Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1545716
treatments for an extended amount of time might fall into a habit of using more than is necessary and not even realize it. It might even be an extremely busy day, with one client after another, and the esthetician pays less attention to what they are dispensing and more attention to the service. Adding a small sticker to each bottle or tube with the dispensing amount as a gentle reminder to yourself or your employees will help prevent overuse and keep your profi ts on track. If you're a spa owner, having quarterly meetings with your employees and having them give and receive a treatment while you observe usage is a great way to review how product is being dispensed and applied. If the brand manufacturer indicates that half a pump of the metered dispenser is required, you can discuss what that actually looks like. I was once in a spa, having a conversation with the service providers, and asked why one of our top products was no longer being used. When I was told, "It just doesn't work very well and there are no results," I couldn't understand why none of my other clients had that issue. I asked if they could please give it one more try while I observed, and was shocked to uncover that they were mixing it incorrectly (and using twice as much as necessary!). They explained if a little was good, a lot of the product would be even better—but that's not the case. Dispensing and mixing incorrectly could create undesirable client results as well as the potential for an unnecessary skin reaction. An unhappy client might not return, which would be worth hundreds of dollars in annual lost revenue, not to mention the possible impact of negative reviews. Auditing Usage If you are fortunate enough to be able to budget one specifi c person to dispense backbar product, that is an optimal situation. Unfortunately, that is not always possible. In most situations, everyone is given free rein on access and usage. THE INVISIBLE MONEY LEAK Your product brand partners can provide suggested dispensing amounts for each of their products and the cost for each amount dispensed. If you are using their suggested protocols, many can give you a total cost for that particular service. Based on this cost you can align your service price, keeping in mind what margin you need for net profi t. If you're unsure how to accomplish this, you might ask an accountant to take your operating costs and give you a suggested price for each of your services. From there, you can start to identify the diff erent ways your backbar product is being wasted. Preventing Overuse In your busy day-to-day activities, you might assume that everyone reads the labels of backbar products and reviews suggested protocols, but that might not be the case. Or a service provider who has been doing STOCKSY