The Psychology of Esthetics

Have you figured out that there is a gap between what our Esthetician program taught us and what we really need to know to become financially successful in the Real World of Esthetics?

The job of our esthetics training program is to teach us esthetics skills and to prepare us to pass our state licensing exam. The schools are not prepared to teach us about what I like to call the “Psychology of Esthetics” which includes topics such as why people choose one esthetician over another, why some clients stick around and others don’t, what compels some clients to buy products and others not. For that reason, depending upon how long they’ve been in the business, a lot of Estheticians are stuck either in “old esthetics” or “new esthetics,” when the sweet spot resides between the two.

Most things we learned in Esthetics school are important, of course, because they are tools we need as Estheticians, and it’s what sets us apart from Multi-Level-Marketers, department store salespeople, e-stores and Amazon. But unlike most businesses, ours is a relationship-based business and therefore our success is about the depth of our relationship with our clients.

When a client walks into your space for the first time, a relationship has begun. Where it goes from there is up to you — which brings us to another gap worth mentioning called “The Experience Gap.” This gap is the difference between a customer’s perspective and your perspective. In other words, the experience a client is having with you, and in your space, may be very different than the experience you think they are having. Couple that with the fact that no two clients are alike, and you begin to see that you must make an effort to understand each of your clients individually, and be intentional about the choices you make. Everything depends on this.

Here are some statistics to consider. (Please keep in mind that these statistics are not limited only to relationship-based businesses like ours, which means the percentage listed in #4 would be definitely much higher in our business!)

1. 1 million people tweet about customer service in a day; 80% are negative
2. It takes 12 positive experiences to make up for 1 mistake
3. Out of 26 unhappy customers, 1 complains and the rest remain silent
4. 70% of people buy based upon how they feel
5. Loyal customers are worth more than 10x their original purchase

My book The Heart of Esthetics: Creating Loyal Clients and Achieving Financial Success will teach you everything you need to know about creating loyal clients in the esthetics business. It is important to note that there is a big difference between a “satisfied” customer and a loyal client.  Customer “satisfaction” means they are pleased; however, customer “loyalty” indicates a depth of relationship. Loyal clients will trust you, promote you, defend you, look forward to seeing you, tell their friends about you and refer new clients to you.

However, creating loyal clients is just a step on the path to the ultimate goal. Because let’s face it, if it’s just clients you want, you can get some of those by offering deep discounts or giving away free stuff. And you’ll probably work really hard, maybe you’ll be really busy, but it won’t lead you to the ultimate goal. So then if accumulating new clients is not the ultimate goal, what is? Is it Achieving Financial Success? Well, sort of, but not completely. The ultimate goal is creating a career that gives you the income and space to enjoy your business and your life.

When you get to the point that you know your clients well, you know their skin well, they trust you, and they are coming in regularly, buying products only from you…. that’s when you will feel an enormous burden lifted. You will have an income you can count on, you will have clients that you know and love, and you will be happy at work… you will be free! That’s the Sweet Spot, and you (and your clients) deserve it.

Like it or not, unless you are an employee of somebody else’s business, you are a business owner and you are an entrepreneur, which means you have to dedicate some time to working ON your business in addition to working IN your business. I understand that not every Esthetician enjoys working ON his or her business, which is why I have created this course and the ongoing Alumni Membership.

There is a big difference between learning and implementing. Some Estheticians will find all they need within The Heart of Esthetics course, and others will prefer additional ongoing help with implementation. That is why I have created the Alumni Membership which is available to graduates of the course.

These options are investments you will use over and over again with each new client and throughout your entire esthetics career. And this is what will ultimately lead you to the esthetics business of your dreams.