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DERMAL
SIX KEY THINGS TO DISCOVER IN YOUR SKIN CONSULTATIONS By Robyn McAlpine
Skin Consultations. They’re the key to EVERYTHING when it comes to treating skin. They can make or break your results and are essential to building a strong lasting relationship with your clients. Yet so many of us start out like a newborn baby giraffe learning to walk for the first time. Stumbling our way through the consultation, dreading the awkward silences, fearing the retail push at the end, feeling like we’re out of our depth and unsure of how it’s all really going and if the client actually hates us. Whilst there are plenty of courses on skin and science, we are often left to our own devices in how we interpret this information to our clients once were alone with them inside the treatment room. One of the biggest struggles I see in setting a consultation flow is knowing what exactly we are needing to do and how to find out what we need to know. What is the outcome we are looking for and how do we reach it? When we aren’t exactly sure what we’re meant to be doing, we find ourselves falling into the trap of turning a consultation into being all about US, not THEM! How many times have we spent far too much time talking about the business, the brand, our philosophies and why our clinic is different? We share the company founder’s philosophy, we talk about the products we use and we promote the features and benefits of our treatments. We talk all about ourselves whilst the client sits 32
Beauty Biz Year 14 Issue 5
patiently waiting for when the consultation is going to kick in. The chances are, if that client is sitting across from you, they already like your salon and what it stands for, that’s what drew them to you in the first place. The consultation should be wholly and solely about the client, where they’ve been, where they’d like to go and what they need to do to get there. Not about our business, our fancy products or why we do the fandangled treatments we do. So, if not talking about your products and treatments, what are you actually supposed to do in the consult? Aren’t we supposed to promote the business and convince the client to spend all their money on products? What are you actually wanting to achieve in the consultation process? I’ve been creating a course that supports skin therapists, helping them feel more confident in the process. What I noticed we’re six key points that I use to guide the flow of each of my consultations. These are the six most important things I want to learn about every single client so that I can help them achieve the healthiest skin possible! You might be surprised to learn that I never mention my business These things are great, but what I really need to know in order to get the best results for my client are the following six things:
1- SKIN TYPE
96% of clients who come in for a consultation with me DO NOT know their skin type. Those that do have often guessed (often incorrectly) or have had a quality skin consultation in the past and the therapist told them. With all of the high tech treatments we offer in-clinic these days, rarely are they skin type dependant. But knowing your client’s skin type is really important when prescribing home care products and ensure they know how to best support their intrinsic skin type. We all know what happens when a client uses the wrong formula for their skin type, it’s often what brought them into our clinics in the first place. Using products for an oily skin type on a lipid dry skin type is actually going to exacerbate a dry skin condition. Each skin type has its own specific protocols of daily care and once we understand the client in front of us we can help guide them in how to care for their specific skincare needs. (Coming up with “combination” as a skin type? If you’ve read my book Skinside Out, you’ll know where I sit with the ‘combination cop-out’.)
2 - CURRENT CONDITION
(Pssst, Condition is different to skin type!!) It’s important to find out why your client is here and what is their skin presenting with? Do they have acne? If so, what grade? Are they dealing with a skin barrier issue? If so,
