Blog Spot - "In the factory we make cosmetics; in the store we sell hope"

By Lisa Conway - The Zing Project

In 1932 brothers Charles and Joseph Revson, along with their chemist Charles Lachman, founded Revlon.

They believed that in the factories they make cosmetics; in the store they sold hope.

I find it fascinating that in 1932 that “hope” was the thinking behind beauty. Have women changed? That’s an easy one to answer. Yes. The first change is that only women are interested in consuming beauty products. The individual reference to men or women is also on the chopping board. People is what we are, the use of gender is outdated. The beauty consumer is both men and women.

I can only speak for myself however I don’t think I would buy a product or have a treatment and then cross my fingers in the hope that it delivered. I refer to my purchases as having found a solution to a problem.

Purchasing decisions are usually made after some research is done. Today we have a better understanding about the selection of choice available to us. I think people can purchase with way more confidence than ever before.

So many ways to gather information today. The ingredients, where they are sourced from and where it is made, online reviews, everything is for the customer’s point of view. The experience on how they found the journey of purchasing the product to the how the product itself performs.

Hope seems a bit wishy washy for todays standards. I think that people today want to and do, purchase with confidence.

So, my challenge is around the word “hope”.

I think that hope is perhaps a little outdated. I think not only have beauty products changed beyond any resemblances of what anyone thought was possible over the last fifty years and even more so the last twenty, it has me thinking the later part of that statement from 1932 is perhaps due for a re write. How about “in the factories we make cosmetics and in the beauty clinics therapist educate clients which leads to consumer confidence”?

A beauty therapists’ strength is in the treatment room. Product knowledge and client education are where she excels

I would have hated to have been born in a time that did not have the things I have access to today, especially plastic surgeons! Lordy!!

More than happy to share with anyone interested that Yes, I’ve had my share of Nips and Tucks over my fifty-eight years, and every decision was made after I had been thoroughly educated by not just one but by a trio of professionals. For me it isn’t any different to having any home improvement done. Renovations like a new kitchen you ask around and read reviews and get three quotes. Then there is always the hope part. You hope it’s to your liking.

The mistakes you can make today are far greater than they were in 1932. With more advanced skills comes a greater risk especially when it comes to the outcomes of procedures. Today things are very different to back then. The wrong shade of lipstick can be wiped off in an instant, unlike the procedures of today.

The choices we have today come with a new responsibility. The therapist today needs to be a very educated professional and have a bed side or should I say a clinic bed manner too.

We are living in a time of incredible choice. That comes with a challenge too. Choice can confuse. A world that has so much to think about when it comes to what is best suited to any individual also has its challenges.

I think you would have to say that today’s consumer is overloaded with choice and is more likely to be confused about what is available than not. I think that at times beauty therapists might be guilty of presuming that clients know more than they do.

I am surprised that most women have a very basic, entry level understanding as to what services high end clinics offer. The modalities and the outcomes are huge and often they can overlap. Part of the reason is that often women don’t share what they have “had done “and what they have spent money on for fear of judgement. Plus, not everyone is a sharer like me. For the most part people are private. I can understand why that is the case. I think we have all heard that “that’s alright for her she’s XY and Z” people can be spiteful.

I will give you an example of the sort of things that confuse the consumer. The difference between IPL and laser hair removal or hair removal and hair reduction? Another example is Fat freezing or is that Lipolysis? (I need help here to explain clearly two machines that give similar outcomes or at least they aim to)

I never shy away from conversations about people’s skin or hair. People feel they can ask me about lots of thing’s beauty related. I think it’s partly because I talk openly, and I have worked in that space for years. Having said that I am still confused about a lot of things, fat freezing, peels, needling, PRP…the list of things that are available is huge and so are the explanations. It really is any wonder clients might feel they have no idea where to even start.

The other concern is that you the therapist could well spent a lot of your time not only explaining procedures to clients you wouldn’t get anything actually done, but there is also the risk you are overloading the clients.

So how do we inform our clients when there are hundreds of them?

What clients want to know is what’s possible for them. People decide when they are clear. The best thing you can do is to find a way to inform clients. To impart knowledge to them in a way they understand. That does sound like Marketing 101 to me.

If you want to be the skin clinic of choice, if you want a well-informed client base without laboriously repeating the information over and over every day, you need to think of a “one to many” idea. People often ask me if I like presenting on stage and the answer is yes, always yes and the bigger the audience the better. They often look a little perplexed, because it’s a fear of many.

Speaking from stage is the best use of my time there is.

The way I see it is simple to tell a room of one hundred people something that they will walk away with a better understanding. To be clearer than they ever thought possible and to educate them to know that they could very well be doing so much better.

The only reason they are not where they want to be is because they don’t know the HOW and when they do, they will be able to move forward. To spend an hour inspiring a room to feel the emotion of excitement and to walk away feeling better than when they arrived is a wonderful thing. Do I want to do that 100 times? Hell no! I want to do it once. Besides it works better when there is a crowd of likeminded people.

For you it’s the same, gather 30 people that are going to be perfect candidates for a particular service you provide and get them all together so that you can share all the things you know, answer all of their concerns in the group and then make them an introductory offer to test it themselves.

This one-to-many special education night is going to make your business a standout. Community is everything people want to be a part of, where they feel, they are listened to and heard and “girls just wanna have fun”. Think “sex in the city”.

For more salon wisdom, email me at lisa@zingcoach.com.au, visit my website, find my video tips on YouTube or read my books, all available in paperback , eBook, and Audio www.thezingproject.com.au