Author Linda Harding-Bond

Author Linda Harding-Bond

Linda Harding-Bond
July 22, 2015

Do Your Spa Employees Need Refreshing?

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By 2018 the spa industry is projected to grow by 40%. A new regime of employees with fresh skills and talents, but not necessarily experience will enter the workforce. Meanwhile many existing employees struggle with the initial skills they learned from school or knowledge gleaned from product training.

Is refresher training for employees overrated? Hakeem Adebiyi of V-Creative says there is a school of thought out there that doesn’t see the value of teaching employees concepts they have already been introduced to. There is a lot of value in the refresher course though. For starters, here are two benefits of the refresher course. Read More

Linda Harding-Bond
July 17, 2015

Grandmom Knows Best: Five Tips for Delivering a Perfect Spa Experience

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People are hungry for love, affection and attention. Any good spa manager and therapist knows this. As a therapist, I would measure my effectiveness, not by tips but by the amount of daily hugs I received from my clients. If none were forthcoming it worried me; what could I have done better?

I think that going to a spa should be like a visit to your grandparent’s home. Here are five things that my Grandmom did which made me feel special. Apply them with your own clients and watch your wait list grow. Read More

Linda Harding-Bond
July 14, 2015

You Can’t Put Lipstick On Declining Spa Sales

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Almost half of spa owners see no increase in their sales in the foreseeable future. Yes, according to the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) “60 percent of spa and salon owners are positive on growth, expecting to have higher retail sales in the next six months.” As for the other 40 percent — flat to declining.

What’s shocking to me is that 0.5% growth is now being called success. “Overall indicators and feedback from beauty professionals across the country continue to be positive and we remain optimistic that the beauty industry will continue this growth into 2015” says Steve Sleeper, Executive Director of the PBA.

Is retail sales a force of nature that can’t be controlled by man (or woman)?
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Linda Harding-Bond
July 5, 2015

The Zen of Spa Retail Training

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The first time that I had to give a public speech  I began to cry hysterically. I also wet my pants.

I was four years old and in kindergarten.

Since that time I’ve had many jobs where public speaking came with the territory. It’s never been fun but I’ve gotten considerably better at it. When I worked for Verizon as a training manager, I attended a two day workshop on public speaking. I had an instructor who was able to create a safe emotional space for the attendees. He built such an atmosphere of support that it was almost painless to stand in front of the other 11 trainees and give a five minute presentation. People performed brilliantly during those two days. I wish I could remember his name, he was wonderful. Read More

Linda Harding-Bond
July 3, 2015

How the Consumer-Led Economy is Disrupting the Hotel Industry

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The hotel and spa industries are being challenged by social media and their newest largest consumer group, Millennials. Here, marketing expert and social media influencer Norm Bond gives us his views on the current state of affairs; 
The hotel industry is being disrupted. Of course we know about Airbnb but they may actually be the least of the industry’s problems. The real challenge is changing the culture of a business sector that has experienced tremendous success. History shows it’s difficult and the result is that former household names may go the way of Borders Books. In today’s digital age we’ve seen this dynamic play out in publishing, music, and even the electronics retail industry as with the 94-year-old brand Radio Shack.
millennials w iphonesThe consumer is in the business driver’s seat like never before. Social media, mobile and digital devices have changed the rules of marketing and customer service. Many of the traditional practices of the hotel industry are liabilities when targeting the most rapidly growing consumer segment, read that as millennials.
Want to read more? Click here>>>http://bit.ly/1KzE1rp
Linda Harding-Bond
June 30, 2015

The Social Solution for Shabby Service

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I’d never heard of GripeO. Then last week I received a direct message from @GripeO_Outreach on Twitter. They were following up on an article published on Huffington Post about my lousy spa experience. They wanted to know if I was interested in escalating my complaint to senior management. Because I constantly write about the impact of social media on the spa industry I wasn’t surprised. The fact that I had been tracked on Twitter by a consumer service company was prophetic and intriguing. I wanted to learn more about GripeO_Outreach so I spoke with the CEO, Mike Klanac.

Want to read more? Click Here>>>>http://linkd.in/1Nsss50

 

 

 

 

 

Linda Harding-Bond
June 30, 2015

5 Tips for Painfully Shy Spa Therapists

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Most therapists who work in the spa industry are introverts. It doesn’t matter if they are in Bangkok, Thailand or the United States, they tend to be shy. It makes sense; what other personality type would elect to work in a darkened room, one on one with a minimal need for conversation. But even introverts want to be part of the group. Here, Jeff Hayden gives 5 tips on how to fit in. Read More

Linda Harding-Bond
June 25, 2015

3 Social Media Facts Spa Managers Need To Know with Norm Bond

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Moontide Consulting (MC) caught up with Norm Bond (NB) in Bangkok, Thailand and asked for his insights on the global spa industry and social media. We wanted to see if he could give us three social media facts that managers in the global spa industry need to know. Bond is widely recognized as an international authority on marketing. He’s also the author of “Web Traffic Decoded” and a frequent media guest having appeared on CNN, Reuters, FOX News, National Public Radio (NPR), Business Week, and Black Enterprise Magazine.

So give a read and enjoy our exchange below.

MC: Social media (SM) is all I read about now. It’s everywhere. But if I’m a spa manager do I need to be concerned? Isn’t this a senior management area?

NB:  Social media is an integral part of an entire organization. From the senior manager to the entry level employee to the front desk person. Because the nature of social media today is that everybody can be touched by it. 
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Linda Harding-Bond
June 24, 2015

Customer Service Just Died; and Your Training Budget Killed It!

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Once a month the CEO of a certain Five-Star resort company would return to the home office. A status meeting was always held. All vice presidents and middle management would attend either in person or via Skype.

On this particular day as we were waiting for the meeting to begin, he regaled us with a story of his visit to one of the company’s more remote locations. He said 18 hours on a plane had earned him an extremely stiff neck. Immediately upon arrival he’d booked a massage. In a luxurious hut with the ocean as a backdrop, he’d explained his problem to a therapist in detail. He opted for an add-on treatment of Thai herbal balls; heated poultices which are rhythmically applied to sore or stiff body points to promote blood flow. He’d also requested that a heated towel be placed around his neck for the first 10 minutes prior to treatment. >>>To read more click here>>huff.to/1GEycWV