To complement the article “Expert Advice” in the November 2014 issue of MASSAGE Magazine. Summary: E-learning courses provide massage therapists the opportunity to learn retailing skills, which can lead to increased revenue.
Multi-therapist massage clinic owners can help their team learn retailing skills as well as additional technical skills, to grow their careers and massage business. Universal Companies offers online eLearning for training in retailing, business, technical knowledge and brand certification.
“We offer interactive training modules through our ‘Learn & Grow’ section on www.universalcompanies.com,” said Jenny Farrand, director of education for Universal Companies, a massage-and-spa product supply company. “All eLearning can be viewed and delivered by mobile means. If you use a tablet or smartphone, all of the training can be easily accessed, allowing spa professionals to conveniently work at their own pace and learn at any time or place.”
Users can watch videos with hands-on demonstrations; follow along and take notes with printable attachments; and learn treatment protocols, technical specifications, ingredient lists, instructions for use and contraindications. All of these components will give them a solid foundation for successful usage. These brand certification trainings are great solutions for independent practitioners and small businesses, as well as for larger businesses that need additional options for training.
Universal also offers CEU certification through its website. An array of educational choices is available, including retailing, selected from topics based on client feedback. Each course ranges from two to 16 CEU hours.
“Many of the spa courses also support our Universal Companies catalog and website offerings,” Farrand said. “For example, the Thai Spa Full Body Treatment uses our Thai body-and-face herbal ball and spa product line.
“If a spa owner has brought in a new line of body care products or is offering a new service such as salt scrubs, an online course is a great way to ensure therapists are delivering a top-notch treatment and is a perfect segue to retail sales.” she added.
Jenny Hogan is media director at Marketing Solutions Inc., a full-service marketing, advertising and PR agency specializing in the professional beauty and spa businesses. She wrote this article on behalf of Universal Companies (www.universalcompanies.com). With over 30 years of proven success, Universal Companies has become a leading single-source supplier to more than 30,000 spa professionals in 47 countries.