Whether you love it, hate it or fall somewhere in between it cannot be denied that in our modern world, we have so much information available right at our fingertips. Children who have grown up in this world have the expectation that nearly any of their questions can be answered by this tiny device in their pocket. I know that I’ve said “let’s ask google” more times than I probably care to admit. The internet has made it easy to pretend you’re an expert in just about anything; but what about the actual experts? Has this world of quick and easy answers demanded they up their game?
While the internet and the rise of social media has certainly inflated the speed in which information and new trends get around, Kelli, the owner of Erin’s spa Ultimate Skincare by Kelli, has long been vocal in her belief that it’s important for estheticians to put time into continuing their education, so that they are confident and comfortable in their ability to follow the latest trends and offer their clients what they’re looking for. After all, in a world where everyone thinks that they’re an expert in anything, it’s even more important to ensure that when speaking to your customers you’re the most knowledgeable person in the room.
For Kelli, it is her ongoing training and vast store of knowledge acquired over the years that helps her business stand out; by continuing her education, and jumping on trends before they’ve launched, Kelli allows herself to give her clients the best service possible by utilizing the latest technology that is offered to her. It is Ultimate Skin Care’s mission to be able to offer service in the most professional manner possible – which is where continued education comes in.
The true beauty of education, however runs deeper – because although education means you’re investing in yourself (to invest in your clients), it also means that you’re never entirely on your own. Whether you’re pursuing further degree programs, utilizing online tutorials or working with a larger company, you are creating a network of resources that you can refer back to whenever you need. In part, this is why Kelli encourages estheticians to work with products and companies that stress the importance of education and further training.
Kelli herself works with Dermalogica, a company which has been a huge source of information and growth for her. One of the biggest things with Dermalogica is their expert program. To be officially designated an expert by Dermalogica, you have to work your way through an assigned course set and then do a live showcase about the skill in question so they can see you apply your lessons in real time.
Even once you have gained this expert status, your work is not done. To maintain your expert status, you have to do an assigned number of lessons each year to help you continue to grow with all of the new developments that will occur over time, ensuring that your skills are always at their highest level.
When you get down to it, change is the main motivator in education. It is the thing that will keep your career from ever getting too stale. For if things are always changing, if there is always something new to discover, then that means that there will always be something different waiting just around the corner. After 30 years at it, Kelli still has never felt bored with what she does, and that is because she is always changing, she is always growing – she is always learning!
Not everything you learn will be useful, of course. Kelli has tried products or techniques that haven’t worked with her clients, but that isn’t time wasted as it is still information she has at her fingertips, and it will always bring her satisfaction to know that she’s offering her clients the best that she can.
Which is what truly gives her pride. It is not just her own growth that she’s developing but that of her clients. They are truly impressed, each and every time, Kelli discusses something new that she is learning about; it is the sort of thing that signals to them that she is taking their needs seriously. It’s that passion to learn and grow that people are driven towards.
If you want to show your clients that you care, then you want to show them that you’re willing to put in the time to learn about what will serve them the best. In the end, that is what education brings you. Each little thing you learn, whether it is related to health and beauty, business, or even simply the online world that we live in, is another step which brings you closer to your customers – and isn’t that, in the end, the goal … to see them happy?
WRITTEN BY: JILLIAN KENT
