| Energizing Your Practice: 10 “Gifted” Ideas for Creating Positive Energy Flow Between You and Your Clients |
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“I was so relaxed before my last client,” Margaret complained. “She comes in to get a massage because she’s so stressed-out, and I do my best to help her relax. But by the time she leaves, she’s feeling better and I’m so tense that I need my own service!”
“I know what you mean about picking up on your client’s energy,” Kayleen replied, “but it can go both ways. Some days I’m feeling rushed and stressed, and even though I’m applying my skills professionally, I know that neither my heart nor my mind are in my work. I can’t see the glow that I normally do when I’m finished, and I get concerned that my clients might start to look elsewhere.”
Energy is contagious, which is why it is critical for estheticians to be skilled in personal energy management, including how to create and maintain a mind/body connection that enables you to stay relaxed, focused and energized even on long days or when working with highly stressed clients. You need to know how to protect yourself from the negative "vibes" of difficult people while flowing more of your own positive spirit into your work. The result? Satisfied, loyal clients and a healthier, richer and more serenely confident you.
Here are ten “gifted” ideas for creating positive energy flow between you and your clients. (interpreted from “The Ten Gifts: Find the Personal Peace You’ve Always Wanted From the Ten Gifts You’ve Always Had”)
1) Get focused (gift of intention)
Before
you begin practice for the day, choose one word that reflects your personal
values. Examples: happy, peaceful, focused, aware, etc. Then put this
in a sentence that brings it alive immediately: “I am now happy,”
or “I am now relaxed and aware.” Repeat this out loud to yourself
before each treatment. Doing so energizes your experience on three
levels: intellectually, you are stating what you want to be true for you
(mind); physically, you are creating a mental picture that your body will
translate into biochemical reactions that enhance your wellness (body); and
3) you are generating sound vibrations that are magnetic to similar ones in
your client (spirit). In other words, you’re reinforcing your
personal best and bringing forth that of your client before the first touch.
2) Be generous (gift of thanks)
Demonstrate the abundance of your personal peace by giving it freely to your client. By deliberately giving from the heart, you create an energy “opening” that immediately attracts similar energy back into your body. Imagine it like rain that feeds a stream. The stream flows into the roots of plants and trees, which grow and give back a vibrant energy of their own. The rest evaporates and begins the cycle again. As you flow pure, positive energy to your client, see her glowing more vibrantly with life as she reflects and returns it back to you.
3) Stay in touch with your own body (gift of trust)
It’s
typical for an esthetician to be so concerned about her client’s face or
body that she forgets about her own. But as you are, so shall your
client be. Pay attention to any signs of discomfort or dis-ease in
your own body during the treatment, as these are signals that something you
are thinking or doing is taking you off-track and could compromise the
results. Aches, pains, fatigue, mental fogginess and anything else
that makes you feel less than 100% energized and relaxed needs to be
addressed immediately. Ask yourself: “What do I need to do to
restore my own peace?” and respond to the answer you get from your
intuition.
4) Get clear on the role you wish to play (gift of character)
Some clients want you to be more than an esthetician. They may be looking for you to serve as psychologist, doctor, parent or teacher, which means that you’ll never be able to fully please them. These may also be the clients who constantly cancel or reschedule appointments at the last minute, forget their wallets and offer to pay you next time or demand that you squeeze them in whenever it’s convenient for them. If a client leaves you feeling drained, you may want to suggest that they seek relief elsewhere.
5) Praise the good (gift of joy)
Instead
of plowing through your work or your day thinking of what step or which
client you have to address next, stay in the moment by noticing what is
going right. As you move through a procedure, think or say (depending
on what is appropriate) “This is good,” “I did this perfectly,” or
“I can see improvement here.” Even if you only think the
words without speaking, your satisfaction will flow through to your client.
6) Work together (gift of unity)
Realize
that in any given treatment, the ultimate outcome depends not only on what
you give, but on what the client is willing or able to receive.
Enhance the client’s ability to do so by customizing the treatment
environment with her favorite music (ask, “what music would be most
relaxing or rejuvenating to you today?), aromatherapy or even suggesting an
affirmation or mantra that you both can begin together and she can repeat
mentally during her time with you. Work together to create an open
channel of good feeling.
7) Have fun (gift of courage)
One
of the things that can compromise a long-term relationship with a client is
always doing things the same way month after month, year after year.
While some clients like the sameness, many more would like for you to
suggest something new you have learned at a professional conference or in a
class. Keep your own and your clients’ energy high by continually
learning, growing and improving what you do and how you do it.
8) Imagine happy endings (gift of dreams)
Create
more powerful outcomes for your clients by using your appointment book to
imagine how they will look and feel at the end of the treatment. With
all but the newest clients, you already know the posture, attitude and
stress level they bring to your encounter. Imagine them transformed by
the end, looking great and feeling renewed in mind, body and spirit.
Doing this will make your work flow much more easily and naturally, because
what you see and experience in your mind is what you end up living in your
daily life.
9) Bring out their inner beauty (gift of love)
Although
many spa treatments focus on improving externals like skin, figure or hair
conditions, ultimately, what really makes clients attractive is how much of
their own inner beauty they allow the world to see. Get to know your
clients’ character strengths, not just their external flaws. At
appropriate times, ask them to share things they are enjoying and their
accomplishments. Stop asking, “How are things going?” and start
asking yourself, “how much do I know about what makes this client feel
great?”
10) Surrender your worries (gift of faith)
An esthetician who’s worried, frightened or angry will have a difficult time bringing out the beauty--inner or outer--of her client. One easy way to get rid of your own energy blocks is to pause at the door before you enter. Imagine hanging your worries on an imaginary “hook” there, and take a long, slow, deep breath. Then step inside. Realize that personal problems can and should be solved outside of salon hours.
Try any one or more of these techniques, and see how much brighter and more satisfied you feel about yourself and your work. Look to see improvements in your clients, too. Remember--energy is contagious!
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