Talk Skin Academy Podcast

Creating Trust and Comfort in Your Consultations

• Katie Howell

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Can shifting the focus from product sales to emotional well-being revolutionize skincare consultations? Join me, Kate, founder, director, and trainer at the Academy, as we break down the barriers of traditional methods and embark on a journey toward personalized and effective skincare consultations. From my high-pressure experience on Steiner ships to evolving consultation techniques, this episode uncovers the untapped potential of addressing clients' overall well-being, including their stress, lifestyle, and emotional factors. Get ready to question the status quo and discover how embracing continuous learning and client connections can transform your professional practice.

Building meaningful relationships and setting boundaries can elevate your business and client satisfaction to unprecedented levels. In this episode, we explore the importance of using clients' preferred names, spending quality time, and truly listening to their needs. These small yet significant gestures foster trust and comfort, enhancing the client's experience and results. We emphasize why shifting to a mindset centered on genuine care and empathy can help you stand out in the industry. Tune in to be inspired to refine your consultation approach, achieve exceptional treatment outcomes, and build a reputation for excellence in the beauty industry.

Speaker 1:

I am Kate. I am the founder, director and trainer at the Academy, and today we are going to be talking about consultations, consultations. Ok, so let's talk about consultations. I'm going to be honest with you. Right, the majority of you are doing consultations in a way that's so old fashioned because, as an industry, consultations in a way that's so old-fashioned because, as an industry, we have not really embraced the personalization of consultations.

Speaker 1:

When you speak to most therapists and you know, let me know if you agree or not to this and I would love for you to comment on this but what we get taught in colleges and what we get taught in, you know if, if we go for facial training is that the consultation is for two things. The first thing is to make sure that they're medically safe and sound to have the treatment and, two, that you've got a signature so they can't sue you, right? So those are the two things that you often well, I was made to believe and I know so many other therapists feel the same way, but the reality is that's not what they're there to do. Okay, yes, they are important and they need to be done, but they are not. What is the consultation? Let me explain to you what I believe, what made me successful as a therapist. Believe, as a, what a consultation can and should do for you. Now, if you do offer consultations and you are terrified of them, then this podcast will hopefully make you start to enjoy them. The one thing I will say to you is it doesn't matter on how much knowledge you have of the skin okay, or even your skincare brand. I'm 20 years in and I still don't know everything. There's still times when people ask me questions and I am totally stumped, but you know, what I've learned to do is own it, because the only way you can ever learn what you don't know is by putting yourself into those situations where people will ask you questions. If you want to be seen as an expert, then you've got to allow them to ask you questions, because if you don't, you can't become the expert you want to become, because you don't know what you don't know, and so you don't know what to research right, and so you don't know what to research right, and this is kind of what happened to me when I was younger.

Speaker 1:

I worked for Steiner and, for those of you who know Steiner, now known as One Spa World, they are very heavy on retailing. They push, push, push. It might be different now, I'm not saying it's the same, but when I was there, which is about 20, 18, 19 years ago, they were very much about the retail, which is fine, and the thing was with me I was on what's called the facial column, which was called the money making column. So when you're on the ships it was all paper-lead at that point because booking systems hadn't kicked in and you had columns and it was the facial columns, then it was the inofermic columns, so it was the body electrics columns, then it was then the hot stones columns, then it was like the topoltis columns, then the bamboo columns, then it was the massage columns and it worked in order of what each particular column should make financially. So, like I said, facials were the money-making columns and my targets for just retail alone were $7,000 a week and if we didn't hit those retail targets then we would be kicked off our column and either moved ship or moved column, so put into a massage column. And, without being disrespectful, I did not want to spend 14 hours massaging Americans. I want to spend 14 hours giving them facials.

Speaker 1:

But I really I very quickly off the bat that the consultation experience that I was taught, which was basically making sure that they were medically fit, that I wasn't going to get sued and that I could sell retail at the end of it. That was the reason for my consultation and for the first three months being on board. I followed that system and it did not do anything for me. The most I think I made in those three months in one week was about $500, which you know seems quite a lot. And it is quite a lot because I think if most of us made 500 pounds a week in retail then we'd be pretty bloody happy.

Speaker 1:

But the reality was I was still 3,000, 6,000, 500 away from my target target and my manager at the time wasn't a very pleasant man and he scared the absolute bejesus out of me. There's a photo of me with my hands, my head in my hands, petrified, and the next photo is of our manager storming up and down the. We used to make a sit, so I was in Holland America and this particular manager used to make a sit. So I was in Holland America and this particular manager used to make a sit outside our treatment rooms and at the end of a cruise, would shout at us for not hitting our target and would would literally shout out your name, what you did and basically just put you to shame, and it was the most. It was not very pleasant, I have to say. I'll try and keep swearing to minimum on this podcast, but he was an absolute dick and that's probably why I've become so.

Speaker 1:

I've become so good at what I do, because I've had dicks in my life. Right, we all need them. They bring something out of us. They bring a fire out of us. They bring a fire out of us, and he brought a fire out to me and I realized if I wanted to stay on that ship and I'd made really good friends and the most amazing team, I thought you know what I need to figure this out. So I got to work on figuring out how do I make seven grand? The way that I was doing it wasn't working. And I think this is the biggest problem with a lot of therapists is they keep doing the same thing, expecting different results. How can you do the same thing and get different results when you're still doing the same thing? That's not giving you the results. It makes no sense to me. So hopefully, guys, like I said at the end of this podcast. It will get you to start thinking differently about consultations.

Speaker 1:

I knew that I had to change and so what I did is I went and spoke to all the therapists who were hitting their targets. Now, they weren't as big as mine, but they were still a good couple of thousand. And I was like, what are you doing inside that treatment room? Like, what are you doing to get them to tip you so well? Because my tips were okay, but they weren't like compared to the. You know, some these filipino girls, some of these, like south african girls, were getting like thousands of dollars in tips. I'm like what are you doing in there? And I get the box standard 10 to 15 percent, which americans tip you know. So I was like what are you doing in there? And they're like, well, we're just like. You know, they did come out, the therapist would come out, they're out of the room and and they'd be like hugging and like basically, the clown would be all over the therapist. I'm like, what are you doing? And they said to me this one thing that was just such a game changer for me they're like Kate, I'm just being human and I was like mind blown. It's like, oh my God it's like. Oh, my god it's like.

Speaker 1:

Of course, the problem was is that I had been taught to not be me. I remember during training at the academy and you know, at the Steiner Academy in London and then in in, you know, when I was at college, that you were always made to believe you had to put on this persona that you couldn't, you couldn't connect to your clients. You always had to be this professional and that it was always about keeping standards, and I thought that's where I'm losing it. People aren't getting to know me, me with professionalism kicked in for good measure. And so, for me, this was the change. This is when it started to change for me, and I created this system in my head and the first thing I wanted to do, the first thing I started out doing, was just getting to know my clients. And it sounds really silly, because you're all probably thinking well, we do that.

Speaker 1:

And my question will be do you, do you really get to know your clients, or are you just going through the same basic questions that they get asked in every other establishment? How are you today? What is wrong with your skin? Do you have any skin concerns? What skincare brand are you using? What products are you using? Are you stressed? Okay, no problems. Think about what it is that you're actually asking your clients, because this is the foundations of your business. It's all through consultation. There's a reason why I called the academy the Talk Skin Academy. It's because the first thing you should do is talk first. Get to know your customers first. Get to know their most deepest desires, what is truly going on in their lives that may be potentially causing the issues, or may not be.

Speaker 1:

It's not always down to skincare to save the day. It could be general stress, a stressful lifestyle that's causing inflammation markers in the body to spike and because of those stressful scenarios the client's not looking after themselves as much. Or maybe they're not looking after themselves at all and so they're eating bad. Their gut's not happy. There's so many different things. It's not always down to skincare to save the day. It can be down to your facials that save them, because your facials are what calm them down.

Speaker 1:

So don't go into your consultations thinking what am I going to sell to them. Go into them going. How can I help them? Like I said in my last podcast, it is an epidemic in loneliness, even for those who live in a full household because of social media, even for those who live in a full household because of social media. So be the person that they look forward to coming to because they have a bit of a chat with you. There's a reason why I'm calling the Skin Expectation course and I'm turning it into the 8-minute consultation method, because there are studies to show that if you spend 8 minutes having a chat with someone, it can completely change the way they see the world. So when you go into consultations next time, think about it in the sense I just want to get to know that person. I want them to feel that that eight minutes or that, however long you spend, they got something out of it. Like you know how you're going to go and have a chat with a friend and go do you know what I needed? That Like that was just what I needed to remove some of the weight from their soul, from their chest. That is all part of the experience that you're offering. So when it comes to the consultation, the first thing you want to do is think about how you can build a better relationship with your client, asking them questions that you're going to get information out of One of the biggest things that I give you is ask them what they like to be called, because one thing that I have realized is when we do any type of formal paperwork, we always put our formal names.

Speaker 1:

So, for instance, is Katie and it's not Catherine, it's Katie. So any type of you know, even if it's not a legal document per se, you know, regardless of what it is, whether she's filling out something for Aurora or filling out for the leisure centre, I will always put Katie. But actually my I don't. I don't. Nobody ever calls me katie, apart from people who don't know me, and I obviously, you know, saw that I put katie on my consultation form or my forms, or my mother when she's annoyed at me. So if I go, and so someone comes and meets and greets me and goes hi, katie, I'm, I'm, you know, sarah, and I'm gonna look after you today, I instantly feel not at ease because I'm not Katie. When I'm most relaxed, when people know me, I'm Kate. And so if someone came up to me and went hi, katie versus oh hi, kate, there's a difference in how I feel. It makes me feel more relaxed as soon as someone calls me Kate.

Speaker 1:

So one of my biggest top tips on your consultation is to ask the question do you have a nickname or a shortened version of your name that you like to be called? Because then that way then you can automatically have a deeper connection through just asking that one simple question. Like this one lady, and maybe she's going and maybe she's she's going to listen to this, but she, her name is Sarah, her legal name is Sarah, but she has a nickname called Sausage and it's the best nickname ever. I absolutely love it. It brings a smile to my face because it's so. It's just so random, but it's amazing and it's. And even we get to know Sausage, sausage. It just makes total sense. But she does, literally she does not. She does not even identify as Sarah. It's sausage.

Speaker 1:

So one of the best ways you can connect with someone is by knowing how they like to be called and addressed. You might even have someone who feels more comfortable being called Mrs Jones, but asking the question allows you to actually get the answer. So that's one of my biggest top tips for you is ask the question and then, when it comes to the actual consultation, is ask why are they here? What is the reason for them coming to you? It's always an emotional thing, like no one ever goes, wakes up in the morning and goes I'm just going to book a facial for next week. No one ever does that. People always go. I need some TLC. I need I'm looking. I'm just not looking myself right now. I'm tired. I just need someone to touch me and make me feel like I belong, like most people have that feeling. It's always an emotion connected to it.

Speaker 1:

So you want your consultations to have that emotional connection because with that then builds the relationship, builds the trust, and that's the key you have to build trust because people won't tell you their real, true concerns until they trust you and they believe that you care about them, that they're not just your 11 o'clock, you're not just their 12, 15. Oh, lunchtime now you're not just the one o'clock or the end of the day. Facial client, like every client, is made to feel like you care about them, that you've got the time and that when I say with my consultations, I always say to my clients it doesn't take any time out of your treatment time, but what it does allow me to do is truly understand how I can best create the best experience for you. And a lot of the time in my consultations, I'm not talking. So if you find that you're talking an awful lot, it means that you're leading the conversation and actually you shouldn't be leading it. Your clients should be leading it, and if they're not leading it, it's because they don't feel comfortable enough to lead it.

Speaker 1:

So, asking simple questions, simple questions like do you want results or do you want to relax? Now, that's one of the biggest questions I ask my clients, and the reason being is because results are very different. To relax, now, that's one of the biggest questions I ask my clients, and the reason being is because results are very different. To relax, if someone wants results, I'm going to use different techniques. I'm going to use different products. I'm going to use potentially, I might use cryoglobes, or I might use more stimulating ingredients, which keeps the subconscious awake. Versus someone who needs to relax, I'm going to use much slower, deeper movements. I might only use one or two products throughout the whole facial experience, because I'm going to focus on relaxing their nervous system. I'm going to help relax the muscles in their face, neck and shoulders, and scalp, scalp even.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to do a completely different experience based on that single question alone, and sometimes they might need an understanding of what that means. But it will truly depend on the stress levels of that client. It will truly depend on why they've come to me. What was the emotional reason for them doing this? And you can normally tell right, because sometimes when people come through the door they're like, oh my God, I'm so in need of this. That is something that I would ask.

Speaker 1:

Okay, tell me a bit more about that. What's going on in your life that you are needing the break from? Be human, you know, be human and that's why you should have an online consultation experience and an in-person the online. You want that to give all the nitty grgritties, the medical issues, the signature, the boring stuff you know. You also want it to utilize to be able to make sure that you create the ambience and experience you want to create, such as I don't know, maybe you offer different types of beverages on arrival, maybe you offer different types of music, for instance. You want all that ready before they get to you so you don't have to do it all when they're here wasting time.

Speaker 1:

But with the in-person consultation, when they're sitting in front of you, then that's when you want to get to know them, that's when you want to build those foundations, building that relationship to gain the trust. Because without knowing about them, how can, can't you have no right to recommend, because if you don't know, like, how much time they have available to them, you don't know what's going on in their life, you don't know why they're feeling the way they're feeling, because you haven't asked them the simple, human, basic questions. Because we're taught to get them in, get the consultation done, get them on the bed straight off the bat, like this is what we're taught. But this is not how you truly create the experience and how people give you those amazing reviews and you can charge whatever you want, because everything has been thought of. It's always about the client. It's not just about me getting my client on the bed. I won't get them on the bed until I feel like I know them enough to give them the best experience.

Speaker 1:

So, asking that question if they say I'm so in need of this, don't just go. Oh, are you? Oh, that's great. Well, at least you're here. Now my question would be well, why? What's going on? Sandra, tell me what's going on. Oh, well, you know husband's a lot away, a lot, you know I've got the kids. You know husband's a lot away a lot. You know I've got the kids. You know I don't have much support for my mother-in-law, like they tell. They tell you straight off the bat, okay, so you know. So how are you able to get away? Like, where's the kids now? Well, they're at their friends, okay. So this is so. They're at their friends often. Well, my, what I'm thinking is okay. Whenever they're friends.

Speaker 1:

I want to be the place that they think about to come to. So I am thinking about the sales process, but I'm doing it in a way that makes sense to them and their lifestyle, not to what makes sense to me. And the other thing that I always do is I utilize the name as much as possible. I say Sarah, tell me a bit more about what's going on. Sarah, take a seat on the sofa. I don't over-utilise the name, but when I feel like I need to, I will. What I don't do is call them huns, darlings babes. That's not what I do. That's where the professionalism kicks in. I want them to feel so comfortable with me, but I don't want them to feel like I'm their best friend already, because when I need to keep my barriers up because at the end of the day, this is a business.

Speaker 1:

I know so many therapists fall into that tide where their clients become friends and then they don't turn up, they don't pay their deposits and it gets all a bit messy. You want to avoid that from the get-go and you do that by not giving them. You know, like those little like pens and darlings, you want them to be called by their name, because one their name means something to them. It's who they are, but it also keeps them in the moment and so it saves them going off into their own little worlds like their own glade. You know the glazed eyes kicked in. So always utilize the name sarah, come, take a seat on the sofa. So you said.

Speaker 1:

You said something about you know just just now that you know you're tired, that you're running on zero energy. Why is that? Why you know what's causing you not to get to sleep. Are you a social media lover or do you? You know, is that the only time you get to yourself? You know, because the kids are either hanging around your neck until 7 o'clock and then your husband wants you. Then you've got to cook dinner. Like, is that the only time that you find that you've got time to spend on you is that time, but then you're, then you're missing you know that that essential sleep. You know if that's the case and what we'll do is we'll make sure this 19 minute treatment is all about sleep. So we get you into the deepest state of relaxation that subconscious of yours can truly relax, so you then can catch up on those times, so you don't have to worry. So then you still get your social media time, but every two to three weeks you can come to me and catch up on what you've missed, because you like to stalk people at 12 o'clock at night. How does that sound? You know you're always bringing it back to them.

Speaker 1:

This is what a true consultation should be about. Yes, it's important to have the fundamentals, but utilise your online presence for that, the online booking system for that. When it comes to when they're in front of you, you want them to connect to you, because that's when loyalty starts to build. That's when you can truly understand how to then look after your business long term, but without them falling into traps as, like I said, becoming too friendly with your clients to the point where they overstay their welcome. You stop turning up for treatments because they've stopped respecting you as a business because they see you more as a friend. So you want to keep those boundaries there all times, because then, when you do your price increases, they go.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely. But well, actually I've become more of a friend now because do I still get mate traits? We don't want that happening. We're a business and we want to be treated like the professional that we truly are.

Speaker 1:

So you do have to have those those, those boundaries in place, but the key is is building, for when it comes to your consultations, that is where you build that relationship and if you go in with that type of that type of mindset, watch how people truly start to just give you everything that you need to really be a success in this industry and stand out as a phenomenal therapist not only gives phenomenal treatments, but actually truly cares about each individual that walks through that door. So there we go, guys. That's consultations. Today. There's so much more to talk about consultations, but hopefully again, like I said, being the second one back after quite a long stint off, that hopefully starts to get you on the right path, thinking differently to how you thought and how you can start to upgrade and elevate your customer's experience as well as your business. See you on the next one. Bye everyone.