Gary's Blog

BeautiControl 104: Understanding and Working the Success Formula

There are no accidents in business.  While it is true that a person may stumble into a successful business just by doing what they love to do, it will become quickly apparent as their business grows, it is important to take control and manage your business rather than having it manage you.  This blog will help you maximize your sales potential by helping you look at your business a little differently than you may look at it from month to month.

The sales formula is actually very simple, but once you begin to focus on it a little more intentionally, it is amazing what a difference it can make in your business, particularly if you are a Director or on your way to becoming a Director.  The sales formula is this:

• Activity x Productivity = Sales

So…what does that mean:

• Activity = the number of ordering consultants that you have on your team each month.
• Productivity = the size of that order each month.

Here is an example.  Let’s say for example that you want your monthly unit sales to be $15,000.  You have a team that has 50 Consultants.  Now, let’s say that the average order size from your Consultants each month is $300.  How many of your 50 Consultants do you need to place an order for you to hit your $15,000 unit sales goal?  You need all 50 to place a $300 order if you are going to reach your sales goal, right?  Well, as much as we would love for every Consultant on our teams to order each month, we know that just isn’t the reality, so we are left with a few options:

1. Get more consultants
2. Get more of your existing consultants ordering
3. Or, increase the average order size of each order to compensate for the shortage in ordering Consultants.  (for instance, getting your average order size up to $375 vs. $300 would mean that you would only need 40 of your Consultants to place an order.

Either one of these options will help you get you to your goal, but unless you are aware of where you are going, it’s not always so easy to take control and help pull the right triggers to get you there, right?

I can tell you from experience, (and a lot of hair loss in the process), that it is much easier to get more people to purchase a little than it is to get fewer people to purchase more.  That’s why your Consultant count within your unit is so important.  Learning what your Consultant count needs to be within your unit to help you make your sales goals is crucial for guaranteeing and planning for your success. 

Naturally, our instinct when it comes to increasing our ordering Consultants or our Consultant count is finding new Consultants to join our teams.  While that is an extremely important part of the process, having a solid team of ordering Consultants is just as important.  That’s where retention comes in.  I often wonder what would happen if we spent as much effort keeping the Consultants that we have as we do going out and finding new ones. 

As a leader, you have the opportunity to diagnose and help control your sales each week by creating the sales formula that is right for you.  This will help you avoid that last minute rush every month and help you keep a finger on the pulse of your business. Here are some tips that may help:

• Recognizing and rewarding your Consultants for helping you reach your goals will go a long way in helping you build a successful business.  Recognize your top seller, person on your team with the most Spa bookings, the most new clients, top recruiter, etc.
• Contact is crucial.  Personal, sincere contact with each of your Consultants will help you build a stronger relationship with each of them…remember, this is a relationship business.
• Don’t let your Consultants become inactive.  When surveyed, most of the Consultants who are no longer with us said that they didn’t realize that they were dropped or that they never heard from the Consultant who recruited them.  Everyone joined for a reason, find that reason and help them keep that passion alive.  If they only joined because they wanted to get a discount, then make sure they know what the ordering specials are each month.  Remember, they are not as engaged as you are and probably don’t read the emails we send and may or may not look at the Achiever each month. 
• Build a strong client base.  This will not only help you guarantee that you have residual sales from month to month, but will also be a great pool of Beauticontrol users who may want to join as a new Consultant.  We know that the best new Consultants are those that are already in love with the products.
• Know how many Spas you need to have on your team each month to help everyone reach their goal.  For instance, I know when I look on the Spa Booking Calendar, that we will have a good month if we have 20,000 Spas booked on the calendar each month.  How many Spas do you need to shoot for each month?  Booking Spas online is the only way that you will be able to track the health of your Spa business, so be sure that your Consultants are using the Booking Calendar, even if they are having small selling situations, vs. conventional “Spas”.
• When you find a new Consultant to join your team, make sure that they know they are joining with an opportunity to sell and make money.  If they are just looking for a discount, then show them how they can actually save more money by either Hosting a Spa or by referring new business to you.

Even if you are not yet a Director and don’t have Consultants on your team, these same principles apply to your business.  If you are a Consultant who wants to receive the 50% ordering opportunity, how many client orders to you need to help you achieve that.  If your average Spa sales are $500, then we know that you need to have one Spa and at least 20 of your clients placing a $25 order.  If you don’t have 20 clients on your client list, then you know that you need to have more Spas and get more people to take the Skin S.P.A. so they will be added to your client list, giving you more clients to contact and increasing your pool of prospective ordering clients each month.   Remember, you are offering a service…and nothing appeals to a client more than good, old fashioned customer service.

You make think that you are all alone out there running your business; however, nothing could be further from the truth.  Each Tuesday Morning, at 11:00, we have what is called the KPI Review Meeting.  KPI stands for Key Performance Indicators and they are measured on a weekly basis.   Why do we manage your business on a weekly, rather than monthly basis?  This is a weekly business!  If you are not measuring your business and have weekly goals for yourself, chances are you are going to get to the end of the month and have no idea how to catch up.

In these KPI Meetings, each one of the Senior Leadership Team is responsible for a very specific area of your business and for your weekly performance:

• Activity (Charla Gervers):  How many Consultants are Selling
• Productivity (Gary Jones):  How large is each order size
• Client Sales: (Gary Jones): Orders placed online from Clients
• Spa Count (Brian Dill and RVPs):  How many Spas you have on the booking calendar clearly tells us the future health of the business and helps us forecast new products.
• New skin s.p.a. / eBeauti profiles taken (Gary Jones):  This is an indicator of who is building Skin Care clients, which we know have a higher rate of retention.
• Sales (Charla Gervers and Brian Dill):  We track sales vs. last year and sales vs. plan.
• New Consultants (Tami Merica): Creating incentives that encourage our Consultants and Directors to find New Consultants to join their team.
• Potential Inactive Consultants (Tami Merica): This list is every Consultant who has not placed their $100 Retail order in the required 4 month period.
• Inactive Consultants (Tami Merica): These are the people who have not ordered their $100 Retail order in a 4 month period and have gone into their period of Inactivity.  During this 12 month period, the Inactive Consultant can regain active status by placing a $150 Retail order.  After 12 months as an Inactive Consultant, the Consultant will be deleted from our records and will have to join as a new Consultant if they want to come back into the business.

To make it very simple, this is what we are responsible for:

• My Marketing and Product Development teams are responsible for making your clients want to order from you.  My job is to give you the products and the tools (like sensors and ebeauti) and marketing support materials to help you market your business to your clients.
• Charla, Brian and the Regional Vice Presidents are responsible for making sure that our Consultants and Directors are out there booking Spas, selling product and finding new Consultants…BOOK, SELL, RECRUIT
• Tami and the Promotions Team is responsible for maintaining total sales force count…meaning, creating incentives to get New Consultants and create communications plans and programs to keep them from leaving.

To make if very clear, this is what we are NOT responsible for:

• We do not market to your clients.  We give you the tools to market your own business.  It is up to you to contact your clients, create offers and incentives that make your clients want to place an order with you.
• In a similar note, our job in Marketing is NOT to market to our Consultants as Clients.  Our job is NOT to make you want to buy products for yourself…you are not a customer…you are a Seller.  Our job is to market to you as a Seller, creating offers that give you more profit potential when you build your inventory.
• While we can communicate to the Potential Inactive and Inactive Consultants on your team each month, that is not our job.  That is your job.  As a Consultant, you are BeautiControl to those on your team…not us.  When you start looking at your total consultant count and keeping all your stores open, and not just bringing in new Consultants, you will find that you have more control of a much healthier business.

Every month, we do what we can from a merchandising perspective to help you drive the same KPIs within your units.  For example, every month you will have:

• Activity Drivers:  New products or offers that inspire more people to place an order.  “Buy one get one free” (BOGO) offers is a great example of an activity drive.  Every person is purchasing a little more.  These offers typically appeal to the Consumer Consultant or those who are less active sellers.
• Productivity Drivers:  These are offers that reward for higher purchases.  For instance,  “order $350 and get a sneak peek of a new product”, or an offer like this …”the more you buy, the more you save.”  This rewards the seller for purchasing more and stocking some inventory.  Productivity offers appeal to the Sellers in the business or those who are stocking inventory.
• Booking Challenges:  To help your team understand the importance of booking their Spas on the ONLINE booking calendar.
• Recruiting Promotions:  Finding new Consultants should be something that happens naturally every month to maintain the health of your business.  In fact, you should be finding one new Consultant from every Spa; however, we do created Recruiting Promotions and Offers that give you an extra incentive to find new Consultants.

Because every month in the years has different business characteristics, you will see that we develop plans and programs to help support the natural momentum of both seasonal characteristics and the necessary flow of the business to help you balance and grow.  Below are the specific KPIs that we use each month to develop offers, promotions and incentives:

January:  This is a month that is focused on both activity and high contact.  Many Consultants have taken off for the Holidays, and January is the time to get back in the game.  From a consumer standpoint, both men and women have made resolutions for a healthier year.  This is the perfect time to introduce clients to a new skin care regimen that will help them maintain both the health and the youth of the skin.  January is typically a month where we introduce a high contact Blockbuster product as well as products that will help support Valentine's selling.

February:  This is another month where activity is key.  Many of our Field leaders are waiting to see what we are going to launch at our Leadership Conference, so activity among the higher levels can be low.  In addition, the weather in most parts of the country is poor and Spa activity can be a bit sluggish.  Contact is key.  You will notice that we create offers that drive mass activity and contact at lower price-points to engage the masses.

March/April:  These are months that are focussed on Recruiting.  Look for new products that support Spa Themes and/or support selling at the Spa.  These Spas will lead to new clients which lead to new Recruits.  These promotional months typically offer recruiting incentives such as trips or other high value items as an incentive to find New Consultants to join your team.  An important note for recruiting months such as March/April as well as August/September is that without Spas on the calendar it becomes increasingly difficult for a Consultant to find New Consultants.  It is imperative that each February and each July focus on loading the Spa pipeline so you have people to talk to about joining your team as a New Consultant.

May:  May's focus is Activity.  Coming out of a 2 month recruiting promotion means that we have an influx of New Consultants who are entering the business.  Our goal is to create activity drivers that help these New Consultants become qualified.  Many of the new Consultants will be going to BeautiYou, so there may be special ordering incentives at BeautiYou to encourage ordering.  The first few months in the business are key to the success of the New Consultant, so we do everything we can to help them become active during the first few months as a Consultant.  May is the month where we have our Spring Super Saturday Meetings to kick off our Summer Selling season.

June:  June is a Productivity month...meaning that the key focus is driving an average order size.  During a productivity month you will notice that the offers from Marketing are focused on building the order size. June is WHO month, which is accompanied by a sale.  This sale encourages larger average order size, thus increasing productivity. Increased productivity means you put more money in your pockets.

July:  July, like February, is a unique month when it comes to Consultant and Director Activity.  Many Consultants are on Summer Vacation, while others are waiting to see what new products and offers will be introduced later in the month at Celebration.  Contact is key.  You will notice that we create offers that drive mass activity and contact at lower price-points to engage the masses.

August/September:  August/September are focused on recruiting.  Look for new products that support Spa Themes and/or support selling at the Spa.  These Spas will lead to new clients which lead to new Recruits.  These promotional months typically offer recruiting incentives such as trips or other high value items as an incentive to find New Consultants to join your team.  An important note for recruiting months such as March/April as well as August/September is that without Spas on the calendar it becomes increasingly difficult for a Consultant to find New Consultants.  It is imperative that each February and each July focus on loading the Spa pipeline so you have people to talk to about joining your team as a New Consultant.

October:  October's focus is Activity.  Coming out of a 2 month recruiting promotion means that we have an influx of New Consultants who are entering the business.  Our goal is to create activity drivers that help these New Consultants become qualified.  Many of the new Consultants will be going to BeautiYou, so there may be special ordering incentives at BeautiYou to encourage ordering.  October is also when we have our Holiday Super Saturday Meetings to launch the 3 month Holiday Selling Campaign.

November:  November, like June, is a month that is focussed on Productivity.  Historically we have a "Thanksgiving Sale" which drives average order size and encourages our Conslutants to stock up on inventory items that can be purchased at a discounted price.

December:  Like February and July, December is another month where activity levels are historically low; therefore, our intent is to create offers and incentives that engage the masses and keep our Consultants active.  Typically December merchandising will include new products that have mass appeal or lower price points to support last minute gifts or stocking stuffers.

Now you can see how there is a very definite rythym to this business and a logic to the offers that we create to help support your business.  When you take the offers that we create for you, and add on your own Spa booking challenges, unit sales challenges or recruiting challenges, etc, you can see where this becomes a beautiful partnership to help each of you grow your personal business and help develop future leaders within your unit.

At the risk of sounding blunt, THIS IS YOUR BUSINESS, not ours.  If we were running this business from Dallas, we would be a retail business and go directly to the customer, selling at full retail.  But we aren’t…that’s not our business model.  Once every Consultant and Director understands that they have total control of their business, it is amazing how your perspective can change.  Platinum National Executive Director, Evelyn Coleman once said something that has resonated with me for a long time, “The only things I need from BeautiControl are my products and my paycheck…the rest is up to me.”

So as you plan your month, ask yourself these questions:

• What is your sales goal?
• What is your average order size each month?
• How many active, ordering Consultants do you need placing orders?
• How many clients to you need placing orders?
• How many Spa bookings do you need within your unit?
• What are you doing to increase your Consultant count:  either retaining the Consultants that you have or adding new Consultants to your team
• What are you doing do increase your client pool each month?

When you begin each month with an intentional and achievable plan, you will find that more often than not, you will reach it.  Knowing and understanding your personal KPIs, whether you are a Director or a Consultant will help you build a strong business and make more money in the process.

This is a simple business…I didn’t say it was easy, but it is very simple.  When you love what you do and what you can offer for others, there’s really nothing to it.  In fact, for thousands of BeautiControl Directors and Consultants, it is the most fun you can ever have earning a substantial income and having the flexibility you want and need in your lives.  While others go to their J.O.B. you get to go to your S.P.A.

BeautiControl 103 part 6: Creating and Servicing Clients

Through this series, we have already covered a lot of ground:

• BeautiControl 101: Who is BeautiControl
• Beauticontrol 102: The BeautiControl Business Model
• BeautiControl 103.1: The Dynamics of Group Selling
• BeautiControl 103.2: Creating a Compelling Vision for Your Spa and Overcoming Objections
• BeautiControl 103.3: The Host is Your Business Partner
• BeautiControl 103.4: A Concise Duplicable Spa Flow
• BeautiControl 103.5: Selling in Sets

You have probably noticed that the BeautiControl 103 series is dedicated specifically to things that happen at the Spa...and we aren't finished yet.  Today we will cover one of the most important topics, Creating Clients at the Spa and building a service oriented relationship with them to help perpetuate your business.

As you have heard me say before, everyone who comes to the Spa, comes with the expectation to buy at least something.  How much they purchase is up to you.  There is no such thing as an unsuccessful Spa.  In every Spa you are going to either generate a new Hostess, a new Client a prospective new Consultant or at the very least, a warm lead.  Please, do me a favor, NEVER leave a Spa where sales were lower than expected and say to yourself, "This was a failure".  No time that you spend sharing these products and your opportunity with other people can be considered a failed attempt.  You walked away with 4, 6 or maybe even 10 new people who know about your business and will be warm leads for you in the future.  Don't think of them as "NOs"...think of them as "NOT RIGHT NOWs".  This change in your mindset will make all the difference in the world.  Don't give up...your best future client might just be one of those "NOT RIGHT NOWs".

On the flip side of that equation, there is something else that occurs far too often...I call it "The One Night Stand".  The Consultant is at the Spa, 2 people sign up, 5 people buy an entire line of skin care, the Consultant leaves, counts her cash and rides off into the sunset...never to be heard from again.  You don't believe me?  When we surveyed previous clients, the #1 response of why they no longer used BeautiControl was because "their Consultant never contacted them again".  There are two reasons I find this so sad, #1. We have a client who has a bad taste in their mouth about BeautiControl...not just the Consultant, but the brand in general. #2. We have a Consultant who is leaving money on the table.

If you knew that there was someone standing outside your front door waiting to give you money would you open the door and welcome them in or close the drapes and hope they don't see you standing inside your house?  I'm afraid we have too many Consultants who are hiding under the kitchen table afraid that the woman outside the door with hand-ful of money might want to come in and give it to her.

The Spa is the beginning of the relationship with a client…the first of many client/Consultant experiences that you will share together.  Clients will keep you in business.  There is an old rule in our business that if you have 30 clients on your client list, you will never go out of business.  And above all else, contact, contact, contact!  Your clients are counting on you to be their Consultant.  Don’t miss out on creating that relationship because you feel like you are being a “bother”.  Here’s a secret…your client EXPECTS you to follow up with them.  If you don’t, you are not “bothering” them…you are disappointing them.

The Spa is just the beginning.  From the Spa, you have captured the attention and imagination of a group of people that can potentially become life-long clients.  When you are at the Spa, imagine each one of those people becoming a client.  Every time you hold a Spa, you get yourself in front of new opportunities for future business.  Even if they only order a wet/dry from you every month, with enough of these, you can build a very profitable residual business.  Some of our most successful Consultants and Directors are those who have a steady, long-term residual income through a healthy client base.  In today’s environment, you have the opportunity to save clients money with our products as well as save them time with your service.  You make your clients feel special when you contact them and provide a service.  The service that you offer sets you apart in today’s competitive environment.  People want to be able to rely on you to provide them with their skin care and color cosmetics.

Just for grins, I did some silly math to show you how 30 Clients can keep you in business.  Here are my extremely conservative assumptions:

• 10 of my 30 Clients use the TFF Extreme ONLY.  We know that a bottle lasts 30 days, so they would spend $95 every month:  10 clients X $95 X 12 = $11,400
• 10 of my Clients are skin care users and purchase the entire set.  Because most people use far less product than I do, let's assume that they only replenish every 3 months (and if this is the case, then they aren't using enough product).  That would mean that they purchase $173 4 times in a year:  10 X $173 X 4 = $6,920
• 20 of my 30 Clients buy a foundation and mascara.  I am going to assume they are using Wet/Dry.  That would mean that they purchase $32, 12 times a year:  20 X $32 X 12 = $7,680

That means that these 30 Clients, who are really not ordering very much from me at all, are spending $26,000 a year with me.  Because I have the opportunity to earn 50% profit on these sales (more if I have taken advantage of the special merchandising offers that BeautiControl has given me to stock up and profit more), that means that I PROFIT over $1,000 a month from doing nothing more than servicing these 30 clients.  I don't have to tell you how much more there is to earn simply by helping your existing Clients add one more product to their order, not to mention the fact that you are continually Spa'ing and adding new Clients to your client list.

Below is an Action Plan for building a client base after the Spa.  Each type of client that you have will respond differently to different offers.  BeautiControl provides a variety of tools that will help you establish, service and grow your client base.

Action Plan for Building a Client Base

First, make sure that EVERY guest at the Spa goes online and completes the Skin s.p.a. analysis ONLINE.  At the risk of being repetitive, I have to make this clear.  Make sure your client completes the ONLINE version of the Skin s.p.a., not the PAPER version of the Skin s.p.a.  Our skin care is formulated to be customized with the ONLINE Skin s.p.a. diagnostic tool.  If you have not completed and are using the regimen that was prescribed online, then chances are high that you are not using the correct regimen or recommending the correct regimen for your clients.  Not only will you ensure that your clients are using the right products, but their information will automatically populate in your client list, making it easier to manage your client's needs.

Enroll your Potential Clients to receive our FREE monthly e-Newsletter, now known as BeautiBuzz. It’s fast, easy and free to enroll anybody! All you need is an email address for each person. Make sure to auto-enroll– this makes it very easy to add more clients each month.  We will send monthly emails to tell them about new products and promotions, as well as a follow-up email to remind them when the offer is about to end.

Start your BeautiControl online business by becoming a BeautiPage member.  Get your own personal Web site address where clients can shop with you 24/7 or learn more about all of our products. After you set up your BeautiPage on BeautiNet, then your monthly e-Newsletter will link clients directly to your Web site to shop and learn more about featured products. Plus, you will receive a 40% commission on all online orders fulfilled by BeautiControl.

After every spa  

1. Leave EVERY spa with contact information from EVERY guest – no matter if they made a purchase or not.
2. Within 48 hours after the spa make sure to enter contact information for each Potential Client and New Client into your online Client List at Client Connection.
3. Enroll each Potential Client and New Client to receive the next issue of your BeautiBuzz e-Newsletter.
4. Make an investment in your New Clients by mailing them the Beauti book through Client Connection.
   • Beauti book mailings are available each month. You can add your own personal message or choose the standard message we have written for you. You can even choose to have them mailed with skin sensors for guests who have not yet been able to complete the skin s.p.a. diagnostic tool and receive their customized skin prescription.
   • This gives you a great reason to follow-up with this New Client within the next month.

Keeping reorder clients

A personal phone call is always the best way to build a client relationship, but at Client Connection you can find many other tools to maintain contact with your clients and grow your reorder business.

Client Connection tools:

• FREE e-Postcards – send whenever you want
  • Email to Potential, New, Reliable, Occasional and Lost Clients as often as you want for whatever reason you decide is relevant.
• FREE Monthly BeautiBuzz e-Newsletter
  • Make sure all clients (Potential, New, Reliable, Occasional and Lost Clients) who have an email address are enrolled to receive each issue. This maintains monthly contact.
• Monthly Beauti book Mailings
  • Mail to New Clients each month.

Here is my heart-felt advice for you...you don't need an intricate filing system to manage your clients.  Don't make this business harder than it is or than it needs to be.  This is a relationship business, plain and simple.  Print out your client list each and every month and call them.  That's right...dust off that phone, pick up the receiver and call each of your clients every month.  If they don't need to place an order, then check up on them and see how they are doing with their products.  You will be amazed at the response you get.  Just letting them know that you are there and that you care will make a world of difference in your business.

Clients are you life-line in this business.  It costs more to get a client than it does to keep a client…getting them is the tough part, keeping them is easy.  A little TLC and doing what you do best…creating relationships…is what will attract and keep your clients for a lifetime.  I would love to hear some of your tips on building and growing your client base.  Please be sure to post your feedback on how you grow your client base either through personal incentives or by using Client Connection tools.  Also, we would love to hear your testimonials about what your clients mean to you.

Be sure to check back on Friday for more.  Have a great week!

BeautiControl 103 part 5: Selling In Sets

This is always an interesting topic, because there aren’t five people who can agree on a single set sheet, and that’s fine.  The thing to remember is that clients don’t want or need too many choices.

Base your sets on the theme and products demonstrated at your Spa.  From my experience in Retail, as well as the psychology of selling, it is most effective when you offer 3 sets for the clients to choose from.  They may look like this:

BC Spa Manicure Set

• BC Spa Manicure Instant Manicure
• BC Spa Manicure Extreme Repair Cream
• BC Spa Manicure Cuticle Oil Pen

BC Spa Facial Set

• BC Spa Facial Cleanser
• BC Spa Facial Tonic
• BC Spa Facial Polish
• BC Spa Facial AM Moisturizer
• BC Spa Facial Night Cream

Extreme Instant Facelift Set

• Regeneration TFF Extreme Tri-Peptide Complex (or regular if this is too expensive)
• Regeneration TFF Extreme Eye Firming Serum
• BC Spa Resurface Resurfacing Peel
• BC Spa Resurface Microdermabrasion

Remember, I don’t discount…I add value to the sets when they are sold in sets.  My entry set is the BC Spa Manicure Set and I sell it as is.  My BC Spa Facial set is my mid priced set, and the one that I want every client to purchase.  When they purchase the entire set, I will typically throw in the Eye Cream as a Gift With Purchase, or as a Purchase With Purchase, charging them half price.  When someone purchases the Extreme Instant Facelift Set, I will throw in the Regeneration TFF Extreme Lip Treatment as a Gift with Purchase or pas a Purchase with Purchase, charging them half price. 

It is a proven fact that when presented with 3 options for purchase – one low priced option, one medium priced option and one high priced option, the consumer will generally pick the mid-priced option.  Don’t believe me…how do you order wine when you go to a fine restaurant?

If the clients don’t want to purchase as a set, they will tell you which of the individual products they want, but NEVER play to the lowest common denominator.  If you expect less, that is exactly what you are going to get.  The same, by the way, goes for when you present your career opportunity at when you close your Spa.  ALWAYS recruit as an opportunity to start a business and earn money.  Those who are just looking for a discount will join anyway…they’ve already figured that part out…but NEVER encourage someone to join with no intention of selling, otherwise you will have a Consultant that has not intention of selling.  Keep them as a client, turn them into a Host so they can bring new blood into your business and in turn, they can earn the Host discounts. You will make more money by keeping them as a client than you will by turning them into a wholesale buyer.

We have a variety of set sheets available for you on BeautiNet>Business Tools>Forms on File>Set Sheets.  You can find PDF forms that range from basic skin care sets to a complete Spa menu; however, many of you choose to create your own based on your own personal selling style.  I would love to say that there was one magic "set sheet" that everyone would use, but 20 years of experience in this business tells me differently.  You all typically enjoy the flexibility of developing your own Set Sheets and Hostess Incentives; although, we are always here to offer recommendations if you choose.

When I was at Leadership Conference, I had the great opportunity to sit down with Sr. Executive Director, Sue Peterson, who is and has continued to be one of the best "sellers" in the business.  Sue kindly allowed me to borrow the set sheet that she has developed and talk about it on my blog today.

Sue believes in starting all of her clients with skin care, knowing that skin care will build her a very loyal and faithful reorder business and leaves her with so many options of products to use for follow-up after her initial Spa.  Sue and I both agree that skin care is a very effective way to introduce new clients to the products and also not to show too many products up-front for fear of overwhelming the client and complicating the sale.  Sue is finding that she has dramatically increased her average Spa sales with an average of $1650 in sales and with clients purchasing on average of 2 sets each at a minimum.

Sue uses a unique combination of a set sheet and a worksheet to close the sale.  During the Spa, she has each of the guests have a worksheet to keep notes on the products.  Not only does this show them the order of application, but it gives them more ownership in the sale and lets them write down what results they willl gain from each of the products that are used.  Sue has found this to be both effective and profitable.  I have to agree...I love this concept and wanted to share her set sheet and worksheet combination to give you some ideas as you develop and perfect your set selling skills.  Please note that I have taken a few creative liberties with Sue's set sheets and have written down my verbiage for each of the products to provide you with "words to say" about each of the products.  Of course you will want to adapt to your personal style, but these are the words that I use to help explain how each of the products work:

If you want to print these sheets, click on the image to open it full size then right click and save the image to your computer. 

I look forward to hearing your comments on this.  Remember this, if you remember nothing else...EVERYONE who comes to your Spa has an expectation to purchase something or they wouldn't be there.  How MUCH they purchase is up to you and your Hostess.  Limit the products you demonstrate and offer to your guests and keep the Spa on time.  There is a phrase that I absolutely love..."Leave before the party is over".  What I mean by that is to always leave your Spa guests wanting more.  When you do, you will find that not only do your sales increase, but so will your Spa bookings.

I hope you have a great week.  Be sure to come back on Friday where we discuss all of the new products that we introduced March 1st and how to best use them to explode your business this Spring.

Ciao.

BeautiControl 103 part 4: A Concise, Duplicable Spa Flow

Ok…I am the first to admit that I am guilty of this. I get to the Spa with every intention of keeping it simple and within a 1 to 1.5 hour time frame out of respect for my Host, the guests and myself. Low and behold, someone will say…”I bought a foot cream product from BeautiControl a long time ago, can we see that?” Next thing I know, I have pulled out every product I have, telling everything I know and my 1 hour Spa has turned into a 3 hour nightmare. By the time we are done, the guests who would have purchased either need to get home or they are just so confused they don’t know what to buy.

The Spa is not intended to be a venue where you show every one of your products and solve every one of the guest's problems.  Sometimes, as we get caught up in the selling situation we forget the very simple objectives of both the Spa and the Spa Now Case.  I am a stickler for "objectives".  I personally believe that to run a successful business, everything you do needs to have a clear objective in order to build successful strategies.  Below are the key objectives of both the Spa and the Spa Now Case.

The Objective of the Spa:

• The Spa is intended to be the first step in what will hopefully be a very long and fruitful client relationship.  It is where you find new clients, future Hosts and create a pool of individuals who see you running a rewarding and profitable business and may want to do the same

The Objective of the Spa Now Case:

• The SOLE purpose of the case is to allow the Consultant, particularly the new Consultant to join and have everything they need to hold the core party (Spa) that the company trains to, by allowing the Consultant to personally demonstrate products on each of the Spa guests.

Please hear me when I say this…there is both logic and strategy involved in the core Spa that we train our New Consultants and the contents of BeautiControl’s Spa Now demonstration case.

The Core Spa that we train new Consultants at BeautiU uses all of the products that are included in the Spa Now demonstration case. Are you wondering why we recommend this Spa as your first Spa? Well, that is because the products that are demonstrated in that core Spa, the BC Spa Manicure, the BC Spa Facial, Lip Apeel, etc. will not only allow you to create a full 1 hour of treatments and pampering, but it is using our best selling products that build the most loyal re-order clients. In addition, the Skin s.p.a. diagnostic tool allows your clients to see you as a contemporary professional who is offering them a personalized prescription for their skin. You could build a business by selling these products alone. Add in the Instant Facelift products and Wet/Dry Foundation and you have everything you need to keep your clients coming back month after month.

After your initial Spa with a Host, you have a menu of additional Spa themes and treatments that you can use to book additional Spas with your existing Host, or allow a guest at your Spa to host their own Spa. Your follow-up Spas could be Detox Spas, Pedicure Spas, Margarita Happy Hour Spas, Glam Spas, Instant Facelift Spas, etc.

As you become more mature in the business and gain both experience and knowledge about your products, you will be tempted to increase the products that you bring and demonstrate at each Spa. I should caution you that when the Spa becomes more complicated, more lengthy and loses the core focus, it is no longer perceived by your guests as some that is duplicable. Your goal at each Spa is to gain new business and new Consultants. When they don’t feel that they can do what you do, then you minimize the opportunity to attract new Consultants.  One of our highly successful National Executive Directors, Saralyn Ostwinkle told me something years ago that I will never forget, and I hope it proves to be good advice for everyone who reads this.  Saralyn (remember she is a National Executive Director, so she is doing something right) has been in the business for probably close to 20 years.  Regardless of her title, she ALWAYS carries the Demonstration Case that the new Consultant will receive when they join.  She always wants each guest to see how the Spa is done with the contents that the company provides when they join as a new Consultant.  How smart is that?  Saralyn is coaching and modeling this business with every Spa that she does.  I think that is genius. 

So we have clearly identified that the Spa Now Demonstration Case is intended to help you show and sell the products that have been proven to build a re-order business.  It clearly meets the Spa Now Case Objective and is consistent with the Party Plan business.  Now, I want to talk about what the Spa Now Demonstration Case IS NOT.  The Spa Now DEMONSTRATION case is meant to be a business tool for our Consultants to hold a successful Spa. It is not a “set” of products that should be featured for purchase.

Next week, we will talk about Selling in Sets, one of the best ways to sell in the Party Plan business.  One thing that I feel strongly about is that the Spa Now Demonstration Case IS NOT one of your sets.  When you are closing your Spas, and you see that your clients are interested in purchasing product as a Client, make sure that you have a set for them that meets their needs and let them have the opportunity to purchase it at full retail price.  If you see that you have someone who is interested in doing what you do, but will want to purchase products to use for themselves, sell them products at full retail price, then talk to them about starting their own business for only $125.  Do not confuse the "selling situation" with a "recruiting situation".  The products in the Spa Now Demonstration Case are intended for DEMONSTRATION, not personal use.

I personally like to close my Spa, sell in sets, then tell everyone that I am "hiring" and looking for anyone who might want to make a great income working part or full-time doing what I do.  I let them know that they can start their own business for $125, which includes all the products that they need to do what we have done here tonight as well as a day of class-room training which will give you the ability to become a Certified Consultant.  Then simply ask if they know of anyone or if they are interested themselves.

There are 2 questions that people ask me every month that drive me crazy:

• How much does the Case cost this month?
• What is the Retail Value of the Case?

First, when you join, you are not "buying" a case, you are starting a business, so the question could be asked differently by saying, "What is the cost of joining BeautiControl and starting my own business?"  We are selling an opportunity, not a set of products. 

Secondly, the "retail value" of the case is irrelevant as long as it provides all the products and/or samples to successfully hold the core Spa that the company trains to. We need to be careful about what "value" we are selling...the value of financial freedom, flexibility and control over your own time and income, I believe, far out-weighs the retail price of the products that come in the bag.  Never cheapen the value of your products or your opportunity by presenting them as a "deal".  When things are seen as less valuable, they are more easily disposable.  You have products that work and an opportunity that changes life...don't limit either by selling them as a "deal".

Over the years, we have blurred the lines between set selling for personal consumption and recruiting new Consultants with the intention of helping them start a business.  This is not only counter-intuitive to our business model, but it will quickly cause your business to start running you, rather than giving you the control to run your business. I will go into more specifics about the balance of "buyers" vs. "sellers" (and by the way...we need both) and how to refine or define your recruiting verbiage as we go more deeply into this series...it is a topic that I believe is key to the success of this company.

As you take the opportunity to evaluate your business and set your business plan for 2012, please ask yourself the following:

• Am I getting the sales at my Spa that I want?
• Am I getting as many re-bookings from my Spas as I would like?
• Am I getting the re-order clients from each Spa that I would like?
• Am I finding people who want to do what I do and join my team as a new Consultant?
• Do I feel comfortable doing Spas?
• Am I having fun doing Spas?

If you answered NO to any of those questions, then it may be time to re-evaluate your Spa/selling situation:

First, if you aren't having fun or feel comfortable doing Spas, then I can promise you that the answers to the remainder of the questions is going to be NO.  This business is supposed to be fun.  When you inject your personality and your passion into your Spa presentation, you will find that it makes all the difference in the world.  There will never be anyone's Spa that is exactly like yours.

If you aren't getting the sales that you want, what can you do to learn more about the features and benefits of the products, be more passionate about the results or allow your clients to experience them on a more personal basis?  Sales lead to re-orders, so if you are showing products that build loyal clients, re-orders shouldn't be an issue.  If you aren't getting the re-orders that you are looking for, it may be time to look into your follow-up after the Spa.  Follow-up and Follow-through are key to building loyal clients for life.

Perhaps you aren't getting the sales and re-order clients you need to sustain your business because you "recruited" all your guests rather than allowing them to become clients, by selling them "a set", otherwise known as the Spa Now Case.  You hear us say "one recruit from each Spa", meaning you should target at least one person in each Spa that may want to do what you do, again, this comes from follow-through after the Spa.  The best Consultants come from those who were good clients before joining as a Consultant.  Even if they only join to get the products at a discount, they are more loyal consumer Consultants after they have purchased the products for full price as a client and understand the value of the Consultant Level Discount.

If you aren't getting the bookings that you want, perhaps you aren't creating a vision of what a follow-up Spa would look like.  Do you have a menu of services that you can offer your guests that feature additional treatments that you offer at your Spa?

If you aren't find guest's who have any interest in doing what you do, are they seeing you make money?  Are they seeing you have fun?  Do they see a Spa presentation that was easy enough to make them say, "Hey...I can do that"?  If they are not seeing your business as a profitable, fun business opportunity, they will never see the value in joining to become a Consultant who is interested in selling and viewing this as a business opportunity.  While it is important for each guest to see you as the expert, that doesn't mean your Spa should be difficult to duplicate.  I think you will find with a more concise Spa flow you will retain your guest's attention and present a money making opportunity for each of your guests.  Not only will you find more bookings, make more sales and get more bookings, you will also find more people who have an interest in joining your team as a new Consultant.

The most difficult Spa you will ever have will be your first...but trust me, it gets easier each time.  Find you passion, find your voice and let everyone fall in love with BeautiControl just like you have!

I can already hear the emails coming in and the postings on message boards reading, "That's not how I joined", "That's not how I do it", etc.  Please hear me when I say, for WHATEVER reason you joined, we love having you as part of our family.  Whether you joined as a seller or just for the intent to buy, there is a place for you here at BeautiControl and we are thankful that you are here.  If you are, however, in the business with the intention of it being your business, it may be time to ask the tough questions and fine-tune the fundamental basics of your business that help you to work SMARTER, not HARDER.  Again, none of this is my opinion or my point of view...these are the core building blocks of a Party Plan Direct Sales Business and the defining principles of our business model.  My job here is not to state my opinion...it is to make your business more profitable and put BeautiControl on the lips of every woman.

Have a great week.  Be sure to check back on Friday for a Special blog live from Leadership Conference here in Dallas!

Ciao

 

BeautiControl 103 part 3: The Host is Your Business Partner

First, I have to say congratulations to all of our Consultants and Directors who joined us thsi past weekend at the Grand Velas on an exclusive tropical get-away, compliments of BeautiControl.  No matter how many of these trips that I go on, I am amazed every time by the presentations, the elegance and the opulence of a trip with BeautiControl.  It was so wonderful to spend quality time with the friends that I have made over the years.  There is nothing like the BeautiControl family to re-charge your battery.  It was so great to see all of you.

This week's installation of the BeautiControl 101 series involves something that is one of themost important aspects of our business.  The Spa is the core of our business, and without it, we cannot survive.  To take it a step further, the Host is the lifeblood of our Spas and without them...we have nothing.  A motivated Host will ensure your success with every Spa.

Many new Consultants fail before they even begin because they don’t think that they have what it takes to be a seller and they don’t want to be seen as “pushy”.  Don’t forget…you are not in this alone.  Your Hostess is your business partner.  The Spa is the HOST’s party, not yours. 

As a BeautiControl Consultant and business owner, you both sell products, share the opportunity to open a business to those you meet and provide a unique and in-demand service.  As a Skin Care and Style Consultant, you teach people how pamper themselves, take care of their skin and look their best from head to toe.   This is a service that both men and women need and a service that companies desperately need in today’s world.  Not only are people experiencing more stress than ever before, but there is a renewed awareness about the importance of personal style and image.  Finding someone to be a Host for you is easy once you have clearly articulated the service that you are providing all who attend the Spa.

The Host’s responsibility goes beyond simply opening his/her home and inviting friends.  The Host has to understand what they are receiving as a benefit of Hosting a Spa for you.  Your Host proposition has to be very compelling to encourage Spa bookings.

Many companies offer Host programs that are set in stone.  Host a Spa and receive a bag, or a bowl or some very specific and tangible item.  In some cases, the company actually funds the Host program and ships directly to the Host following the Spa.  The companies who have a “company sponsored” Host program also have a lower discount structure and do not have any additional merchandising/discounting on the product line.  This is how they can pay for a fully funded Host program.  While the Consultant has less out of pocket expenses where their Host incentives are concerned, they also have less, “in pocket” profits due to fewer discounting opportunities.

BeautiControl’s Host plan is somewhat different.  Our Host program is set up to offer a sales credit based on the orders that are taken at the Spa, the outside orders that are collected to count toward that Spa and from the number of future bookings that were made at the Spa.  When this become’s your Host or Spa guest’s only opportunity to receive a “discount” on the products, then your Host proposition becomes a far more compelling opportunity for you.

One of my favorite objections to receive during a Spa is “I can’t afford to buy an entire set”, or something of that nature.  That is the perfect opportunity for me then to reverse the dialogue and present the Host opportunity as an option to receive a “discount” on their products.  When done effectively, it is not unusual to have a Host that uses Host rewards to completely pay for their skin care regimen every few months.  Some of the best Hosts you will ever have will be a Spa guest that doesn’t want to pay full retail for their products.  I have found it effective to have each guest keep a “wish list” during the Spa.  This helps them start to make a plan of how many people need to place an order and what the Spa sales totals should be in order to receive the Spa credits.

Once your Host has a goal in mind, they will be an active partner to help ensure that the sales from the Spa are large enough to help them earn the Host rewards.  Hosts who have no interest in what they can earn as a Host, will not be an effective business partner.  Remember, this is not your Spa, this is your Host’s Spa. Your role is simply to pamper your Host’s guests, demonstrate your incredible products and create sets for them to choose from to help your Host achieve their sales goals. 

The Host program is the discounting opportunity for your clients and can create a compelling opportunity to attract and reward your Host.  It is important for you to determine how you want to maximize the benefits of your Host program.  You have many options that you can choose from to customize your Host program to be most profitable to you.  One way of maintaining a high profit at each Spa is to stock up on the “products of the month” that we feature each month with additional Discounting opportunities.  These products are our best selling products and can help you create a compelling Booking/Host reward. 

Understanding that the key to having a successful Spa is by having a motivated Host, do you:

• Utilize the Host program as your discounting opportunity?
• Coach your Host to set sales objectives and share them with each guest at the Spa?
• Coach your Host to collect outside orders from friends and family who will not be able to attend their Spa?
• Have a Hostess proposition that you feel is compelling and creates a motivated Host?

Let me tell you from the perspective of both being in your seat as a Consultant and in the seat of the Spa guest...every person who attends your Spa comes with in expectation to make a purchase.  If they weren't willing to at least be "sold", they wouldn't be there.  It is the responsibility of you to provide the incentives that entice your Host and your Host's responsibility to activate the purchase, up-sell and generate higher Spa sales.

Remember…our Host program is structured to put you in the drivers seat as a business owner to help you Book more Spas and earn more profits.  If you don’t feel confident in your Host proposition, then it may be time to refresh or change it to be more compelling.  Your Host is the lifeblood of your business and will guarantee not only a successful Spa, but a faithful client and possible future new Consultant.  When a Host continues to see you succeed as a business owner, it won’t be long before they want to do what you do so they can experience the benefits of being a business owner for themselves.

Thanks for checking in and be sure to come back on Friday where I will feature the highlights of NYC Fashion Week as well as the trends that you will want to share with all your clients.

Have a great week.

Ciao.