Ask the EXPERTS

Our experts answer an array of questions about every aspect of running a successful salon or spa business...

A new salon has opened nearby offering similar services. I feel quite threatened by the competition. Do you have any advice?I truly believe that if you ensure you are offering the best possible five-star service, one which your clients really value, then there is no threat to your business. To ensure this five-star experience you need to do a bit of background work to make sure every staff member knows what is expected of them. For instance, I have educated my staff through both in-salon training programmes and seminars with business experts about the “Michelin-Star” standards that I expect to be in place across the entire company to ensure a flawless Pastels’ experience for each client, every time. If you do not have a client map or journey clearly in place, a good starting point is to begin by looking at your business as objectively as possible, which can be done by completing a SWOT analysis. This is a useful technique for understanding your business’ Strengths and Weaknesses, and for identifying both the Opportunities open to you and the Threats you face. Used in a business context, it helps you to carve a sustainable niche in your market and will allow you to formulate a brand mission statement and decide the USP (Unique Selling Point) you have – or wish to have – in this competitive market. From this, you can develop your ideal client journey or a client map. By completing a SWOT analysis of the business, you can identify what makes your salon or spa unique in the marketplace and the fundamental reasons clients and staff choose to visit and work for it.  Remember, it might sound like a lot of work, but by auditing your business you will be able to minimise the impact of weakness and threats, as well as identify the areas that need support and put strategies in place to help them to grow. Once you have your client journey clear in your mind and in the minds of your team, invest in a mystery shopper programme to ensure consistency across all branches and to guarantee the best possible customer experience each and every time. Following each visit, detailed reports should be generated, from which you can develop action points to use in appraisals system to ensure individual staff members grow within the team and are part of your spa/salon’s road to success. In addition to doing mystery shops for your own brand, it is worth mystery shopping rival brands (including any salons/spas which have recently opened near to you) and complete a SWOT analysis for them as it will not only help clarify what you are doing well, but will also allow you to understand what makes your competition successful and what lessons you could learn from them to improve your business. 

Ruksher Malik is an industry expert and co-founder of the successful UAE Pastels Salon chain

What factors should I consider when recruiting spa specilists for work in the GCC?Traditionally, spa recruitment has relied upon a “advertise and apply” strategy, yet this is no longer enough in today’s digital world as it is primarily directed at the active, rather than passive jobseeker community. When recruiting for spa specialists in a very specific market you may want to look online but also offline. In other words the test, select, engage method has been recognised as being the most efficient, allowing recruiters to tick multiple boxes off the list. Considering that GCC spa specialist candidates are to be international, here are two key aspects be considered when recruiting for this market: 1. Generally candidates should be well experienced in dealing with cultural and traditional diversity of the GCC region or be aware of and able to adapt to other customs. It is important that the person has experience in relation to the job on task but in addition to the technical knowledge and practical abilities, consider the soft skills that continue to remain at the core of spa industry. 2. While candidates will bring in their knowledge and experience from a previous work place or learning centre, it is essential that they are able to adapt their practices to the work culture and ethics of the new organisation. While such quality is difficult to detect during most recruitment processes, it is vital to identify it from early stages.

Maria Antonela Axinte @WellSpaConsult is a Dubai- based spa and wellness consultant with 17 years’ experience on projects and operations with various international brands. How do I manage a strategic turnaround in a tough market?

The good news is, having done just that, I can tell you it’s possible! Perhaps you can learn from my story. My spa chain, SensA sia Urban Spas, is the largest independent chain in the UAE. The region has faced a challenging economy and battled times of recession since 2014 and SensAsia has inherited the result of this, primarily in the last 12 months, prompting us to take action with a very recent strategic turnaround. Rising government costs and the loss of disposable incomes among our core market have been the largest blows to our business. We appreciate that our services are extremely disposable and therefore can be among the first cuts to a personal budget when finances become a concern. It was obvious to me that we needed to change tactics in Q4 of 2018, both internally and externally, in order to address the situation and take strategic steps to improve it. These began at the top, with a re-organisation of the corporate structure and the scaling down of some suppliers an key members of staff. We then, quite clearly and openly, updated our offering and in turn brought the team’s focus, together with the message we sent to our clients, back to our original concept and underlying brand values of SensAsia. We are fortunate that our product largely speaks for itself, but in order for us to capitalise on this in a tough market, it has been essential to offer a new dimension to it. We have launched several new treatments and amended existing treatments on our menu to complement active and everyday lifestyles, target common body grievances (such as headaches and jet lag) and offer lower price points. The ultimate goal has been to remind our clients and wider target market that they don’t need to omit SensAsia from their “must-do” list. It has worked for us. Good luck!  PB

Salina Handa is the founder and managing director of award-winning SensAsia Urban Spas. She is speaking on managing a turnaround at the WSWC 2019