UPSELL TACTICS
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38)
“The more you know about your products, the more you will
know about how different products can add value and convenience to the product your customer is buying,” Sandoby says. “A
good receptionist or therapist will be able to quickly give customers a read and tailor their sales technique to
the individual.”
Hull agrees, and believes the most common
retail sales failure in spas is lack of product
knowledge, especially among new associates.
“Sometimes having a cheat sheet just isn’t
enough,” she says. “That’s why we always
encourage our spas to use the notes on products
and services. Notes are easily accessible during
the booking process and at point of sale, so
users can quickly access key facts needed to
endorse the item.”
In order to better educate staff on product specifics, Hewitt
insists on regular, extensive complimentary training from resource
partners that keeps his customer-facing staff up-to-date on benefits and ingredients. He also has them work with each other as
practice. “We track who is the best at selling and get them to offer
tips and pointers to others,” he says
SpaSoft trains its associates regularly to help maximize
revenue. “We train associates to submit appointments one at a
time to create opportunities to offer guests additional services
before completing the reservation,” Hull says.
“This creates a smooth booking process and
encourages the associate to upsell and pair
services together.” A smooth booking process
will drive sales revenue most effectively when
paired with an associate who can upsell along
the way.
“Ultimately, your staff members are the
engine that drives your business—managers
are the road map and fuel but they can’t get the
business to where it needs to go without a
functioning team,” Sandoby says. “Making sure
your staff are well-trained in retail and can upsell products and
services is essential to their confidence in dealing with clients and
to following through on goals, vision for the business and procedures that will ultimately help your staff and you to grow the
business in an effective way.” ■
“Ultimately, your
staff members
are the engine
that drives your
business...”
UPSELL
STRATEGIES FROM
START TO END
Your spa team has the opportunity to upsell services and retail products from the moment the guest books their treatment, online or
in-house, to the moment he or she walks out the door. Here’s a
breakdown of upsell strategies at the major points of the spa
upselling experience.
DURING BOOKING: Four Seasons Toronto
uses an online booking system that automatically asks guests if they wish to add an
enhancement to their service. At the Cairo
location, Sandoby recommends that if a
client asks about a treatment, staff always
start with the deluxe option and work
down to a basic one, not vice versa.
invaluable upsell resource. “In our health
questionnaire binder, we offer a listing of
enhancements that are available for each
treatment,” he says. “Locker attendants
point these out to guests.” Sandoby adds
that the waiting room is also the best
place to arrange menus for last-minute
browsing.
DURING CHECK-IN: “Your client has
booked a basic service. Are you offering
the chance to upgrade to the full or deluxe
service?” Sandoby makes sure his staff
members ask themselves this question for
every customer.
DURING TREATMENT: Therapists should
always gently ask if there are any enhancements the guest would like to experience.
“Keeping conversations professional but
friendly can be a juggling act, but always
try to keep in your mind that your end
goal is to increase the clients’ average
spend [while also enhancing their overall
IN THE WAITING/RELAXATION AREA:
Hewitt finds the health questionnaire an
40 PULSE
■
September 2015
experience],” Sandoby says.
DURING CHECK-OUT: “Always ask guests
if there were any products used during
their treatment that they would like to purchase,” Hewitt says. This is also the time to
make clients aware of special offers, loyalty
programs and gift cards, and to direct the
conversation during a re-booking.
ONLINE: In addition to upselling during
online booking, social media is an essential
engagement tool to pitch better services
or new retail products. “In the age of social
media, it’s still so important to remember
to keep connected on a personal level and
sell your business even when you’re not
working,” Sandoby says.