Steve Jobs, Princess Caroline and George Stephanopoulos – Can you guess what they have in common? If you answered Baby Boomers, you are exactly right.
According to www.bbhq.com, baby boomers are defined as those born between (and including) 1946 and 1964. Therefore, in 2011, this group of individuals is between 46 and 64 years old. There are about 75 million boomers in the U.S.; which currently represents about 29 percent of the U.S. population.
This group has been shaping the economy and culture of our country for more than six decades and this decade will be no different. They began by stimulating growth in such companies as Gerber, Mattel and Disney. Now that the earliest boomers are reaching retirement we should begin seeing a surge in active retirement communities and all things related to restoring the youthful looks that they spent their youth and adult years neglecting. From excessive sun damage caused by years of sun bathing while slathered in baby oil and holding tin foil for maximum reflection to wrinkles and discoloration caused by stress, smoking and drinking; this demographic is prone to excess. I trust that will be no different as they begin/continue their search for treatments and miracle creams in the years ahead.
So, this is where you fit in. If it is not already, the majority of your business will soon be made up of boomers. Your challenge is going to be to educate them, not “cure” them. By educate, I simply mean that through your use of a comprehensive consultation and analysis process you will want to use this time to inform them of the damage you find and then help them set and understand reasonable expectations and time frames. Then continue your dialogue in progressive treatments, so as to not allow the client to press for better results faster.
Another key factor to creating a successful relationship with this clientele is to change their speech. Begin by replacing the term “anti-aging” with “age management” to dramatically shift their perspective on the work that you are doing together. Logically we know that the term anti-aging is a misnomer: Anti as a prefix means “against,” or “opposite of.” Therefore, removing it from your speech (and theirs) and using the more accurate term “age management” will serve as a verbal cue and reminder throughout your conversation with your clients of their actual goals.
Keeping your speech accurate and the client’s expectations reasonable will go a long way toward achieving your goals. So what is left? Well, you must stay current and educated on how to best help your clients manage the aging process. To that end, we have compiled this issue with articles on educating clients, understanding cells and an introduction to the newest ingredients being used in age management treatments.
To further your knowledge beyond these pages, I highly encourage you to join your colleagues on aestheticsprofessional.com for a discussion on each of these topics.
Best,
Saundra S. Brown
