Ep 07 - How Your Product Vendor Can Help YOU - Interview with Annette Rubin

00:00 Tracey Donnelly: You are listening to ASCP Etsy Talk where we share insider tips, industry resources and education for aestheticians at every stage of the journey. Let's talk 'cause ASCP knows it's all about you.

00:16 TD: Hey guys, welcome to ASCP Etsy Talk back to business. Let your set back be your come back. And I am your host today, Tracey Donnelly, Executive Director of ASCP and I'm so excited because we are joined today by Annette Rubin who is with HydroPeptide. So let me introduce her to you. Annette brings 30 years of beauty experience and connections to her role as CEO of HydroPeptide. She has driven aggressive results for both established multi-billion dollar organizations and small startups. Her broad background gives her a unique perspective on diverse business models, operational and market challenges and emerging consumer trends.

00:57 TD: She is passionate about the intersection of beauty and health and is deeply committed to advancing the success of women-owned businesses. Annette has a proven track record of identifying winning ideas and sourcing the talent needed to build them into valuable enterprises.

01:16 TD: Before joining HydroPeptide in 2012, Annette held the positions of President, CEO, and Co-founder of Belli Skincare, Vice President of Advanced Bio-Technologies, Account Executive at Estee Lauder companies. Annette is a co-author of the book Belli Beautiful: The Essential Guide to the Safest Health and Beauty Products for Pregnancy, Mom and Baby. Annette lives near Seattle, Washington with her husband, Jason Rubin MD, an emergency room physician and her children, Jackson and Cody. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors.

01:55 TD: You guys, welcome to our show. We've got Annette. Hi Annette. How is it going?

02:00 Annette Rubin: I'm good, Tracey, thank you so much for having me today.

02:04 TD: We are so excited to have you and thank goodness I know that you have been busy, busy, busy with all of the things going on. So we're thrilled just to jump in and pick your brain and get all your good wisdom today. Great well...

02:17 AR: Sounds good.

02:18 TD: Let's just start with some questions right off the bat. So what do you think that aestheticians could do right now to help prepare their business for rapid recovery when they do reopen?

02:32 AR: Sure. I think that right now is a really important time to find creative ways to still stay deeply connected to your clients. We're seeing an effort in the industry to embrace technology in a manner that we haven't ever seen before and I'm so proud of all of those who have tackled social media and those efforts will pay off. I'm hearing that not only are they bearing the fruits of deepening those relationships with their clients, but they're also gaining new potential clients and new followers. So that's critically important. Find ways to stay connected with your clients. That way, as your business re-emerges, you've got a pathway of communication already established to inform them of when you're opening and the new norm in our industry of what that's gonna look like.

03:31 TD: Very good. Now, are you guys... Have you, up until now, been creating any special programs for some of your aestheticians that recommend your brand?

03:42 AR: Absolutely, I think one of the things that is emerged from this in all industries is this whole mantra of, "We're in this together." I am passionate about women-owned businesses. Here in the United States, we have 40% of all businesses are owned by women. More than half of that are in the professional beauty industry. These are small businesses that play such an important role in the community and it is essential that we support those small businesses.

04:15 AR: So here at HydroPeptide, we realize when you've been out of business for potentially up to three months, that cash is king. So we're structuring programs that will actually allow for a pathway to get immediate cash relief along with increased margins right now and increased terms. We realize that there's an increased expense burden on all of these small businesses to go and source the important PPE that's necessary for team members, but also all of the new cleaning supplies and equipment to keep the physical premise clean and healthy and safe for employees and clients. That's going to take an upfront investment, and as I watch closely, the pricing on that, that's an expense.

05:04 AR: We're also looking at and I haven't found it yet. So I can't say that we're in that business yet, but we're looking at, can we also be that supplier?

05:14 TD: Oh that's great.

05:14 AR: So we're looking to forge those relationships. We're not gonna manufacture PPE. I'm not gonna manufacture all of those sanitizer. There are experts out there that specialize in that, but if we can buy that in bulk and pass those savings on and HydroPeptide be a one stop shop, that's what we're looking to also do. Plus, then again we can give terms on those items to get those businesses up and running and then as they get the clients in, they can start generating that revenue. And then...

05:49 TD: And you guys have international connections, right? All over... So you have connections all over the world. So you have maybe a deeper reach than other people might have?

05:58 AR: Absolutely, we're in over 36 countries worldwide. Those relationships are precious to us. We're able to see how this pandemic has affected the industry on a global basis. But yes, we do have relationships out there that we're looking to tap into so that everybody can benefit.

06:17 TD: I love that, that's great. So you guys are out there looking for whatever resources you can to support our aestheticians. When in your opinion, and this is a really hard one, I know this is like the most loaded question of it all, but when in your opinion do you feel that spas and salon should open up? What does that look like to you? What needs to be imposed?

06:39 AR: Sure. I think that that's an individual business owner's decision to make. My recommendation is that what's most important to me is my team and I have to do everything in my power to keep my team safe and healthy. And I think if spa owners say, "How can I do that and when is the right time to mitigate that risk?" They're going to make the long-term best decision for their business. I get, trust me everyone, I get how unbelievably painful this is economically.

07:20 TD: Right.

07:21 AR: So I am not going to put myself in the shoes of a parent who is trying to figure out, how do I feed my kids? Those decisions are weighing heavily on the minds of all business owners. So safety first, and then if you feel confident that you can emerge in your business with a very robust and rigorous plan to ensure safety of your team and your clients, then you can open up your doors. But, you know that definitely depends community by community. Take a look at the resources that are available to see, am I in a community hotspot? You mentioned in my bio that my husband's an emergency room physician.

08:09 TD: Yes. You must be seeing it all right now.

08:12 AR: Yeah, he is, and he also is accessing all of this data that's out there that says even by a zip code, where are the COVID hotspots? That information is out there. And so you can take a look. Am I in a community that's a hotspot right now? If you are, I personally wouldn't recommend opening up because I think that breaks the first code. I don't know how you can do it responsibly if you're in a hotspot. And actually, these platforms are set up where it's color coded, you'll know clearly, am I in a hotspot, down, not only by your county you live in your state, but by zip code. So find those resources online and use those.

08:55 TD: That's great advice and I think finishing one of your other sentences too, it's like we are out there to do no harm, so it is our responsibility to be checking out what those hotspots. I think that's great, I love that. Even if your city is saying, or your state is saying, "Yep, you're okay to open up," look at those zip codes. That's so smart, I love that.

09:15 AR: Absolutely.

09:16 TD: Very good. Okay, so what does the client interaction look like once an institution does feel confident that she can or he can open their doors?

09:27 AR: I think that we have to have a tone and a response as we emerge from this where we're communicating and demonstrating security. Creating safe places. I went and safely distanced myself last night from my sweet niece who had her eighth birthday yesterday, I put the gifts on the front porch and then stood eight feet away. And when they opened the door, it was so sweet because my niece did air hugs, those types of things. Tell your clients like how can you still have the feeling and sense of caring while respecting those social distance? So, of course, I thought that was adorable. [10:09] ____.

10:09 TD: It's so hard though. Isn't it right? Right now, it's like we're getting so creative right now to just still have some kind of intimacy or connection, to our friends, families and clients.

10:21 AR: Words are incredibly important right now because...

10:24 TD: Oh, that's a good point.

10:26 AR: We don't want to misuse physical touch, and I get in the spa environment that we are in the business of touch, and it's incredibly healing. But even with that, we don't need to do the big hugs and the kissing on each side of the cheek right now. That would not be prudent. So I do think that words are important and you wanna choose your words and the way you're communicating those, whether it's social media, the way you're signing your space even on the front door, communicate the safety standards that you're embracing and again think of all the creative ways you can communicate what you expect from your clients, how...

11:07 AR: But of course, they're not gonna walk in the door if they're feeling symptomatic or if they've been exposed, and then when they're there, you've gotta have signage all around the spa. You're gonna remove testers because you don't want hands touching, so you're gonna need to sign that tester area to say, "Hey, we would love to assist you in finding the perfect products for home care. Please ask the front desk and they will get you those samples," that way they're being in a controlled environment after each touch point, those testers can be sanitized. So I think all of those are communicating to the client that you care first and foremost about her health and wellness.

11:44 TD: I love it, it's so interesting to hear you say all this. So we've been at ASCP and AHP and all of our associations, we've been going through some of the same process and it's so great to hear what you're saying because they are exactly the tips that we have put into our kind of back-to-business survival recommendations. So this is great, I love it, this is very good. How should they be preparing? We've mentioned... You've mentioned the tester space, but other ways that they can prepare their physical space? Any other ideas that you could share there.

12:16 AR: Absolutely. Absolutely. I would start by looking at your front door. What do you need to do to keep the front door clean and sanitized? And from that first point, take yourself outside of that environment, understand, is the entry point to your location, do you need to be mindful of that? If your front door is in open air space, then it starts at your front door, but your front door might be in an area where there's multiple doors. So are you... Is your physical space in one where you need to talk to the landlord and receive confidence that they are doing what they need to do to make sure that every step on that pathway to your individual business's front door is properly sanitized at a frequency, that again, keeps everybody safe. With your front door, in every room that you go in, you need to set up a customized checklist for your space. You've gotta look around creatively and think, "At what point is anybody going to touch anything, and do I have a process to clean it?" And if you can't clean it, remove it from the premise.

13:30 TD: Yeah, I think removing as many things... Like this is not the time to have a lot of knick knacks and a lot of...

13:37 AR: [13:37] ____.

13:38 TD: Like to have just the essentials.

13:39 AR: Yes. Just the essentials, and things that you can wipe down. And that might mean that you might have an IKEA plastic chair. And I get that that's not the aesthetic that you probably want, but in this case it might be worth the $20 investment to get a couple chairs like that if they're going to sit and wait. Again, thinking through any touch points, I wouldn't have magazines on tables.

14:07 TD: Definitely. No.

14:07 AR: Right. Maybe what you put is the menu in an acrylic holder. Or if you wanna talk about products and feature products, then use acrylic holders, those are easy to wipe down. You can still again, communicate. We're gonna communicate with words and graphics and so do that, but put 'em in things that can be easily wiped down. Every step of a client's or an employee's journey needs to be mapped out on, how do I keep 'em safe? What's the frequency or the responsibility of someone... If you've got a break room and there's a microwave or a refrigerator, then you need to have lots of those handy wipes, Clorox Wipes, whatever it is, whatever your cleaning mechanism, right there. And it's each individual person's responsibility, if you touch it, you're gonna wipe it back down. But I would go through a checklist and really think through, how do we do this? Keep in mind that coronavirus is made up of a lotta lipids, as well. It's unbelievably sticky.

15:11 TD: Really? I did not know that, that's so interesting.

15:13 AR: Yeah, that's part of the issue that we're having with this virus, is that it's super sticky.

15:19 TD: Wow.

15:20 AR: It's sticky and it survives against strong odds. So kind of, even if you think of that, we know lipids in the skin. You think about, this virus is sticky, you've gotta really break it down. They're also looking at that, other things of cleansing could be, when you think about a kitchen and you think about those dishwashing liquids that breakdown grease, those can also be effective cleaners on some surfaces, as well.

15:49 TD: And that, that is so interesting. I had not heard anything about it being lipid-based and so sticky. That is... You're blowing my mind right now. That's some [16:00] ____.

16:00 AR: Yeah, so you just have to be mindful that this could stick anywhere that a hand can go. You've gotta think about where this potentially could live and unfortunately, live for quite a while.

16:09 TD: Well, and that's why, when you start even thinking about how vigorously and thoughtfully you are cleaning the space or cleaning your hands. If it's sticky, this isn't just a little "poof-poof" out. It's a really, thoughtfully wiping down the surface, and maybe too, thinking about the pressure that you're using, right?

16:30 AR: Yeah, I don't think that we can be clean enough, right now.

16:33 TD: Yeah.

16:34 AR: In our businesses and homes, but we've just gotta take it to another level.

16:40 TD: Okay, so you kind of started to share with us a little bit about checklists and communicating. How should people who have employees, or even if it's just only one other employee, or they have suite renters in their space, how should they communicate with them as to how to get on board with the new protocols?

17:03 AR: I think this is so important because you have to have everybody on board and everybody committed to the process. So the first thing I believe in is really thoughtful transparency. And so, what I mean by that is, I do believe in being thoughtfully transparent as it relates to all elements of our business here at HydroPeptide. I look at every single team member as a shareholder, and so they deserve an understanding of what is going on with the business, and frankly, how I'm thinking about business in this time. And as we know, those things can change and my thoughts about the business, I'll be honest, changes depending on the day or...

17:49 TD: Oh yes, I understand that.

17:51 AR: What information. And so, I say the word, thoughtfully. And that, if I was transparent and sharing my thoughts everyday, that would be incredibly overwhelming to my team. And so, thoughtfully being transparent, is sharing the core information that's going to be important for your team members to know. You've got to make sure that you clearly communicate what you expect of them. And it's not enough to just communicate it, you have to teach them what that looks like. So you've gotta go through both processes, "I expect this of you, this is what I mean, because this is what it looks like as you manifest that expectation."

18:36 AR: Along with that I also think it's really important the teams know, "What can I expect from that business owner or from the spa director?" What can they expect, and defining those roles are more important than ever. Because it is all of us taking this on together, and as always, every single person on a team is critically important. But right now, truly, lives are on the line. If there's one person in that cog that doesn't feel like wiping down the microwave or the handle on the fridge, is their job, you've already got a fundamental breakdown. And so again, making sure that all of you agree and are committed to that process, is important.

19:24 AR: I think the other element for those business owners out there, I would say the most important thing is to listen. It's our responsibility to set the pathway forward and where those goal posts are going to be. Because, yeah, you've got to communicate to your team, here's the new updated gold standard of hygiene and sanitation. But there's also, has to be a new pathway in which you conduct business. This is economically devastating. So you've got to emerge from this business with an updated business plan. And with that, I think it is absolutely essential, we expect more of everybody during this time. You should expect more from your vendor partners. You need to expect more, frankly, of yourself as a leader and you need to expect more from your team. So clearly define what that is going to look like and what those expectations are.

20:24 Speaker 3: Hey guys, stop. Let's take a quick break.

[music]

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21:18 S3: Let's get back to the conversation.

21:20 TD: So continuing on, talking about the employees a little bit more, obviously there's going to be, just as we all are feeling stress and anxiety, your employees are gonna be feeling stress and anxiety. What are some of the things that you can do to help ease that? What are some of the ideas to help them feel more comfortable when they do return back to work?

21:46 AR: I think again, if the leadership team has that clear pathway forward, communicating that is essential, but I also think that in this all of us are experiencing this pandemic with a wave of emotions that we might not have ever experienced before.

22:00 TD: I'm screaming that from the mountain top right now.

22:04 AR: It's profound. And we're considered an essential business here in the state of Washington, but here in our office, this particular office we have is 5000 square feet, there's just three of us that come into the office space, so we each have our own corner so that we can appropriately have our social distancing. I think what's important though and where I've gained so much is through listening to my team, and if I take a deep breath and just listen, everybody's processing this in their own time and in their own way and they're gonna have days where they're full of optimism and days when it feels crushing and we have to be there for one another. When it feels crushing we have to listen and then help them feel confident and it very well could be that you're going to have these conversations with your team members now because you need to find out at what point do they personally feel comfortable coming back into the workforce?

23:12 TD: Yeah. 'Cause that matters at this point you can't, you shouldn't make somebody...

23:19 AR: Absolutely.

23:20 TD: You shouldn't make somebody come back in a situation where they are fearful, and uncomfortable.

23:24 AR: Absolutely and so that's another really important... As you're setting up the new business model you've kinda gotta do two things. One, how do I emerge from this, and what is that emerging time frame? My business plan changes, not daily, but every week at least, because I'm re-looking at, when does this... When do we emerge, but even then what's going to be the response to us emerging in our industry, and we don't know.

23:58 TD: We don't... And that's, I think, the hardest part is that when all this planning... Planning is so important, but we don't have that crystal ball as to know for you guys, how are aestheticians gonna respond? How are spas gonna respond? And then for the spas and the aestheticians, how are their clients gonna respond? Maybe one or quarter of them are this way and then three quarters are this. It's just, it's challenging.

24:25 AR: Right. And I have some team members, and in fairness to team members, I haven't had this conversation, but based on their response on the initial outbreak, I don't think they're going to feel comfortable coming back into an office environment until there's a vaccine. So, understand where your team lies so you can make the appropriate business plans. You can't emerge if you don't know what your staff... Well, how you can staff and who is going to be staffing it. So try to get ahead of that with candid again, thoughtfully transparent conversations with your team. And I think again, when you have those conversations, letting them know your commitment to their safety is, it means the world. I think what we're all realizing is that our connections with human beings, that's what's most important.

25:17 TD: It is, it's more obvious than ever before in my life. I can definitely say that for sure. It's interesting too, talking about just making sure that you have buy-in from your employees and such. I know even at our company, we have around almost 70 employees at our company, they are saying the similar thing that everybody has different levels. We're doing surveys and taking everybody's... Getting everybody's feedback and I think that adds to what you said. It's like make it a collective experience, make it a collective conversation too. Now, how are we preparing our clients for once we reopen? Like what does that look like before they even walk in our doors?

26:02 AR: Again, it's communicating with them the hygiene standards that you have got clearly and then it's also communicating those standards that you have of them and that's the most essential thing. Have it clearly defined, and then make sure that your team is living it. It's one thing to publish it, it's another thing to live it. And I will admit, I am one of those judgy people right now.

26:30 TD: [chuckle] Okay.

26:31 AR: We went out at the grocery store, and I'm not seeing face masks on people I get [26:38] ____.

26:39 TD: I know, it's crazy.

26:41 AR: Where it's like, "Okay." And even worse when I walked into an establishment to pick up some takeout lunch, and none of the staff of this particular restaurant had any face mask for that matter, even gloves and I was really...

27:01 TD: Oh my gosh.

27:01 AR: Oh goodness, we have a problem.

27:01 TD: Did you incinerate your food in a microwave and heat it up to one billion degrees? [chuckle]

27:05 AR: I actually refused to pick it up. And talked with the manager just on... We're never... Being here in Seattle, we have been on the top of the curve, we've done a great job flattening it, but we've been at the top of this curve for a really, really, really long time. And so, those essential businesses that have been granted that privilege, for them not to take that privilege seriously to keep their communities safe by just some pretty basic measures is unbelievably disappointing. And so particularly in our industry, if I was a guest into a spa and the front desk person didn't have on a mask that would be a clear signal to me that my expectations of the human race right now is not matched up with this particular business. And I don't know, I might...

28:05 TD: That would be so disheartening too, especially I think about all the really long-term relationships that I have with the aestheticians that I visit or the hair stylists or anyone, so it would be, I think that would be really disheartening to have that experience if it wasn't lining up with who you thought they were, but you're right, it's a visual right. As soon as you walk in the door.

28:29 AR: Right and you said it, best err on the side of caution, do no harm. That's the mantra of... The medical field needs to be embraced by the mantra. And I think the beautiful thing about the spa industry is that they take it even a step further and they are deeply committed to overall wellness. They're not just treating a symptom today, but that there's this beautiful approach to wanting your emotional wellness to be improved through that visit, not only skin re-emerging a more beautiful version of itself. So be really hyper-sensitive that you're going to have some clients like me, who before going into the pandemic I was a bit of a germaphobe.

29:18 TD: [laughter] Oh no, this must make you crazy.

29:22 AR: And just be sensitive that that is some of the base of the clientele. There is varying ranges of sensitivity to this. Mirror yourself to the most sensitive guest that you're gonna have, and things will go well.

29:37 TD: Well, I love it. This has been very insightful. Is there anything else that you wanna share with the audience that we've kind of missed or that we need to cover here? I think you and I had prior to this had talked about having confidence when you go back and what that looks like as a business owner and how to make these decisions...

29:57 AR: I know it's hard right now and again, I will tell you and the business owners that I have had the incredible pleasure of connecting with through this, I have been so impressed with their calm demeanor. I wanna be calm and I wanna be, of course, logical and rational. The economic and the devastation that we're seeing, not only with with the health that is paramount, but also the livelihood. That is heart wrenching.

30:26 TD: I know.

30:27 AR: And so I do think that it's really... So kudos to all of the beautiful people that I have the privilege of working with for keeping me calm and saying, "I am so impressed with our industry." I do think that you should take this time to reflect on, what parts of your business were working well before the pandemic, but I guarantee all of us have a list of things that, "Gosh, I wish I would have been better prepared. I wish... And I could do this and that better." And I think you've gotta take a look at your new P&L. What is your forecast for the next year? Remove any expenses that won't compromise a responsible reopening.

31:11 AR: And really look, the biggest thing you should be focusing on secondarily to safety, is first, is how do you increase your revenue stream because it is a very difficult proposition when you've got rent. I get it, personally, right. When you've got rent due and your revenues have been zero, or a fraction of what they are typically. You've have got a larger revenue responsibility on your shoulders than you probably ever have had before. And in that, I look at this and always tell business owners, focus on how you grow. Where are those opportunities?

31:52 AR: As an industry we sit at 8% sales to service ratio and we know, there have been scientific studies in the prestige beauty world that if you do a demonstration on someone's hand, let's say you are in a department store and one of the lovely individuals behind a beauty counter offers a demonstration, we know that 80% of the consumers that receive that demonstration, purchase product. Okay, so here is my challenge to everybody. We should have the highest sales to service ratio of anyone. We have people disrobing in order to enjoy the skin care services that we offer to improve skin health. You could count on that being an opportunity to get in that client's hands the appropriate products that she truly has a need for in her home care routine. Don't shy away from what is the largest opportunity to grow your revenue stream. It really is, if you focus on that opportunity, I promise you, your clients are going to thank you for that and they will be more loyal. But in order to do that you've got to find the partners who are going to teach you and your team how to do it the appropriate way. Nobody wants to work with a used car salesman. No one.

33:33 TD: [laughter] No one, no.

33:35 AR: So I'm not at all suggesting that. But I am suggesting that we are doing a large disservice when we give the responsibility of selling skin care products to Walgreens, Kroger, or even the department stores. Those wonderful individuals that I have enjoyed working with tremendously in Prestige Beauty are wonderful, but the majority of them are not dedicated or licensed aestheticians, so there's not the same understanding that you can get in the spa. So I want to encourage the entire industry that the success of the industry through dire circumstances like we have, you can emerge, your business can be stronger, the easiest pathway to economically recover from this is frankly through retail sales.

34:29 TD: It is, and if I can even just jump in. I have been speaking to so many different aestheticians all across the country and the ones that are doing very well and are very comfortable right now have figured out a way to continue to interact with their clients through at-home care for them. Some are even dropping off baskets of their products that they're purchasing, and they're not... They're just dropping them off, putting them on their porch. They're not interacting, but they're seeing their faces, and it's like a big hug saying, "I got you girl. I'm gonna take care of your skin."

35:03 AR: Absolutely. Absolutely. And the other thing for our industry to know is that there is a huge drive among consumers right now, what we're calling local biz. There is a drive where everybody in your community would prefer to purchase from their local small businesses. So let's take advantage of that folks. They want to come to us... People want to shop hyper locally. So you've also gotta figure out, how do I get those products available? And again, work with your vendor partners. And frankly, if you've got a vendor partner who's not willing to do that, I'd encourage you to look elsewhere because I know so many of us in the industry feel an overwhelming responsibility to the spa industry, the brick and mortar locations to help you guys emerge from this in a secure place as well. That you can come out of this, knowing that we're gonna hold your hand, we're going to help you emerge so you can get back on the pathway of economic success.

36:11 TD: I love it. And you know, I would probably also say... Maybe some people are saying, "Well it's okay, we're gonna open soon enough." I would say that the best way to prepare for what likely might be phase one and phase two and phase three, this battle with COVID-19 isn't gonna just disappear overnight and there could be another stay-at-home order at another point. So get yourself prepared, reach out to your vendors, and make sure that they can help you in any way possible, so that possibly in the fall when we pair this up with flu and we might be staying home again, that you are ready, you are ready to blow it out.

36:56 AR: I couldn't agree with you more. Build and deepen the relationship today. And the other thing is that I would encourage all of us to get comfortable with the business activity that we've shied away with because we're uncomfortable with it. Embrace it, now is the time. And again, look for those vendor partners who have a marketing department. If somebody out there has concerns about, "I don't even know how to set up an Instagram account, or how does it do... " Please call me, we've got a great marketing department, we haven't thrown out anybody and I need to keep 'em busy. I mean, they're working hard so in no way am I suggesting they're not.

[laughter]

37:36 AR: I've got the hardest working team out there, but I know that they're deeply committed and they would love the opportunity to teach somebody what they're great at. Everybody wants to teach somebody their craft. We have a dedicated team to marketing. So if we can be a resource to anybody out there, please call us, you can find us a hydropeptide.com. Feel free to reach out, we've got a 1-800 number. We would love to assist in any way, even if you're not a vendor partner of ours.

38:05 TD: I love that, I love that. Because then, like you said, you're getting to give them something that they need and then they're never gonna forget you and the people that are working for you. You said they're passionate about it, and so...

38:17 AR: Yes.

38:19 TD: I think it's amazing. And here's the thing, you guys, I probably say it all the time, but don't your clients deserve to have beautiful skin? Not just like once a month when they see you, but every day at home? And so you're not selling to them, you're ensuring that the services that you're giving to them are going to last, right?

38:41 AR: Absolutely.

38:43 TD: That's all it is.

38:43 AR: And we're helping them achieve their skin care goals.

38:46 TD: Yeah.

38:46 AR: But if we're gonna do that first in that intake, you have to understand, what are their goals? What are their concerns? What are they aspiring to achieve with that? And it's our job to help them reach that goal. That's the other thing that I think is really, really important. Take this time to reconnect with your community of clients now. But then keep in mind, is that when they re-emerge and when you have the gift of the their business back then you need to follow-up with them. That's one of the things that is interesting in the spa world versus in the Prestige world, is that you should, and I get that it's not strictly adhered to at all in Prestige, but you're taught after you see somebody to call them a week later and say, "Hey, I sold you X, Y, and Z. I wanna make sure that those products are working for you and that you're getting the results that we talked about."

39:48 TD: Yeah.

39:49 AR: And you're continuing the conversation. Well, if I've invested in a service and home care, imagine the loyalty and the opportunities that open up when you call that client a week later and say, "Hey Tracey. I know we did this particular service. I wanna check-in with you. How is your skin looking? How was it feeling today?"

40:11 TD: That'd be amazing, amazing. Yeah.

40:14 AR: And whether... It might be Tracey, that you prefer to communicate with me via text, that's fine, I need to know that upfront, "Hey, you wanna chat on the phone? Are we gonna do it over social media, or am I gonna text you? Or is it email?" Everybody's got a mode of communication they prefer. That's okay, but you're going to need to keep a customer profile that documents, how do I stay in touch with this individual. And then do it.

40:44 TD: Yeah, and that's the thing. It's follow-through. It's follow-though, you have to just do it, but it goes, it'll pay out tenfold. And I also always think that the importance of having and suggesting at home care retail products, it's because every time that they use it, you know who they're thinking about? You.

41:03 AR: Their aesthetician. Absolutely, Absolutely. I couldn't agree more.

41:07 TD: Well, this has been so fun and I... We're gonna close, but I wanted to ask you, could you share with us a few like one or two resources that you just think are amazing? It could be a book, a podcast, a website, whatever it is. It could be professional growth, personal growth, whatever you think of. How do you...

41:28 AR: Absolutely. I'm a huge fan of your publications.

41:30 TD: Oh, thank you.

41:30 AR: So they need to digest all of the continuing education that they can right now. So I definitely... And I love your publication because it's giving really good instruction and advice on how to care for a broad range of things. So dig in and consume those resources.

41:54 TD: Thank you. Thank you. We love it. It's award-winning, so we're happy. [chuckle]

41:58 AR: It's incredible, incredible content. I also think it's good to understand, what is the consumer looking for? And I think that consumer... I really love reading Glossy. So it's a regularly published, but it's giving more of a business perspective and a consumer perspective.

42:20 TD: Oh, I love that. It's called Glossy?

42:21 AR: It's called Glossy. And it's really, really great data. Again, it depends on what type of professional business you're in, whether you're on the medical aesthetic side, spa, resort side, any of those, whether you're a salon, spa, but there are publications both online and in print that are dedicated to teaching you about ways to improve the business and your art.

42:50 TD: I love it. Well, you guys, I'm gonna make sure all the things that Annette has mentioned throughout the whole podcast today is gonna be in the show notes. So she mentioned her website as well as some of her people. And some of these resources, we'll make sure for sure that they are in the show notes. Okay. So before you go, tell us where our listeners, if they're dying for some more Annette, where they can reach out to you, whether it's your social media channels or what have you?

43:18 AR: Absolutely. Absolutely. Feel free, you can reach out to me personally on my email, which is Annette, A-N-N-E-T-T-E and then R, my last name's Rubin, but it's just annetter@hydropeptide.com. So please reach out to me if there's anything I can personally do for you and your business right now or my team. We're here to serve.

43:39 TD: Wow, you guys. I don't know very many CEOs who are giving out their personal email address. So take her up on that. If you have questions, pick her brain. All right. Well, thank you so much. It's been such a pleasure.

43:51 AR: Likewise, take care.

[music]

43:53 S3: Thanks for joining us today. If you like what you hear and you want more, subscribe. If you wanna belong to the only all-inclusive association for aestheticians that includes professional liability insurance, education, industry insights, and an opportunity to spotlight your sick skills, join at ascpskincare.com. Only $259 per year for all this goodness. ASCP knows it's all about you.