Training is what happens during onboarding or when someone learns a new treatment protocol, new products, new software or any new skill. It’s structured, instructional, and usually takes longer to complete. For example, when your guest relations team learns how to schedule appointments in your EMR, that’s training.
Coaching is what happens after training. It’s the ongoing development to enhance the new skill you or your team learned. Coaching helps you elevate the performance and results. It’s relational, strategic, and transformative.
Think of it like this: Training is teaching someone how to inject Botox. Coaching helps them enhance their skills to become a Peak Performer, the best of the best!
Training is watching MBU modules, coaching is designed to help implement the training and continually finetuning the performance.
Fact: Medical Spa Business Coaching is essential—it’s the spark that turns potential into performance. Studies show that businesses using coaching see a 570% return on investment. International Coaching Federation (ICF).
Imagine the boost in productivity, quality, and guest satisfaction that comes with great coaching. Get ready to improve your coaching skills, boost your team’s performance, and ultimately, elevate your business to new heights!
In this article/video, I will share an overview of the I.C.A.R.E. Coaching System found on MBU. It’s a coaching system that we teach leaders and managers to implement so they can improve performance.
Meet Emily, one of your aestheticians. She’s clinically excellent, clients love her, but her home care recommendations are always below average. You’ve trained her on the products. She knows the protocols. Yet… no boost in recommendations.
Here’s where coaching steps in.
Instead of reminding Emily again to “sell more,” you schedule a 1:1 coaching session using the I.C.A.R.E. model:
“Emily, I noticed your VPG is around $7. The goal is $55. Let’s talk about what’s getting in the way.”
During your conversation, you discover that Emily feels uncomfortable recommending products because she doesn’t want to come across as “salesy.” She’s also not utilizing the P.R.I.D.E. System she was trained on from Medspa Biz University (MBU). An essential module designed to make the recommendation process seamless, natural and profitable.
Now it’s time to co-create a solution. Getting buy-in is key, when team members feel involved in crafting the plan, they’re far more likely to commit to it. Ask open-ended, empowering questions such as, “How can we turn this around together?” or “What would help you feel more confident recommending products?”
Use all the MBU resources available to support her success. Pull out the scripts, tools, and role-playing exercises provided in training. Practice together. Show how the P.R.I.D.E. System takes the pressure off by focusing on client education, results and not selling. When you co-construct with clarity and care, you build confidence—and that’s where transformation begins.
You both commit to using the new approach with the next 10 clients. Say phrases like, “Let’s commit to this plan together. We’re both invested in your success, and I’m here to help you every step of the way.” Use the coaching forms available with the module to document.
After a week, you review the results and refine the technique.
Encourage and celebrate small victories along the way! This is how you keep motivation high and build trust in the coaching process. Monitor and refine the approach to the plan!
You clarify what success looks like and set a goal to reach $20 VPG by the end of the month.
Emily begins to feel more confident. Her VPG increases. She celebrates a $500 retail day. Boom—coaching just paid off.
Team members feel valued, which boosts morale and reduces turnover.
You don’t need a whistle and clipboard to be a great coach (although if you want to go full Ted Lasso, we support you). For those unfamiliar, Ted Lasso is a TV character known for his heartfelt, people-first leadership style. Proof that you don’t need technical perfection to be a transformational coach. What you need is belief, consistency, and a commitment to bringing out the best in your team.
Be specific in your feedback—vague direction leads to vague results.
Understand that growth takes time. Ask questions. Listen.
One coaching conversation is a spark. Ongoing coaching builds a fire.
You don’t need a certification to coach your team. You just need a system, such as the I.C.A.R.E. model and a little preparation.
Before any coaching session, make sure you:
Coaching is about growth, not punishment.
Tip: Keep a “coaching folder” for each team member (separate from HR files) to track progress, goals, and wins. It’ll make future conversations more meaningful—and more measurable.
Let’s be real, not every coaching session ends with a standing ovation. And that’s okay.
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, a team member won’t engage, grow, or commit. If you’ve coached consistently and clearly without progress, it’s time to make a leadership decision: reward or release.
Celebrate the team members who rise. And for those who resist? Let them find a better fit elsewhere. You can’t grow a thriving culture by dragging dead weight.
Remember that coaching is a journey, not a destination. The more you practice, the better you’ll become. Your I.C.A.R.E. Coaching System will set the foundation, but your dedication to personal and professional growth will take it further. We encourage you to build a culture of success, connection, and mutual respect.
As Vince Lombardi famously said, “Perfect practice makes perfect.” Your coaching is only as effective as the effort you put into it, so practice those coaching conversations with intent and clarity.
At MedSpa Biz University, we teach leaders like you to use the I.C.A.R.E. Coaching Model because it works. It’s not fluffy, it’s strategic. It turns overwhelmed owners into powerful leaders and transforms average employees into Peak Performers.
Coach with heart.
Coach with structure.
And most of all, coach because your team deserves it, and your business depends on it.
You can watch the Brewing Brilliance module on MBU & receive full access to the I.C.A.R.E. coaching module, biztools, and role play coaching examples.
