In my work as an educator for L’Oreal, I have the privilege of talking with aestheticians across the county about skincare, best practices, and growing their businesses. In these conversations I often hear how they believe in the products and services they offer, but don’t want to be seen as salespeople. As a result of these good intentions, they hold back information so they don’t appear pushy. Having spent several years working as an aesthetician myself, I understand this inclination because I felt the same way when talking to my own clients.
We work hard to build trusted relationships with our clients and want them to always feel comfortable and at ease. We also understand that our clients have just made big investments in our services and feel that to ask them to spend more money on skincare would be too much. Sometimes we’ll even offer cheap solutions, like a handful of samples (we’ve all done it!) or (even worse!) we’ll skip the post-care conversation completely. When we do this we mean well, but in an effort to not sell to our clients, we are actually selling short the results we can offer.
There are lots of great skincare lines out there but only a few that offer clinically substantiated results. These are the lines that live in premium aesthetic practices. It’s the proven results of these lines that are the reason why we have to start having the skincare conversation with every client at every appointment.
Creating comprehensive treatment plans that include both services and skincare is not selling for the sake of making more money (no way!). It’s providing the best possible value and outcome to our clients and helping them to get the most out of their investment. What kind of a service are we really offering if we send our clients out the door with nothing? We are leaving them to fend for themselves and guess what they might need to maintain the investment they have just made in our services. For our own comfort we are selling them short at a critical point in their treatment plan.
You would never go to the dentist and not brush your teeth every day, or get your hair cut but not wash your hair at home. Skincare is no different! We know this! Using the right skincare with a history of efficacy should be a non-negotiable part of any in-office treatment. Otherwise, we are compromising results and undermining the trust our clients place in us.
Clients want solutions. That’s why they came to us in the first place. They want a relationship with a person they trust to guide them through the overwhelming and ever-changing world of aesthetics. Of course they don’t want to feel like they are being given a sales pitch every time they come to see you (and that should never be the experience we deliver), but they do want to feel like you are keeping them informed and offering the latest advice for the best results.
No one wants to waste money on products and services that are all hype or don’t work. And most of our clients do not have the time it takes to do the research and investigation to decipher the winners from the losers. That’s why they trust you!
Stop being afraid of having the skincare conversation. It’s an important part of any plan to offer your clients the best, most effective skincare solutions. They want your expertise and advice. Show up for them with every appointment and be the true skincare partner they want. You have the expertise and the skill, share it!