7 Critical Elements of Exceptional Client Consultations

Rock Your Job!

It can be easy to dismiss a Client Consultation.  You know how it goes, you're scheduled back to back, your client is late, they don't see the point of it, maybe you know them well; like friends...  of course they'd tell you if anything changed... what could possibly go wrong?!!!  

But if you want to present professionally, build trust with clients and protect yourself and the business you work in you must stay focused where client consultations are concerned.  We put together a list of 7 critical things to consider to help you!  Enjoy!

Critical Element No.1:
​Contact Details

Our database is our life blood so it's important we are able to communicate with our clients on a regular basis so they keep us front-of-mind.  It makes absolute sense to look after the clients we already have - finding new clients is so expensive for every business.  

We should always be striving to retain active loyal clients, turn sporadic clients into regular clients AND encourage our clients to refer new clients to us.

​A thorough client consultation gives us the opportunity to collect all the contact information we need to communicate effectively!

Critical Element No.2:
Date of Birth 

Remembering client birthdays is a wonderful way to build rapport!  It's always nice to send clients a little something special on or just before their birthday.  

Avoid sending anything salesy and try to get the year they were born as well as the day & month as this can be very useful for marketing research purposes.... 
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...of course be aware some clients may not wish to reveal their age and that is their prerogative!  So don't push!

Critical Element No.3:
Medical History

We're not doctors and as such are not expected to know every condition and medication our clients disclose - and we should not try to.

We are expected to stay within the bounds of our training and capability where both advice and treatment are concerned.  As we know, this includes contra-indications to treatment and product ingredients.  So we must check whether our clients have conditions which, without our knowledge, could harm them, us, or other clients.
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'But if we don't know everything - how can we appear professional?'
Everything is easier when we break it down into a process.  For one thing we won't be turning clients away when we can help them and for another, we won't be feeling uncertain of our decisions to treat when we become methodical in our approach.  When we break it down into the following 4 categories consultations become sooo much easier:
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1. Conditions I can treat
2. Conditions I cannot treat
3. Conditions I can treat with GP clearance
4. Conditions I should treat with extreme care​​

If it's a while since you graduated and you're feeling a bit rusty or would just like to refresh, help is at hand!  Click Here to take our consultation refresher course

Critical Element No.4:
​Lifestyle, Treatment & Self-care Regime

When we know our client's history and lifestyle we can better understand their current condition and recommend positive changes for the future.  Often clients have habits which affect their treatments or progress so understanding their habits and regimes will help us to help them improve both from the inside out and the outside in.  Here are 10 helpful questions you can ask:

1. What is your current skincare regime at home?
2. Are you using any skincare products prescribed by your GP?
3. Have you had any invasive procedures such as chemical peels, microdermabrasion, laser or ultrasound in the last few months?
4. What is your biggest concern regarding your skin/body?
5. Do you smoke or have recently given up smoking?
6. Do you use recreational drugs?
7. How much alcohol would you generally consume in a  week?
8. What kind of diet do you eat?
9. How much water do your generally drink in a day?
10. Do you take regular exercise?

Critical Element No.5:
Allergies & Preferences

Some allergies are more common than others, for instance, nuts and iodine but it is important that we ask an open question to our clients to ensure we have a note of their personal allergies and work to ensure they are not exposed to products containing those ingredients.

It 's also important to remember that clients can become allergic to ingredients which they were previously not allergic to.  The body can build up a resistance to substances over time, and it can happen at any time - even with those products we know and love!   So we should be ever vigilant  to make sure we spot this at the earliest possible moment.

Clients may also have preferences and lifestyle choices which affect their treatment.  It could be something on the basis of diet; for instance we would not wish to use products with animal derivatives in them for our vegetarian clients or dairy derivatives for our vegan clients.  

​There might also be preferences on religious grounds or simply their personal taste; smell, colour, touch etc.    It is important to make sure we are fully aware of such preferences and do our best to  accommodate them with a big smile on our faces!

Critical Element No.6:
Aspirations & Expectations 

We are not magicians!  But we often feel we should be given our clients' expectations!  This is exactly why we must have a conversation at the beginning; before our clients' part with their hard-earned money to make sure we are both on the same page in terms of possible results.

It's easy to read exaggerated stories and case studies on the internet these days.  Our job is to honestly and accurately set expectations for what can be achieved BEFORE taking our clients' money.  It's important to ask:

1. What does our client wish to achieve?  What is the reason for their visit?
2. What are their expectations of our treatments?
3. What timeframe are they looking at?
4. Are their expectations realistic?
   
   

Critical Element No.7:
Signature & Dated Disclaimer

If we do a Client Consultation without the client's agreement to the detail within it it's pretty much a waste of time should you or the business you work for be faced with legal proceedings or insurance claims.
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 The client should sign above a disclaimer which states that they have provided full and accurate information and that they understand we cannot be liable for information currently unknown or undivulged.   This is an important protection for yourself and the business.  Each signature line should also contain a space for the date which can be added by yourself or the client.

Our Client Consultation refresher course comes with Consultation form templates and disclaimer wording  if that would be helpful!   Click Here to take our consultation refresher course

​Happy Consulting Everyone!