A well designed menu will keep you coming back to the same restaurant over and over to try different meals. The same goes for treatments on a menu at a spa or salon, but only if it is done right. The most important factor when deciding to make a treatment menu is to pay attention to what your customers want. You need to know if your customers are looking more for beauty, or for relaxation. This can be accomplished by visiting local social groups, and talking to people who visit your spa. Setting up a less than formal focus group at a local health club can also be quite helpful.
Figuring out the age range of the people who frequent your spa is an important factor. Older customers are more likely to want a results oriented, age defying treatment plan, while younger customers may be more concerned with receiving a relaxing, holistic experience that may be less long-term. Speaking with your customers directly and actually asking them what they want is also an invaluable resource. Selling them what they want to buy rather than what you want to sell is a great way to create repeating customers. Understanding your demographic as well as the niches that your competitors have filled is an important part of the business. Knowing whether or not your customer base is looking for something cost effective or decadent is also key.
It is important not to try to be everything to everybody. A treatment menu should focus on providing for existing customers who are respected as well as for targeting a specific type of customer. It shouldn’t be about attracting everybody. Offering too many options will just scare off potential customers by confusing them. The focus should be on attracting core customers. Experimenting a little to see what works is important, but this process should be careful and deliberate, so that you get an idea of what works and what does not.
Once you understand your customer base, you will know whether to focus on a more results driven or a more relaxing, holistic environment. Don’t let your concern about your customer base spiral out of control, however. You need to actually believe in the product you are selling, and customers will be able to sense if you are just telling them everything that they want to hear.
Once you know what your customer base wants and what you are comfortable with trying to sell, you can focus on building a brand identity, so that customers will know what to expect from your spa or salon.
