How the Spa Industry Can Show more Love to Our Introverts
Despite the proliferation of introverts in the industry, old school methods of training are still being used in spas around the globe! This may be due in part because hospitality companies don’t often conduct personality assessments for their employees.
However, those of us who work in spas know that the serene atmosphere and mellow vibe tends to attract a more laid back soft spoken kind of person.
In the case of sales training, 99% of programs are designed for extroverts. Conventional wisdom has never thought of introverts as great salespeople. Therefore, the effort hasn’t been made to modify the training into something more effective. For spas this continues to mean low retail sales resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in both revenue and employee income.
But there are worthwhile options. The correct training class can pay for itself by the second week in increased retail sales. Can decision makers who truly care about improving the skills of their employees continue to use an excuse of “We’ve always done it that way” as justification for not selecting a program tailored to their learning needs?
Why Doesn’t Traditional Training Work?
Introverts learn differently. With traditional sales training there are simply too many external distractions. Imagine being placed in a classroom with a crazy bumblebee. You wouldn’t be able to focus on what you were being taught because of the buzzing sound and the fear of being stung.
For introverts, sales training designed for extroverts is like that. But their fears center around thoughts of forced spontaneity, not having the right answer quickly enough and looking foolish in public. These easily override any message that the trainer is trying to convey.
A huge amount of energy is expended but not in a positive way because they’re too distracted to learn and retain.
So How is Introvert Sales Training Different?
Here are some of the differences:
- In real life, therapists choose to work in small intimate settings. The best training environment replicates that intimacy by re-configuring classes into small groups of three to five students.
- Standard ice breakers with group introductions are avoided like the plague. Instead, therapists may be asked to share their favorite person place or thing. They’re given five to ten minutes of think time and then talk within their groups rather than addressing the entire class.
- Introverts tend to listen extremely well and respond a lot. But the dialogue takes place in their own head. Customized exercises use repetition to build confidence levels. Therapists learn to engage more in the moment and not second guess themselves.
- Examples of how introvert traits contribute to an elevated customer experience is reinforced throughout training.
Most managers don’t have time to train. Specific to retail selling many don’t have the know-how. A training process that not only solves this problem but allows for regular refreshers is the best thing since dark chocolate. And we know how good that is for your well-being!
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Linda Harding-Bond
