MEMBER PERSPECTIVES
CONTINUED
“ Our resource partners have been so awesome with us . They haven ’ t held us to the fire about making purchases or anything like that .”
— MEGAN JASPER
entirely different manager role on top of [ my spa director role ]. It ’ s just changed so much of our workload ,” she says .
On the other hand , however , when a resource partner comes through with a particularly helpful tactic for keeping spa operations running smoothly , the impact is more keenly felt than ever . Scott Vazinski shares that Comfort Zone has provided a robust library of virtual education materials that have made a tremendous difference , given how difficult it has been to organize whole-team training in recent months . “ They ’ ve been really integral in terms of providing resources ,” Vazinski explains . “ It ’ s more than just having the product knowledge and treatments online , they actually have almost weekly webinars that help with employee engagement , getting them excited about the lines .” Vazinski adds that the company has tailored their resources to help boost retail sales and educate guests on ingredients that support their wellness in particular ways . At a time when not every resource partner has been able to offer that level of support , those able to go the extra mile are worth their weight in gold .
Gadabout ' s Megan Jasper says the spa ' s resource partners , including Skin Authority , have been life savers .
No East Task
Unfortunately , the pandemic ’ s impact has placed unprecedented strain on both spas and resource partners , making it all but a certainty that some partnerships between the two will come to an end , either because the resource partner goes out of business or the working relationship between the two becomes too strained to continue . It is important that spas prepare for such outcomes so that they aren ’ t caught flat-footed if a partnership gets into trouble . As Marci Howard-May notes , the process of finding a new resource partner to work with is exactly the kind of intensive , time-consuming task that many spa directors would find difficult to fit onto to-do lists that are already bursting at the seams . “ If I change from one line to another , I want to spend a lot of time researching that product , coming to understand that product ,” she says . “ And then there ’ s the expense of moving out inventory . So , it ’ s hard to move away from one vendor because you ’ ve developed a personal relationship , but if it ’ s not working , then sometimes you just have to let the numbers speak , and that has been a challenging thing .”
36 PULSE n NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2021