Psychology workshop kicks off Professional Spa & Wellness Convention

The Professional Spa & Wellness Convention opened yesterday with a pre-event workshop on influencing psychology, hosted by Neil Orvay, founder of Hong-Kong based day spa chain Sense of Touch.

Orvay, a certified trainer of neuro-linguistic programming, outlined in the one-day How to Persuade and Influence People workshop, how implementing the six principles of influencing psychology; reciprocation, commitment and consistency, social proof and consensus, liking, authority and scarcity, will help you influence people in a way that is beneficial for your business.

Applicable to all six principles, Orvay explained, is the concept of contrast, a key tenet of influencing psychology.  At the centre of the notion of contrast is the importance of what you say or do prior to making a request. Orvay said: “The context you establish is more important than the actual request.”

Contrasting what you have to offer with something less beneficial for an existing or potential client, such as a more costly offering is, Orvay explained, one example of how to use the contrast principle to the benefit of your business. He said: “Getting contrast right is absolutely critical in all of our business and everything we do.”

Today is the first full day of the Professional Spa & Wellness Convention, which forms part of the Professional Beauty trade show at London’s ExCeL exhibition centre. The concluding day of the convention is tomorrow, Monday February 24.