Now that we’re one month into 2017, it’s a good time to review your progress on those pesky New Year’s resolutions and re-focus on your goals for the year. Asking yourself, “What do I need to be successful?” is a good place to start. It's important to realize that success doesn’t happen overnight, instead it comes with hard work and if you’re lucky, some solid advice. Here are a few fundamental tips from Lydia Sarfati, founder and CEO of Repêchage.
- Communicate effectively: When first meeting clients, simply be friendly. Smile, be warm, and be positive. Make sure your clients know they are your priority. Additionally, always be clear, thorough, and confident throughout all time spent with the client. Eliminate phrases such as “you know” and “like” when communicating. You may use these words in everyday talk, but when communicating with a client these words do not demonstrate confidence or professionalism. Effectively communicating may seem obvious, but as a professional in the service industry communication is essential. Remember, you only have one chance to make a first impression, and bad impressions result in poor customer retention.
- Know how to retail: You can give the best facials or massages, but a truly successful esthetician also knows how to sell retail. The art of recommendation is simple: don’t sell, educate. Be knowledgeable and educate your clients on why they need the products and how the products are going to help their skin and produce results. Always ask clients about their concerns and recommend products specific for those concerns. Remember a client is coming in to receive a professional treatment and improve their skin. Not treating their skin properly in between the treatments means the client’s skin is going to suffer in the end.
- Be professional: Act the part, look the part, and make sure your business environment sends this message too. Hair that is pulled back, a clean lab coat, conservative jewelry, no visible body piercings, and short, manicured nails is an image that reflects professionalism. If you want to be treated and respected as a professional, and go far in your career, these standards must always be maintained.
- Set goals: What do you want out of your career? What environment do you want to work in? Where do you want to be in five years? Ask yourself these types of questions, and write down your goals, which should be both specific and measurable. If you wish to make more money in five years, how much money do you really want to be making? My personal goals were to always continuously build my clientele, maintain positive relationships, open my own day spa, and eventually develop my own skincare line. I’ve never lost sight of these goals and what I’ve wanted out of my career, and 35 years later Repêchage continues to be a growing international skincare brand.
- Continue your education: The moment you think you know it all is when you stop growing in your career. I urge you to not fall into this trap; do not become set in your ways and assume you are the best. Always educate yourself. Read professional trade magazines to know what is happening in the industry, but also newspapers to know what is going on outside of your industry, as external factors can impact your business. Take advantage of classes offered by product manufacturers, and attend trade shows. Trade shows are an excellent venue to take educational courses from industry experts (bonus – they are a great place to network). I am a firm believer in education, and we hold classes at the Lydia Sarfati Post Graduate Skin Care Academy each month as well as annual educational conferences. We organize these annual events to not only unite with our clients, but to offer them a day of education by listening to industry experts and hearing about the latest skincare news/information happening in our industry.