So I don't know about you guys, but it has been a crazy summer and today was a big day… the kids finally went back to school! I won't lie… I was excited. I love my children. But it's been a long stretch and balancing the kids with work has been frankly exhausting some days! I had this Pinterest vision of what the day is going to look like this morning. I always have my kids pose on the front step on the first day of school--I think it’s an important memory to capture (I’m sentimental… what can I say)--but this day, my son was just not having it. It might be high on my priority list, but it wasn’t on his. So we had a difficult start. He was mad. I was mad. For the entire drive to school. And then just before I dropped them off, I saw that subtle moment of panic in his eyes.

I realized, while I know I've been feeling a little bit panicky with all the changes in the world this year… our kids are feeling like that as well. And our clients are feeling like that too! It’s great that the kids are going back and we’re all heading into a fresh new season with new possibilities… but it’s important to recognize that we’re not all feeling our best. Don't worry, you're not alone. I literally have cried twice today already. 

So why are we talking about “back to school”? Well, because this time of year brings back routines! Maybe new routines, or routines that may not have been part of our summers (or extended Spring Breaks…). And the routine we’re going to talk about today is your skincare routine.  

Let's be real, I am very good at my skincare routine. But in summer when I'm busy with the children and we want to do beach days and have our family visiting--even for me, my skincare routine can fall by the wayside a little. The day to day things are more like weekly things (like exfoliating), the weekly mask has happened maybe twice in two months. When we are out of the general routine of daily life, like it's been for us for such a long period of time for us all this year, that happens. 

So I love to take this opportunity, when the kids go back to school, to reset. It's like a new beginning, and that really resonates quite strongly this year in particular. It’s a great time to also consider how you’re supporting your clients in resetting their routines as well.  

One tool I highly recommend clinics use for their clients is what we call “a prescription pad”. It actually comes in a big book that has a carbon copy and estheticians can check off what it is that you're recommending for your clients. But one of my favorite features in this book, that we created for our clients, is the Daily Regimine page. It’s a very simple summary of what to use in what order and when and clients can keep it handy--they can even stick it against their mirror in the bathroom to make it super easy for them to find their rhythm again. 

I break it up into a weekly routine and a daily routine. I write the daily routine at the top because it typically has more products and then the weekly routine on the bottom of it. The daily routine might be a particular cleanser,  toner, and eye cream. Followed by a moisturizer that is compatible with their skin, the recommended sunscreen, and serum. You’d write it in the order in which the client would be using it, then you select whether they're using it morning or night. For their weekly regime, I like to actually pick a day each week, like a Friday (yay, it's Friday!). Weekly, they might be using an exfoliant and a mask (whether it's a sheet mask, a clay mask, a leave-on cream base mask, etc.).

I also like to put a little arrow from the weekly regime up to the daily regime to point where they're going to insert that step within the daily regime. Then they can understand for example that they're going to cleanse and tone first, then exfoliate and do their mask, and then jump back into the daily routine to finish off with their eye cream, serum,  moisturizer, sunscreen.

My clients love this! It just takes the thinking out of it for the clients. Our clients--especially when they are new to a skincare regime--don’t always know the order in which to use our products or how much to use. Make it easier for them! The easier and more systemized you make that within your clinic, the easier it’s going to be to communicate with your clients, and, at the end of the day, that really does translate directly to sales. 

The other thing that tends to happen this time of year, is that our appointment books get a little sparse. It happens. The first week back to school is crazy for many people. Don’t panic! But do not use that extra free time to just take a break. 

Utilize it! 

Get on the phone, touch base with your clients, and get them into the clinic. The more activity you're putting into those gaps, the fewer gaps you're going to have in the future. Maximize your time, reach out to clients, maybe even serve them up an unexpected surprise! But honestly, it can be as simple as an email like this:

Hey Mrs. Smith, 

I just wanted to confirm that these are the products that we have you on, according to my records. If so, I wanted to send you this breakdown of how and when to use them (we recognize times are crazy right now and you have a lot on your plate, so thought we’d check this one off for you!). 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us so that we can help! Otherwise, we look forward to seeing you for your next facial soon. When can we book that for you?

This stuff sparks the conversation and generates business. And when things slow down, the best advice that I have is to always serve your existing clients first. 

Hopefully, these tips were helpful for you all! If you have any questions or want to connect you can always reach me on Facebook and Instagram. 

And be sure to follow Dermaviduals Canada on Facebook and Instagram too! You never know… there might just be a giveaway coming soon… (teaser!). 

Transcript: 

Okay, I think I'm live. I hope my sound is working. Wow. And welcome to this live session here on my Facebook page Rene Serbon skin expert. I am Renee, and you know skin is my thing. One of the things I'm most passionate about is helping my clients grow their businesses by 30% or more by demystifying the beauty world, to the my peers in the industry, wrapped in some business savvy so that we can think about things outside the box that can help us elevate our businesses because one of the things that is super important to me is to spread the truth that we don't have to make a choice between beauty and science. They truly do coexist, but also that we can live the life we want. We can earn really well and that is super important. So I don't know about you guys, but it has been a crazy summer and Today marks at least in British Columbia, the last half the kids going back to school so my last name sort of an ace, which means my child, my oldest wandering back to school today, so I won't lie and I was excited. I love my children. And but it's been a long stretch and balancing the kids worth work and everything has been frankly exhausting some days. So I was really excited about the kids going back to school, I had this Pinterest vision of what the day is going to look like this morning. We do this chalkboard and when the kids go back to school, and to write the grade, you know the height of the child to see how the growing and also kind of write what They want to be when they grow up at that point in time. So I have this perfect vision of what this morning is going to look like I will have the border all filled in. And at the end of yesterday seriously between us and the four walls. That stuff turned to custard and this mommy has had some crocodile tears about this because I'm quite seemed to mean told most people don't know that about me. But I'm quite sentimental and building these memories and capturing it and photos is actually something high on my priority list. Except it's not on my son's bar. He lives so we had a difficult start to do school. And I'm just wondering, please tell me I'm not the only one that is having this go on. So I'll share my amazing back to school photo of my firstborn. He's going into grade three and here it is. He Yep, nada, he would not pose for the life of me for his photo, and essentially broke his mother's heart. Oh, yes, I was so upset. And then I sent him to school. And he's been quite sassy about this and then at the end, like just as I dropped them off, you could see that looking at either go or white, new school new class, well, not a new school, but back to school new teacher who's gonna be in my class and I could just see that subtle moment of panic in his eyes.

Rene Serbon

3:35

And I kind of felt that this is what I've been stirring because I've been feeling a little bit panicky and this is the thing like if we're feeling like that the kids are feeling like that. Our clients are feeling like that too. So I have been quite cautious today of messaging a few of mine. Just checking how the day is going, what they need, do they need some you know, special attention and you Just sitting in that for a little moment because this time of the year as insane with people going back to school I hope that you got a really beautiful and back to school photo and if you did I would love to know about it put it in the comments like me now Yes, it was a great day or if it's been a challenging day for you to that going back to school the first week even some of you guys started went back to school last week. It's all good and but do share if you had a tough one. Don't worry, you're not alone. I literally have cried twice today already. So here's the thing that I wanted to share about going back to school and then getting our clients back into routines because let's be real, I am very good at my skincare routine but this time of the year, like in summer when I'm busy with the children and we want to do beach days and all these things in our family coming to visit had has been a lot less we've really stayed in our small bubble. I had my parents Come and visit and not so long ago. And you know, but you know you're busy with just stuff really I call it you're busy with nothing, which is super cool. It's my favorite kind of busy. And but you know, the the day to day things are actually more the weekly things of that weekly exfoliant, the weekly mask definitely falls by the wayside and becomes less party of, you know, really easy to dismiss that. But when we are out of the general routine of daily life, like it's been for us for such a long period of time, and over the last few months. So I really love to take this opportunity. Like when the kids go back to school, it's like a new beginning almost, it's like the second opportunity of the year starting again, and it really resonates quite strongly this year in particular. So I've really been looking forward to although I have enjoyed spending time with my children, and we've definitely done more this summer than we typically do. Do over summer months and just by the nature of things, but you know you you really looking forward to some level of normalcy if you will. So and I definitely want to create that and support my clients and to capping them get back into a routine if you all for those of you who are open again, you know when you open your doors again and you're kind of getting back to work, it's the same as when you come back from a vacation if you have to have a different frame of reference is that when you coming back a text few weeks to kind of get your dive back to get your rhythm and your groove back. And I find the same is true for clients. So this time of the year I really find it super productive especially this first few weeks of kids going back to school to do and prompt you chickens of my clients and for my Dermaviduals clients and this is not product line. literally anything we kind of have a think of that we call like a prescription pad. It actually comes in a big book like this Write that is a

Rene Serbon

7:03

carbon copy and people can check off what it is that you're recommending for your clients but one of my favorite features in this book that I highly recommend you guys and swipe and duplicate for your own purposes is this page here. I don't know if you can see it anyway. So very simple summary of what to use Wayne just on a one she heard that clients can literally like plug and like stick against their you know their mirror in the bathroom to make it super easy for them to kind of find the rhythm again. So honored I write I break it up into a weekly routine and daily routine sorry daily routines at the top because it typically has more products and then the weekly routine on the bottom of it. So the daily routine might be this cleanser, this toner this eye cream, this moisturizer, the sunscreen this serum, you write it and the order in which the client would be using it, then you select whether they're using it Morning or night, and then the weekly regime, and you know, to remind them of picking a day a week, like a Friday, yay, it's Friday. So I usually do a Friday, and that they might be using an exfoliant and a mask, whether it's a sheet mask, a clay mask, a leave on cream, bass mask, whatever that is, to help them get that planted with an and they read regime. I also like to pull a little arrow from the weekly to kind of point where they're going to insert that point within the daily regime. And so that they can understand Typically they're going to cleanse tone, and then they might do the exfoliation, and then everything else right so to help them understand where that's going to fit into the rhythm so to say. So my clients love this. I kind of come back to this all the time. And while I really love using the opportunity to re align them and get them in for, for a follow up analysis, a follow up assessment of their skin to make sure that everything we have them on still works or making the adjustments that we need to make. And then of course, I update this so one cheater that you don't have an attached to, like a whole prescription is also really good to have on hand. And but it just go takes the thinking out of it for the clients, right? Like we're all just tired of thinking of all the things we need to get together, what are we going to pack for lunch? And, you know, so just tell them what the order is. Because one of the big things that I notice, especially for me, it's like we know we live and breathe and eat these things, right? It doesn't mean that our clients especially when they new to looking after their skin to new to a skincare regime that they know the order in which to use things or how much to use of it. So try and make it easy, the easier and more systemized you make that within your clinic, the easier is going to be to communicate your clients and that really does translate directly to the sales that you're going to make at the end of the day. So two fold go back and help your clients get back into their rhythm and their routine they daily regime they weekly regime. spoon feed it really to them. And then it's a brilliant opportunity because guess what? I feel like I can breathe today even though my morning did not go stellar early according to plan but that's okay. But now I'm thinking okay, I may have time now because the kids are back at school that I can actually make an appointment for myself that I can take time a bit more time to do something for me. So if your appointment book and often from clients, I do hear that that first few weeks back to school is a little bit hidden. Most people don't show up because it's craziness right. So if that is happening for you, that you appointment book is a bit patchy, don't just, you know, take a break. And during those no shows or appointment gaps, utilize it, get on the phone, touch base of your clients and get them into the clinic. Because the more activity you're putting into the gaps that you have, the less gaps you're going to have in the time. If you do nothing with the gap that you have in your appointment today, you're going to see that replicated in six months, sorry, six weeks in exactly the same day, same time, you're still going to have that gap. So maximize your time, get in touch with your clients, serve them unexpectedly surprise them by bringing extra service to them. But even if it's just as simple as typing this out in an email, hey, Mrs. Smith, I do realize I just wanted to touch base that these are the products that we have you on according to my records. And I just wanted to give you a gentle reminder in the craziness of today that this is the order to use the man. Here's a cookie tip on how to use your mask. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us so that we can help otherwise we look forward to see you for your next facial soon. Can we book that and for you, we look forward to hear from you. Okay? that type of stuff sparked the conversation, especially if you have gaps in your appointment book, generate the business. And when things slow down. The best advice that I have is to always serve your existing clients first. All right, I hope that's helpful for you guys. Please come and put in the comments if you happen to be watching this replay. I would love to hear that you are watching the replay. And also, who has the kids back at school? Let me know minds back at school minds not oh my gosh, I am so looking forward to next week because guess what, next week I can actually schedule things because I know for sure the timeframes in which I can actually schedule stuff so I'm super excited about what the season bring. Yes, there's some unknowns but that's That's okay. We're looking on the bright side and maximizing the things that are positive about the situation. So I hope all your kiddos are back at school safe and sound that they're excited about it and you know that they're kind of getting this activity this hive of activity. I just love this time of the year I happen to love the full season of autumn as well. So I'm very excited about the next few months. Alright guys, if you have any questions about anything I discussed on here, please put them in the comments or feel free to send me a private message if you prefer. Look forward to seeing you back on here next week and have a wonderful, wonderful weekend. Bye