TOP TIPS

OASIS-TIME is here to help you ...

OASIS-TIME Beauty & Holistic Academy is delighted to share Top Tips to help you in setting up your business, marketing your services, dealing with clients, finding new business, setting up a website, developing your skills, etc, etc ....

Top Tips
1 - Spring cleaning your business
2 - Planning special offers
3 - Looking after yourself


Top Tips 1 - Spring Cleaning your business

What does your publicity material say about you?
Is it good quality? Is it bright and eye-catching and does it include all your current therapies and the most up to date prices. If you are not happy with it, why not go to www.vistaprint.com and update or improve it.

Are you spreading the word about your business?
Make a list of everywhere you could leave your PR material. Go round your local area and see who would be prepared to let you display them. Think about ordering plastic containers from the internet so brochures and cards can stand-up attractively. Go round regularly and replenish supplies – chat to the displayers as they will often recommend you too! Always have cards and information on you.

Are you well known locally?
Make associations with other professionals in a different field so you can recommend each other. Such as dentists, chiropodists, anti-ageing clinics, chiropracters, osteopaths, etc. Contact them first and offer a free treatment to see how good you are! Some of the most powerful advertising is word of mouth.

Don’t waste money on expensive advertising
Newspapers and on line directories will call you and offer you wonderful results from advertising with them, but at a cost of hundreds of pounds. Very rarely will you ever get back in increased business the cost that you pay. Small local magazines may be worth the odd £50 but keep track of the return.

Is your Therapy room an oasis of calm?
Is it bright and welcoming or could it do with a face-lift? If you do not have the time or budget to decorate, it is easy to tidy up the accumulated bits and pieces. Keep out only what you need and what adds to the environment – everything else, put away in cupboards and drawers. It saves on cleaning time too!

Do you look wonderful?
Has your uniform seen better days, or is it just time for a change. There are many companies offering complete uniforms for as little as £40 – check out the www.beautyguild.com for some good suppliers. They also offer a range of colours now which may just give you, and your clients, a lift.

Are you on the web, and is your website getting you business?
Check how your clients hear about you and make sure your website is being found by the search engines. Make sure you write your website wording with the search engines in mind and put in page titles which people would type in to find you. If you are not sure – get professional advice from Business Link. Also a free way to increase your rankings is to link with other businesses – they will be pleased to do so as it increases their rankings too!

Expand the therapies you offer
Clients love variety and will use several therapists – try and get more of their business by expanding the therapies you offer and even diversifying into other areas. This will encourage your clients to come to you more regularly and spend more with you. f you are holistic, why not introduce some beauty such as a facial or manicure and pedicure? If you are a beauty therapist, why not expand into Eastern Facial, Japanese Hand, Thai Foot or Indian Head Massage?

Special offers and year planning
Think about the year ahead and work out your special promotions for the various high spots in the year. Also work out when you will have your breaks and plan around them – make this the year that your business is healthy but look after your own health and well being. Why not join a treatment exchange so you can also benefit too?

Top Tips 2 - Planning special offers

What are the most popular treatments for the time of year?
Think about what your clients want depending on the time of year. For example in the summer time it will be waxing, tanning, and pedicures; or fat-busting, skin soothing and stimulating massages; or feel-good holistic treatments.

Cost out these treatments to get an idea of your profit margin
Before you randomly plan special offers, cost out exactly what you are offering to ensure that you can make a profit on your treatments. Think about the time it takes you to set up your equipment if you are offering a package of treatments to make sure you are not using up too much of your time to make the special offer profitable.

Offering “loss-leaders”
You may decide it is worth-while to offer treatments as loss-leaders where you are not making a profit (and sometimes a small loss) in order to encourage them to return for full price treatments or to spread word-of-mouth advertising about you. This can have a very good knock-on effect if it works but monitor the results to make sure you are gaining something and not giving your time and expertise for very little return.

Telling people about your offers
Don’t waste money on expensive advertising. Print up some nice flyers quite cheaply and give out to your clients and leave in strategic places. You could even do a quick leaflet drop in your local area but pick your roads carefully to ensure a maximum return. Email, text or phone your existing clients.

Keep your offers for a limited period
Encourage a quick take-up by offering a short period only during which they need to book, or make it conditional on having a fully treatment for something else. Say, a half price pedicure with every full price manicure during the month of July. It is a know marketing fact that people buy when they think they may miss out on something – so keep the offers short and sweet.

Have a variety of offers
Perhaps have a different offer each month to encourage a take up of different treatments. This helps to get new clients “hooked” on something new. Don’t make your offers too complicated though or you will get confused when booking!

Work with others – cross-marketing
Do you have any professional colleagues with whom you could do combined offers? Perhaps beauty offers can go with a reduction on a hair treatment? Or perhaps you can offer a pedicure when a reflexologist or chiropodist has a client for a treatment? Try and think creatively and work with other professionals. It can double your potential client base as you can get yourself known to other people’s clients, which compliment both your businesses.

Wedding, Pamper, Princess and Prom parties
Think about special packages you could offer for all sorts of occasions. Research what others are doing by internet searches or picking up leaflets from other spas, salons or therapy centres. Talk to everyone you know about what they would like and then come up with some interesting package ideas.

Review the results
Look at the take up of your offers and ask your clients for feedback. Did they like the combination of offers? Did you get a good response? Did it result in encouraging take up of any new treatments? Use the feedback to plan future offers to make them even more appealing to your clients.

Planning ahead
Try to get your next season’s plans ready as far in advance as possible. This saves a mad last minute rush – it takes time to formulate offers and to get your promotional material ready as well as working and organising a home and family! Make sure you factor in some me-time too!

Top Tips 3  - Looking after yourself

Scheduling your bookings and breaks carefully
Stress is a major factor in illness with around 60% of all “illnesses” being attributable to stress. When you work in a service environment it is very easy to work very long hours, forget to take breaks and to skip meals. Ensure that you allow time between clients to avoid hurrying and feeling stressed. This gives you time to feel calm and to focus on each client.

Try to factor in regular break periods in your day. If possible, rotate treatments in your booking schedule so you can intersperse massages with other less physically onerous treatments. Plan holidays in advance then work bookings around it – it you leave it to the last minute you will never have time to get away! Do not overbook yourself – set a target for the number of bookings per day and stick to it.

Nutrition and rehydration are vital for your heath
If you schedule your bookings well you should be able to factor in regular nutritious meals. Even if you do not have time to prepare or eat very much, always have a banana or something easy to eat at hand.

Always have water available and drink as much as possible in between treatments. Try to have a short walk or even a breather out of doors – fresh air will make you feel more alert and this will have a good knock on effect both for you and your clients.

Concentrate on your posture and physical comfort at all times
Ensure you have good posture when you are massaging clients – avoid bending from the waist, keep your back straight and lunge forward from the hips and thighs. Move around the couch for a more comfortable stance. When performing beauty treatments or head or feet massages, you may be able to use a small stool – again, ensure you are not leaning forward or you will suffer pain in your upper and lower back. If you have attended a course with OASIS-TIME you will remember how much good posture was stressed on the course!

If movements feel awkward or stressful to perform, possibly you are not performing them accurately. Go back to your course notes or contact your training provider to check on any movements which do not seem to be “working” well.

Take care when lifting heavy equipment and setting up or moving your couch. Take care when assisting clients to sit up or move so that you protect your own back.

Wear comfortable clothing and comfortable supportive footwear. Many uniforms have high necks and tight sleeves and waist bands – make sure that you order one that is comfortable as well as attractive!

Ensure your therapy room is a safe environment
There are many legal requirements governing heath and safety so it is often helpful to have a look at these and check that your therapy room or your mobile practice complies. If you are interested in receiving more information about the relevant legislation, please contact us.

Think about your work-life balance
Ensure you have a life outside your business – try to see friends and follow other interests whenever possible. Perhaps you could swap treatments with other therapists, or offer to be a model for training courses, to give yourself the opportunity to relax and recharge your own batteries! Why not come along to a Therapist Share evening in Berkshire – contact Ann Hills our Berkshire trainer on 0793 130 1487 and see her website www.gentletouchtherapies.co.uk

Treatments Swapper Register
Why not enjoy some treatment swaps to help your well being? Simply email us your name, town and postcode, and treatments you would like to give and receive. We shall be uploading this to the website shortly.

Top Tips 4 - coming soon!