People are curious by nature and, for the most part, the more they know, the more likely they are to either try something new, make recommendations to friends and family, or become repeat customers. Taking advantage of this observation in the treatment room is a must for anyone looking to obtain loyal, well-informed customers who truly appreciate the professional’s work. It also does not hurt to increase retail sales, either. So how exactly should education be implemented in the treatment room? THE TREATMENT One of the most important ways to educate clients is to talk about the treatment being performed. Here are key questions clients always want answered: What are the benefits? What are potential side effects? What are the expected results? Beyond these three questions, explain the treatment process step by step. What products or equipment are being used? Why use these specific products? What does each step accomplish? The goal is to make sure the client is well-informed about the treatment process and aware of the value each step possesses. By taking the time to educate clients, professionals are helping to build trust and lending credibility to themselves as a practitioner, the treatment they are providing, and the spa as a whole. This trust and credibility is what will help push clients to spread the word about the treatments and products that their skin care professional offers. THE PRODUCTS Any time professionals use a product in a treatment, they should be explaining its purpose to the client. Clients like knowing what is being put on their skin and why. By explaining to them the benefits of a product as it is applied, professionals will be boosting the client’s confidence in the treatment and its results. But going beyond the products used in a treatment, this is the perfect opportunity to sneak in retail education. Use this opportunity to discuss potential retail products that could prolong the treatment benefits, compliment the treatment, or help make future treatments easier. This works even better if some of the products used in the treatment are also available for retail purchase, as the client has already experienced the feel of the product. Always be open; let clients know they can speak up if they ever have questions. Remember that it is the client’s right as a consumer to request material safety data sheets for any products at the spa. These sheets can be obtained from the manufacturer and should be available in the spa. A LITTLE EXTRA HELP Visualizing information can be a fun and easy way to slide in extra education in the treatment room. Diagrams and infographics do not have to be ugly or too clinical in order to properly convey facts. Before attempting to create one, contact the spa’s product suppliers to see if they already have material available. If they do not, try to keep the information simple and clean. Too much information or too many colors will distract clients and might prevent them from taking the time to read the information.Want to read more? Subscribe to one of our monthly plans to continue reading this article.