It’s Hammock Time!

Close your eyes and breathe deeply and slowly, in and out, exhaling completely at least 5 times (10 would be better). With your eyes still closed, imagine yourself somewhere warm but not hot, with just the hint of a breeze blowing across your body as you lay in the sun, swinging slowly back and forth in a hammock over a white sandy beach, the sound of the ocean in your ears.

Unworried and far from the cares of life and free of the demands you make on yourself and those required of you by family, friends, your boss, co-workers, church, charities and associations. Content, perfectly satisfied with yourself and your surroundings, wanting for nothing. Alone or with the perfect companion, be it a significant other, sibling, family member or friend – whichever really suits your fantasy best.

How does this translate to the salon and spa (or any other business, for that matter)?

That is the level of experience you should want to create for your clients. That one time they can count on every few weeks when they will be able to step away from all the things that they have to do and will have a chance to ‘just be.’

In terms of a client experience, you want your clients in the ‘hammock.’ You and your staff must reach agreement on the type of atmosphere you will provide and you must think through and purposefully design the client experience from end to end, and from top to bottom, because you — you as the owner and all of the staff — are the supports and the netting that holds this hammock in place. Loose netting or weak posts will mean that clients are at constant risk of falling out of the hammock — the experience you want to create.

Brainstorm as staff and come to agreement on the atmosphere that you want to provide for clients. Make a list of all of the moments that comprise a customer’s experience, from the moment they arrive at your business location, to the reception and waiting area, through each of the points they might touch during their service appointment and through to the end of their visit and their departure.

Think about background elements such as music, lighting, decor, cleanliness. Set up a plan to re-design each touchpoint with the goal of reinforcing the atmosphere – the experience you agreed to create for each and every customer, and map out a plan for the coming year to transform each one.

Think about personal comfort such as whether customers might be hungry or thirsty or in need of a restroom (especially during longer appointments or those that occur during typical mealtime hours). Create hospitality scripts for employees so that every customer is consistently received hospitably and treated as a pampered guest throughout their visit.

As part of your staff meetings each week, talk about at least one aspect of the customer experience, and how you can improve or tweak your processes or the physical environment. Incorporate 5-minute scalp or hand massages to help clients receive temporary release of tension and worries.

I love this quote, attributed to 1997 Reader’s Digest (my apologies, this is the only reference I could find to attribute!)

A hammock is the best place to spend a midsummer afternoon. When you climb into a hammock, you are linked to reality only by the narrowest of cords. Suspended in time and space, you shed any sense of weight or corporal substance. As you sway with the gentle rhythm of the breeze, you drift and dream between heaven and Earth, glimpsing the blue truth of sky beyond the wagging treetops.

Then suddenly the spell is broken by a dog’s snout poking you, a rumble of thunder or a child’s cry, and you are brought back to a world you temporarily left behind. But the hammock’s solace is not forgotten. Its gentle crescent lingers.

If you create this level of experience – one that will linger in the client’s mind, even after they have returned to their everyday life, they will come back for more and they will send family and friends to you. Build a bigger role for your business in the lives of your clients.

Don’t miss next Monday’s e-mail newsletter which will include original content and links to articles that will motivate, inspire and challenge you. [Click here] to subscribe. It’s free, you can opt out any time, and I probably won’t bother you more than once each week!

Elizabeth Kraus – 12monthsofmarketing.com
365 Days of Marketing is available on amazon.com in book and digital formats.