Inspiration
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Bringing Out the Best in Your Staff: Key Tips to Overcome Any Barrier
It was such a treat to be back presenting at ISPA. Thank you to all the amazing attendees who gave the gift of their time and attention, and came with open hearts and minds to my session. If you were not able to make it, here are five top takeaways:
1 The question is not how to bring about the best in our staff, but rather, How can we create an environment where our team can bring all of themselves to work? We must focus on what we can do to create a workspace where our team can do their best work, and flourish and thrive.
2 What makes a “best job ever” comes down to one word—and it isn’t money. When people feel what they do has significance and the work they do matters, their sense of job satisfaction increases dramatically.
3 When we can align the tasks needed to run our business with the strengths of our staff—as opposed to their job description—both engagement and enjoyment will flourish. If you are not sure where the true strengths of your team reside, listen with your eyes. When people work inside their strengths:
- Inflection will rise
- Speech will become more rapid
- Posture will improve
- Eyes will be wide, and eyebrows raised
- Smiling and laughing will occur naturally
- Hand gestures will increase
- Speech will become more fluent
Building Lasting Connections: How to Stay Engaged with ISPA Conference Attendees Beyond the Event
With the curtain closed on another dynamic ISPA Conference, spa industry leaders find themselves brimming with inspiration, insights and newfound connections. Yet, in the fast-paced spa industry, maintaining these valuable connections requires strategic follow-up and engagement. Here are some indispensable tips for staying connected with ISPA Conference attendees long after the event:
Carefully Curated Haven: Riverstone Resort & Spa
Set against the enchanting backdrop of the Smokey Mountains, RiverStone Resort & Spa is a carefully curated haven spanning 3,100 square feet and counting. The spa has continuously evolved since its establishment in 2007, with significant renovations enhancing both the treatment and retail spaces. This summer is a particularly exciting time for RiverStone Spa, as numerous new treatment areas and features are being added to the space.
Carrie Ummel: Personalizing Your Retail Space to Captivate Consumers
Learn how to identify your spa’s personality, curate brands to support your spa’s unique experience and tell a story with your merchandising to keep guests coming back for more. These tools will help create a winning strategy for an enjoyable shopping experience, while turning merchandise and increasing sales.
Pulse: Is there an accepted rule for how many product suppliers should be represented in a spa? Is it based on unit sales, physical space, or other considerations?
Carrie Ummel: There are so many factors to include in this decision. For me, the physical space, the spa treatments and resort experiences are the three factors I start with when determining how many vendors and products to offer in the retail experience. When considering the physical space, it is just as important to “protect” the arrival experience and boutique space with a calm and inviting atmosphere as it is to fill it with the right product.
The menu of experiences our guests choose from help to form the categories of vendors to include. For example, if fitness machines and classes are not a part of the spa experience offered to guests, then I consider cozy lounge wear versus activewear. Or, if the spa and resort rooms do not have bathtubs, I skip the bath bombs. Stay true to the moments your guest can and will have while on property.
Charming Seaside: The Avenue Apothecary & Spa
The Avenue Apothecary & Spa, located just a block from the Atlantic Ocean in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, stands out in this charming seaside town.
Constructed in 1999 and opened in 2000, the spa has undergone multiple renovations to maintain its modern, inviting atmosphere. “We prioritize keeping the appearance of the spa up to date and beautiful,” says co-owner Victoria DeSilver. Major renovations in 2010 expanded the space, and in 2019, the retail store received a complete makeover. Over the past two years, all treatment areas have been updated, ensuring both function and aesthetics meet the highest standards.
Conversations with Seth Mattison
Mattison is a world-renowned expert on workforce trends and the generational change we’re currently experiencing in the workforce; his work tracks how shifting demographics will necessitate a new style of leadership. In his book, The War at Work, Mattison details how reimagining leadership and talent management for the 2020s is the key to building stronger, more effective teams.
Cooking up a Customer Service Culture: 4 Ingredients to a Well-Balanced Guest Experience
“It’s not just about the pancake,” says Mindi Morin. “I had a long-time guest who was complaining about her stay, and particularly that we no longer served ‘her’ pancake. As I began to dig deeper, her disappointment was more about what the pancake represented to her in relation to her first life-changing visit to the Ranch and the reality of change/loss in her life. I use this story as an example to our new front-line employees. To turn around an unhappy guest, you need to understand the core of the problem. We can mix her up the pancake, and we need to help her feel she’s still at home here as our property continues to evolve.”
Creating a Joy-filled Team through Positivity
Have you ever been part of a highly motivated, joy-filled team?
If you have, chances are that most days you were excited to come to work because you had fun collaborating and you felt like you mattered. Your focus and enthusiasm then helped you do some of your best work with your colleagues.
Cultivating Ownership in Your Spa Team: 10 Proven Ways to Boost Engagement
One of the most consistent concerns in spa and resort organizations is the lack of ownership among new staff. Ownership means more than just fulfilling job duties: Leaders often talk about needing team members who have a sense of personal investment in the organization’s success, take pride their own performance and contribute to the overall success of their team. Ownership is about being proactive, paying attention to detail, committing to look for solutions and exhibiting a pervasive sense of responsibility for quality and outcome.
Dan Gingiss: Why a Remarkable Customer Experience is Your Best Sales and Marketing Strategy
LET’S FACE IT: Competition is tougher than ever these days. How can we stand out in a crowded marketplace that is constantly evolving? In this fun and engaging keynote, customer experience speaker and former Fortune 500 executive Dan Gingiss will teach the audience how customer experience can be your company’s ultimate differentiator, creating a competitive advantage that cannot be copied.
Pulse: How can spa companies help customers understand the difference between price and value?
Dan Gingiss: Competing on price is a loser’s game because it’s a race to the bottom. Even if you can acquire a customer with a promotion, chances are they’ll be looking for a promotion somewhere else if price is what drives them. Instead, focus on how customers will feel after visiting the spa. There are dozens of places a customer can go for a Swedish massage or a yoga class; the reason they will choose to return to your spa will be because of how you made them feel. Consider ways to help customers feel welcomed, understood, appreciated and connected.