Starting a business is like weaving a tapestry; each thread is integral to the final product and builds upon the row, or task, that came before. The cast on in weaving is the foundation of the beauty to come. Similarly, the business’s why is the foundation that all future tasks must weave through, including creating the business’s perfect potential client. No matter the name or acronym, every spa must know theirs on a first-name basis. Knowing the ins and outs of who the spa will be serving is most important when deciding the brands, services, and devices to carry. Making the best and most informed decision when considering the three P’s – price, prevalence, and problem – with the perfect potential client in mind will garner paramount results.

THE WHO

One of the first exercises in a thorough business branding session is nailing down the perfect potential client. Big brands use this to target those who will benefit the most from the item or service they are selling. Getting very granular about the perfect potential client helps in several areas of the business, including where to place ads, what voice to use, and what images will produce sales. 

When creating a perfect potential client profile, it’s beneficial to ask all the questions one would ask their best friend – everything from their name, gender, and relationship status to their kids, what keeps them up at night, and everything in between. It may even be helpful to give the perfect potential client a name. Once the perfect potential client is completely fleshed out, they can be used to determine the brands, services, and devices that best suit the spa.

Melissa Allen has lived many lives as a dance teacher, biologist, and marketing director before becoming a successful aesthetician and spa owner. All of these former positions help to color her opinions, actions, and style. Allen’s career in aesthetics has also been far-reaching; she has been an aesthetician in the back of a salon, a solo aesthetician, a spa owner with several employees, and a global brand consultant. Allen has experienced many of the paths of aesthetics and is open, honest, and willing to share her adventures. As her time in the treatment room comes to an end, she is focusing on mentoring and guiding the next generation of thinking skin care professionals and spa owners.