Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/225798
WHEN YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR COMPETITORS, YOU RUN THE RISK OF ALWAYS BEING ASSOCIATED WITH THEM AND COMPARED TO THEM. 2. How am I Different? If you want to do something different from what everyone else is doing, then you need to know what everyone else is doing! Do a little homework. This won't take a lot of time. Use the Internet to check out competing locations within 5–10 miles of you. Drive by to get an impression of what each business looks like. Pick up their brochures, especially if they don't have their full information online. Have a friend or family member call to ask a few questions. Finally, write down a one- or two-sentence summary of each competitor on a sheet of paper so you have it all laid out in front of you. Remember that your goal is to be different, not to do what other spas in your area are already doing. Resist being a copycat. The greatest folly is thinking you can steal away clients from another spa by copying whatever makes that spa popular. No one gets ahead with these kinds of games. When you're just like your competitors, you run the risk of always being associated with them and compared to them. Think outside the box when considering your local partnerships for events and cross-promotion. Could you partner with a nearby restaurant for a craft beer tasting event? If your spa's image is built around organic or floral ingredients, would the local garden center be interested in a combined promotion? Look at every business in your area and imagine ways you could work together. 3. How do I Make a Difference? Obviously, you make a difference to your clients' skin health and appearance, and probably also to their stress levels and general well-being. You should also consider how your practice can make a difference to your wider community. It's easy to stay top-of-mind to your clients and the public when you care enough to volunteer or give back in other visible ways. Find a cause you are passionate about and make it part of your practice's identity. The ways to give back are plentiful: donating money or services, hosting a fundraiser event, promoting a special treatment from which a certain amount of the fee will be donated to charity. Local animal shelters, churches, departments of commerce, schools, and social services can offer you a plethora of ways you can give back. Don't look at charity work as giving something for nothing. The networking opportunities and publicity from your ongoing involvement in a worthy cause can take your business further than anything you could pay for. 4. What am I Open to Changing? Be ready to change the way you present your practice to the world, but also be sure you're not changing just for the sake of change. Be mindful of what you're doing and have a purpose for each change you make. Write it down: "We are changing X to affect Y." This way, you never lose focus and you're always working toward a consistent image with your message. Look for inspiration outside the skin care profession, as well as within it. Look at how hotels handle hospitality, how restaurants handle daily specials and seasonal menus, and how decorators put forth their newest color combinations and trends. There's an infinite number of ways to become inspired, and it doesn't always come from other spas. Let Everyone Know When you've answered all the questions and know what your unique approach will be, it's time to make sure everyone else knows. You have a voice; use it to show your passion and knowledge. Free Business Advice! (Limited-Time Offer) Lynn Parentini offers ASCP members a free 20-minute personal phone consultation to help your practice stand out. You'll also receive her downloadable guide 10 Ways to be Original. Please send your contact details to lparentini@ymail.com to schedule your phone call. Limited appointments available. 32ASCP Skin Deep January/February 2014