Training - How important is it?

As busy entrepreneurs, it's sometimes difficult to slow down and make sure that our employees truly understand our vision and how to do their jobs. Over the years, I have had to finetune and work diligently at making sure my team understands how to run my business. The coaching, mentoring and monitoring do not stop ever.

From a financial standpoint, if you do not take the time to train and do a great first day introduction to your business (no matter how small) and make them feel special instead of just another employee, the level of commitment will be determined from that point forward. If they feel welcomed, supported and are slowly introduced into their jobs, then you will see them take initiative and become a committed employee. If you throw them into the job, they will not often remain in the position and will be a negative influence to your team. In other words, there is a high cost to turnover and destabilizing your team.

An employee handbook is very important to ensure fairness and equality in your workplace. It sets standards and puts all of your rules and policies in place and if there are questions in the future, then you bring them back to the handbook. This handbook should grow with your business and every year, you will need to review. Listen to your team, to the issues and make sure that the handbook reflects the changes and the feedback. Our handbook at Le Petit Spa is currently 35 pages long and covers issues from job descriptions of all positions to uniform standards, employee perks, etc.

All training time needs an agenda/list so that you are prepared and organized to deliver and know how to use the time properly. We pay less for training time than regular time as well. You will have to make those decisions beforehand so that you understand the cost of training and are prepared to deliver. We sometimes bring in others to do the training as well to make it more exciting and bring in the actual expert who can answer questions.

With long term employees, you will need to put training perks in place so that they keep learning a nd feel motivated to keep contributing to your business' success. This month was a special month for us at Le Petit Spa as three employees from my team travelled with me to St. Malo, France for Phytomer Advanced training. We shared the cost of the entire trip and we now have a very special memory. My dream is for the rest of the team to travel to France every year for this training so that they see the labs where our product is made. This type of training is possible as a business matures and has positive cash flow. The trick is to budget accordingly.

Do not take this area for granted. Find help if you have no experience. Take time and think about the experience of a new employee and make sure that you are focused on them when they walk in the door. Care for your employees and you will get a great return on investment (ROI).

Some books to read would be:

• Michael Gerber, The E-myth Revisted or The E-myth Mastery
• Jack Stack, The Great Game of Business

I attended a SOHO confererence many years ago here in Vancouver, BC, and Michael Gerber was a guestspeaker with Brian Scudamore from 1-800-GOTJUNK. These books were his key to success and then he got to be on stage with his mentor! It does not get much better...

You must pay attention and understand every piece of work that will be done in your business so that in the future you can work ON your business rather than IN your business. It does work, I promise.

Good luck,

Nancy

Why Should I? The Importance of Using Professional Skin Care Products

Why use professional skin care?

Why use professional skin care? Why not just head down to the local drugstore, and pick up something cheap? Why spend money on something that just goes down the drain?

These are common questions that clients ask when they come into a spa for a facial. But, if you’re coming in to a spa for a facial, why aren’t you ready to make a commitment to good skin at home? Why spend money on a facial if you return home and use not-so-great products on your skin?

This blog discusses why using professional products are beneficial to your skin and busts through some myths about professional products.

1. Professional skin care is way more expensive

Not true! Professional skin products are comparable to say, Lancôme or Clinique; and sometimes, even less expensive. Plus, on average, you’re getting 70% more active ingredients in professional products than drugstore and department store brands. See our price comparison chart on one of our professional products, Phytomer, and major department store brands…

2. Department store brands are better known and reputable

Ok, so if your idea of being reputable is spending research dollars on the next glitzy ad campaign containing your favourite celebrity, then department store brands are more reputable. The reason why these brands are so well known is for a number of reasons:

a. Hire expensive celebrities and models to promote their product. This is called “Referent Power” and is a powerful marketing tool. By law, when these spokes models promote these products they have to use them, but only for the duration of the ad campaign or commercial you’re watching.

b. Money that is accumulated from the sales of these products is put into the next ad campaign for the product, not back into the product as research and advancement techniques. Marketing behind these lines has more money spent on it than research and development of the products you’re using on your face.

And let’s face it, if your favourite celebrity shows up on your TV with perfect skin using the said product, why aren’t you going to use it to achieve her skin? These ad campaigns work wonders.

3. Why don’t we hear about professional skin care more often?

Professional skin care companies do not put money into their marketing campaigns like department store brands do. They put the money made from sales of their products into years of research and new technologies. And then, of course they do put some money into marketing; but you will see this when you enter the salon or spa that it is sold in.

4. Why are professional brands like Phytomer and Guinot sold in spa only?

When a brand is sold in a spa or salon, it is guaranteed to be of a professional grade brand, meaning it contains higher quality ingredients and more active ingredients and need professionally trained skin care therapists to use them and educate their clients on them.

Selling professional lines in spa only means that there is a better quality control over the product as well; they are not mass produced like drugstore brands and department store brands are; they are produced in numbers compared to past years and sales trends.

This also means that you will not receive a product that has been sitting in a warehouse for five years, your professional products are fresh and of high quality.

The most important thing you should consider when using products for yourself is how you feel about the product. You should use products that you believe in, are happy with the results and deliver results to you.

When you visit a spa for a facial, listen to your esthetician about the skin care she recommends to you; she’s not just trying to make commission off of selling you something, she’s educating you about which products, from her professional experience and opinion of your skin, are right for you. She should offer you brochures and as much information about the line she is recommending to you as you want or need.

Remember: she’s not trying to force information down your throat and getting you to buy buy buy! She’s trying to help you make the best possible choice in professional skin care for you and your needs.

Come into Le Petit Spa for a complimentary skin consultation to receive education and advice about what type of products would be best for your skin. These complimentary services are available seven days a week; contact Le Petit Spa today…

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Le Petit Spa announces the Launch of their French Country Inspired Body Care Line

Products inspired by French Countryside

Le Petit Spa, voted within the top three day spas in Vancouver three years running, is thrilled to now offer clients their newly launched signature line of bath and body care products aptly named the “Le Petit Spa Signature Line”. Encompassing 11 all natural bath and body care products and one bubble bath to dream of, this line promises to wrap client’s skin in the purest essence of the French countryside, Lavender.

The Le Petit Spa Signature Line houses the following products; harnessing the soothing, calming and antiseptic properties of pure lavender:

• Signature Salt Scrub – gently exfoliates skin before the bath or shower
  


• Signature Bath Salts – eases sore muscles
  


• Signature Milk Bath – softens skin
  


• Signature Bubbles – creates a bubbly bath worthy of a soap opera
  


• Signature Shower Gel –cleanses skin
  


• Signature Hand Cream – moisturizes hands
  


• Signature Body Lotion – moisturizes body
  


• Signature Bath and Massage Oil –when used in bath leaves skin remarkably soft, soothes sore muscles in massage.
  


• Signature Skin Refresher – Refreshes tired skin
  


• Signature Room Refresher – Lightly infuses the air with Le Petit Spa’s Signature Scent.
  


• Signature Roll on Scent – Condensed Signature Scent in a roll on

Products are available at Le Petit Spa, open seven days a week and located in Kitsilano on the corner of Broadway and Alma, or in Le Petit Spa’s online store, Spa Boutique at www.spaboutique.ca.

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