manufacturers down to two or three. Compare the benefits of each service offered and even try out a couple Back to Basics When it's time to reopen, remember the basics of a successful business by Drew Coleman services on yourself and clients to see how they respond. If you love it and they love it, it's time to upgrade your menu. PROFITABLE BUSINESS MODEL While we are upgrading our menu, now is a great time to make sure our margins on retail and services are sustainable. When calculating profitability, do not forget additional costs for cleaning and sanitation; I even know of clinics charging a per-service sanitation fee to ensure margins remain consistent. Now is the time to review your retail margins and make sure your clients are not purchasing the products you offer from somewhere else online. This ultimately will eat away at your bottom line and is not a sustainable practice. If clients are doing this, now is the time to upgrade to a professional-only manufacturer that does not sell directly to your clients. To be a successful clinic in the new normal does not require that we throw out the old playbook, but it does require us to get good at the basics of running our clinics. By providing positive customer experiences and through planned and focused marketing, we will develop strong relationships with our clients. Additionally, if we are using products that work and we have a full calendar with a profitable business model, this could still be a successful year, and there is nothing basic about that. To be a successful clinic in the new normal does not require that we throw out the old playbook, but it does require us to get good at the basics of running our clinics.

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