At the beginning of any new business venture, the possibilities and opportunities seem endless. Your passion runs deep, and your excitement fills you with ideas for gaining clients and growing your skin care facility. You strategize and employ tactics to turn new clients into repeat customers.
For many of you, that initial flame and drive may have diminished considerably. It may even be practically extinguished. This is normal. The initial excitement of owning and operating a business does wear off. There is no one to blame—the day-to-day operational challenges can keep you buried, constantly squelching your ability to look at the bigger picture and get enthusiastic.
So how do you re-ignite that passion? Get your edge on!
Take a step back and reflect on the early days of your business. You gravitated to the skin care profession for a reason. During reflection, identify that intrinsic desire that stoked your flame. Once that desire has been pinpointed, it is time to re-frame your business situation. This is your opportunity to take that inherent desire and regain your aspirational spirit. Finally, you need to take that newfound energy from a thought and feeling—and put it into action.
There is a commonality that drives people to this industry: interacting with and helping people. The human contact element is most likely what propelled you into professional skin care, as well.
So how do you put this new insight into action to increase business? Use your affinity for people and your innate need to help them as your marketing strategy. Then, utilize tactics that engage clients. So what tactics should you employ? The answer: you!
The T.O.U.C.H. Principle
There is an effective word with an accompanying moniker that will help guide you through several effective tactics: the T.O.U.C.H. Principle.
These tactics will help market you and your business effectively, impacting and influencing consumers to try your services, as well as strengthening relationships with current clients.
Trust. Reach out to a local community center and host a clinic to educate people about skin issues. This should not be a hard sell for your services; rather you are becoming a resource for your community.
Outbound. You might be sitting behind your desk too much these days. Go to other businesses that have customers inclined to visit your business. Strike up a casual conversation with someone that works there. A great partnership opportunity might await you.
Utilize. You already have a plethora of places or events you commonly attend or frequent. Wear your business’s merchandise to your children’s little league game or a pin promoting your skin care facility to the grocery store. It will surprise you how effective these conversation-starters can be.
Clients. Take advantage of your current clients; you have an extremely captive audience. Be sure to ask about their family and other pertinent people in their lives. This is really effective with new clients—a genuine interest in them shows you care. This will not only help turn them into repeat clients, but will also help produce referrals, which are also great marketing tools.
Help. Volunteer at a nonprofit and meet people with similar interests. Not only will you do something rewarding, but people will also learn more about what you do. The sense of goodwill you have established with other volunteers can be a powerful influencing factor when deciding between your business and a competitor’s.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and re-igniting that intrinsic fire and employing T.O.U.C.H. won’t be a quick fix, either. It is more important to take time, really energize yourself and apply one T.O.U.C.H. tactic at a time. It is always better to do it right than to do it quickly.
Alex Ignon is the director of marketing at Edge Systems, manufacturer of the HydraFacialMD system. With more than 17 years of marketing and media experience, Ignon has won numerous awards, including the CTAM Mark Award for best marketing plan. Contact him at [email protected].