Starting a business is like weaving a tapestry; each thread is integral to the final product and builds upon the row, or task, that came before. The cast on in weaving is the foundation of the beauty to come. Similarly, the business’s why is the foundation that all future tasks must weave through, including creating the business’s perfect potential client. No matter the name or acronym, every spa must know theirs on a first-name basis. Knowing the ins and outs of who the spa will be serving is most important when deciding the brands, services, and devices to carry. Making the best and most informed decision when considering the three P’s – price, prevalence, and problem – with the perfect potential client in mind will garner paramount results.
THE WHO
One of the first exercises in a thorough business branding session is nailing down the perfect potential client. Big brands use this to target those who will benefit the most from the item or service they are selling. Getting very granular about the perfect potential client helps in several areas of the business, including where to place ads, what voice to use, and what images will produce sales.
When creating a perfect potential client profile, it’s beneficial to ask all the questions one would ask their best friend – everything from their name, gender, and relationship status to their kids, what keeps them up at night, and everything in between. It may even be helpful to give the perfect potential client a name. Once the perfect potential client is completely fleshed out, they can be used to determine the brands, services, and devices that best suit the spa.
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PRICE
With the perfect potential client in place, finding brands, services, and devices that fall within their budget can definitely narrow down the options to a more manageable number. The old school of thought when crafting a price list says to look at what local spas are charging and blend in but that line of thought will not serve the business or the perfect potential client. If the perfect potential client only has a small budget to spend on skin care, it is not advantageous for the business to bring in high-end brands and devices. On the flip side, having budget friendly brands, services, and devices with a more bourgeois perfect potential client will result in the client going elsewhere for a price and experience that fits their expectation. The price point must match the perfect potential client, or they will find another spa.
PREVALENCE
There are several brands that have tried to over-saturate a particular localized market, like Starbucks in Chicago around 2001 with a storefront on nearly every corner. Prevalence can be a double-edged sword in the spa world. A beauty brand with client name recognition may attract certain perfect potential clients, but others may prefer exclusivity and the best kept secrets. Also, if a brand, service, or device is too prevalent in a particular market, it could lead to a price war which can cause a complete devaluation in the perfect potential client’s mind. With the ever-growing amounts of brands and devices in the beauty industry, there is no benefit to following the crowd; let the needs of the perfect potential client guide this cardinal conclusion.
PROBLEM
Every brand, service, and device has a predominant problem it solves, whether acne, hyperpigmentation, age management, scarring, or something else. Perfect potential clients have very specific concerns when it comes to their skin that keep them up at night. Choosing a line that addresses acne grades three and four could never be the right fit for a client looking for age management. Just like very emollient and occlusive products will not produce the desired result for an acne client. In some cases, having a few different options of brands, services, and devices will be needed to suit all the needs of the perfect potential client.
When crafting the perimeters of the perfect potential client, it is very important to remember to not chase profits; fortune always follows passion. Being passionate about the perfect potential client’s concerns will bring success to the business and fulfillment to all involved. Making sure to weave in the business’s why is all-important when determining if the business will serve the perfect potential client and the particular perfect potential client the business. As spa professionals, we do this for the love of helping our clients; it is imperative to fill the business with the clients that bring you joy.
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Melissa Allen has lived many lives as a dance teacher, biologist, and marketing director before becoming a successful aesthetician and spa owner. All of these former positions help to color her opinions, actions, and style. Allen’s career in aesthetics has also been far-reaching; she has been an aesthetician in the back of a salon, a solo aesthetician, a spa owner with several employees, and a global brand consultant. Allen has experienced many of the paths of aesthetics and is open, honest, and willing to share her adventures. As her time in the treatment room comes to an end, she is focusing on mentoring and guiding the next generation of thinking skin care professionals and spa owners.
