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90 DAYSPA | JUNE 2014 MEANS OF SUPPORT DO YOUR HOMEWORK One key form of vendor support that's crucial to your spa's retail success is product training and education. Annie McCullough, vice president of sales at SpaRitual, adds that "to be effective, a spa support program has to be fully understood, and the entire team has to buy into it." That's critical, even if it means taking estheticians off the schedule to attend training, notes Carole S. Trow, president of DermaConcepts, the U.S. distributor of Environ. "One thing spa owners can do to strengthen vendor support programs is actively encourage and foster the education of their profes- sional skin and spa therapists," says Heather Hickman, senior director of U.S. education at Dermalogica. "Education drives success, and the more the therapist knows about the product, the more frequently the cli- ent will come back—and also refer the spa and its services to others." Dermalogica boasts a menu of more than 30 classes, including free, two-hour Bite Size Business Solutions classes for owners, as well as classes for spa employees on product tech- niques and services, plus interactive retailing workshops "that take the fear factor out of prescriptive retail- ing and drive revenue through the spa," Hickman says. The company also runs the Dermalog- ica Expert Program, a tiered education pathway that "en- ables therapists to receive recognition for education ac- colades achieved, while rewarding the spa with press re- leases and icons on the Dermalogica .com store locator." CA BOTANA International main- tains its Academy of Aesthetics in San Diego, which hosts 20 free educational seminars per year for licensed estheticians and students in the beauty industry. Each seminar in- cludes an educational presentation on product ingredients and technology, tips for merchandising and retailing, and a treatment demonstration. SpaRitual likewise offers training at its headquarters in Van Nuys, Cali- fornia; Repêchage conducts classes at its Lydia Sarfati Post Graduate Skincare Academy in Secaucus, New Jersey; Pevonia provides advanced classes and a certifi cation program through its Sylvie Hennessy Academy of Esthetics & Spa Therapies, with locations in Chicago; Daytona Beach; Florida, and Tustin, California; and Malibu C boasts a full educational facility at its manufacturing and dis- tribution center in Indianapolis. Does training location matter? Somme Institut favors onsite edu- cation. "We fi nd it more conducive to learning," says Anna Sforza, the company's director of education. "A fi eld representative is placed on site to enable the session to be more interac- tive and answer questions by the spa owners, managers, estheticians and retail staff in person," she adds. In the absence of a dedicated training venue, vendor educators may travel to partner spas to demon- strate treatment protocols and share tips on selling retail products. "Regardless of the location, every spa is given the opportunity to par- ticipate in onsite training visits based on what they want to learn to best serve their clients," notes Natalie Training and education are essential components of vendor support systems. (From left, clockwise: Éminence, Repêchage and Environ.) M e a n s o f S u p p o r t . i n d d 9 0 Means of Support.indd 90 5 / 1 / 1 4 3 : 4 1 P M 5/1/14 3:41 PM