Salon Owner's blog

Steak is to Spray Tanning as ...

July 24, 2019

Have you ever visited a Texas Roadhouse restaurant? There's over 400 in the USA, with many more to come. The places are huge, and are virtually empty Sunday through Wednesday night. So, why build such a huge restaurant that gets used at maybe 15% of capacity 4 days per week? Because, Thursday through Saturday night, hundreds…

Nail Biter

July 22, 2019

Your salon might be located near a nail salon, maybe several. Ever sit outside and count how many customers the nail salon gets? If you don't have the time, pay a kid $8/hour to do it for 1 week. Take the number of customers the nail salon has and compare it to the number of spray tan customers you have in 1 week. Do you…

One Number, That's All I Want

July 8, 2019

Nationally, the average spray tan booth performs 7.0 spray tan sessions per day. However, if a salon owner seeks to average 7.0 for the entire year, how many does each booth need to average in the core season: April thru June? Well, referring to the national data listed below, 34% of spray tan sessions are performed April thru…

A.B.M. (there's no other viable alternative)

June 20, 2019

What's that spell? Well, um, nothing, but stay with me anyway. ALWAYS BE MARKETING Marketing is about 'getting noticed' - it does not require money, nor talent, nor an agency - it requires most of all persistence and consistency. Persistence and consistency are not fun, nor glamorous but they win the day in marketing. What…

2 - Da - Loo

June 11, 2019

High growth salons have 2+ spray tan rooms ... 2+ has become a (common) thing. VersaSpa has case studies which show that adding a 2nd room can add 40+% more spray sessions. Why? More convenient/quick to tan in your salon than a competitor - waits disappear, or are very short. Also, if you have 2+ spray tan rooms, you grow…

Can 'Please' and 'Thank You' be worth $3 Million

May 7, 2019

Chick-fil-A is beating every competitor by training workers to say 'please' and 'thank you' The secret to Chick-fil-A's success is as simple as saying "please" and "thank you." The chicken chain is statistically the most polite chain in the restaurant business, according to a QSR Magazine's annual drive-thru report. Employees…

Salon Staffer: Must-Have vs. Nice-to-Have

April 24, 2019

Knowing that you can seldom land the ideal candidate, Put M next to Must-Have, N next to Nice-to-Have Punctual Reliable - fulfills all responsibilities, without excuses Hard worker (no let up) Follows procedure/training Polite Energetic Engaging Can sell/persuade Money motivated (commission) Youthful - in age Youthful…

Get (new) Loyal Customers: Free tan -or- $5 tan

March 7, 2019

Free Tan promotion to gain new customers requires no commitment from the tanner (unless salon up-charges for everything except Level 1/Light). $5 Tan promotion may offer a better long term potential. In February, a major salon chain offered $5 tan (any level) for an entire week. Why might the $5 offer yield better (new)…

365-52-24-7

February 11, 2019

It sounds like the coordinates on a map, leading to a treasure. And, well, it kinda is. Salon Owners want to know: When do people actually spray tan? How seasonal is that business? How much opportunity is there throughout the year? Answers: All the time, Not much, Lots. So, when do people actually spray tan? January…

Selling spray tans is easy with ... Feel. Felt. Found.

January 21, 2019

Dennis, the salon owner, surprised people when he said, "Selling spray tans is really easy. Just remember three things: Feel. Felt. Found. I said, "Pardon?' He said, " Feel. Felt. Found. That's all you need to know" I said, "How does it work?" He said, "Well. let's say you're selling a spray tan to someone who has…

Run Faster, Jump Higher

January 8, 2019

Salon owners who are growing spray tan sessions are getting more creative and more persuasive in their spray tan marketing. One of the most creative and bold examples is Fabutan with their 'Spot the Spray Tan' street interviews. It's a super cool idea and demonstrates the natural beauty of a spray tan, in an uber-believable…

Single Session Spray Tan - Let's Play 'The Price is Right'

January 2, 2019

The game starts by deciding what your goal is for spray, over time. Growth engine? Cash cow? Growth: Will your salon create immediate and sustained growth if it dramatically expands the number of people who spray tan every now and then, in order to convert some of them to an EFT spray memberships, over time? Cow: Will…

Ideas to… Create More Tanners and Sell More Tans