I also found this article on starting an airbrush tanning business. I think you’ll find them helpful from how to choose airbrush tanning equipment to how to market your business more effectively.

One of the things that many salon owners overlook is quality spray tan training. Training yourself and your employees will provide a better experience for your customer, therefore increasing your referrals. And referrals are the best clients to get into your salon, right?

Other media, including the internet, trailed newspapers by 20 percentage points as the primary medium for checking advertising, the study found.

A salon package is much more appealing when the difference in price of a single service versus buying a package of services is made obvious. As a result, upselling a customer to a larger package is much easier.

OK, so that is pretty obvious to most salon owners and managers. Here’s a salon package idea to test…

I got this idea from studying mail order companies. They got people to buy expensive items through the mail, and made it into a science.

Most salons show their single service price first, and that is fine. But a mistake that most salon and spa owners make (in my opinion) is showing the next package price first and then then next, etc. etc. until the highest price is last.

Try doing the exact opposite. Show the single salon service price, and then show the most expensive package first, etc. etc.

You may find that more people buy larger packages because they see the most expensive price first, and this psychologically gets them thinking that the middle to higher priced packages aren’t so bad.

Here is a simple example using Tanning as the service:

Single Tan: $15

Package of 5: $69

Package of 10: $99

Package of 20: $129

Now reverse the order:

Package of 20: $129

Package of 10: $99

Package of 5: $69

Single Tan: $15

Your list will be larger and the impact will be greater, psychologically. But I am willing to bet that a few more customers will buy the $99 using the salon package idea we are discussing. But if you used the usual technique you might have more people settling for either a single tan or the $49 level (in this example).

Like I said, this is a simplified example to help you in your salon package ideas.

4 More Salon Package Ideas and Tips:

1. list more packages
2. Have a very expensive one first: 100 Tans, 50 Hair Cuts, 50 Massages, 75 Pedicures. Show the price. The higher the price of the first one or two packages, the less the others seem. And someone will buy the very expensive package.
3. Show the dollar savings in addition to the price of each package: 20 Hair Cuts $499………….You Save $399.
4. Use Zeros to really make an impact when showing the savings. Don’t use zeros when you show the price: How To Save $399.00!
5. Test This: Show the breakdown in terms of the price per service as the package size increases instead of the overall savings. Which one works better?

What do you think of this article on salon package ideas? Leave your comments below…

Sadly, many a spa owner thinks that a salon and spa marketing plan consists of running an ad in the yellow pages. Not only is the cost of a yellow page ad exorbitant, they are very ineffective for two main reasons.

First, there’s little that’s going to make your yellow page ad stand out other than pay more and get a bigger add. Even if you create something that has a little bit of eye catching content, by the time it makes it print its likely going to look as boring as all the other yellow page ads.

Second, with so many other resources available these days the yellow pages are almost the last tool that a potential client will grab to fin the best spa in town. It’s about the equivalent of having a website that ranks so low nobody sees it or finds it.

That means your salon and spa marketing plan had better go a whole lot further than the purchasing of a yellow page ad, at least if you want your marketing campaign to be successful. When you are drawing up an ad, whether for the yellow pages, the local newspaper, direct mail outs, or any other platform, there are five things that need to happen.

1. Strong Headline – you need to create a headlight that’s strong and driven by a benefit to the potential client. What does that mean? It means you need to tell them “what’s in it for them.” For example, “Yes You Can Look 10 Years Younger.”
2. An Over The Top Guarantee – By offering a guarantee that can’t be beat they can feel confident in trying your service. For example, “If You Aren’t 100% Satisfied With Your Treatment We’ll Give You All Your Money Back.” What’s interesting is that those that offer these types of guarantees are seldom called on it because they offer great service to begin with.
3. Testimonials – Having testimonials from your existing clients can be very beneficial when trying to get a potential client to act. For example, the testimonial could look something like this. “Here’s what others are saying about XYZ Spa – There treatments are the best I’ve had and I’ve visited many spas. The staff is well trained and the spa is a sea of tranquility. Joan Smith.”
4. A Compelling Statement – This tells the potential client why you over other spas. For example, “We Only Use Natural Treatments, Never Chemicals On Your Body.”
5. A Clear, Concise Message – Don’t use italics or other fancy fonts that are hard to read, and make sure to leave white space, which makes for easier reading.

There you have it – when it comes to your salon and spa marketing plan, don’t rely on the yellow pages. Instead, follow these five steps to a marketing strategy that works.

You’re a Salon or Day Spa Owner… how big is your client list? And are you using emails to stay in contact with them and bring them back to your business?

The fact is, the majority of Salons and Day Spas are not using email effectively. That is, they are not using email to get their clients to come back into their business to make MORE Sales!

Here is what can happen…

one Day Spa owner recently used Mothers Day as an email promotion for gift voucher sales. Two emails were sent out in the week leading up to Mothers Day to the same client and prospect list. The end result… over $20,000 in sales… from two emails that cost nothing but a bit of time to send out.

And it was a similar result for Valentines Day. Were you able to get a result like that?

Anyway… to use Salon Email Marketing effectively you must have a formula.

So here’s the tried and tested Email Marketing Formula…

An Autoresponder Series + a Weekly, Bi-weekly or Monthly Newsletter, or Special Promotion = Repeat Visits to Your Website and MORE Sales

And if you apply that formula consistently, that is… you USE it in YOUR business and you use it regularly… it will work like a charm each and every time.

Using it consistently is the KEY.

Because if you don’t and leave too much TIME between mailings, you will lose the relationship you have built up with your clients and prospects and you run the risk that they will remove themselves from YOUR list.

Because People BUY from people they TRUST!

And that’s where using an Autoresponder series works a treat. It’s putting your Salon or Day Spa on auto-pilot. You send a series of emails that you have created once, to your clients and prospects at a preset time interval. And they get to know, like and TRUST you.

Want to learn more? Go and check out Email Marketing For Salons.

This is an email maketing systems especially for Salons and Day Spas. It explains everything you need to know to profit from email marketing.

PLUS… you can get the EXACT same emails that one Day Spa owner used for their Mothers Day Promotion… the emails that generated over $20,000 in Sales in less than 1 week.

Email Marketing For Salons review. Here’s my unbiased, frank review of an  email marketing course for salon and spa’s, created by David Glendinning…

I was sitting at my computer a few months back writing ad copy for my salon and spa chain when an interesting email from a guy in Australia popped in my email box.

He is a marketing consultant for salon and spa owners just like myself. But he has a specialized focus: salon email marketing.

His proposal was for me to offer his email marketing course to you, my loyal subscriber. I thought to myself, ‘Great. Another marketer trying to get me to endorse his/her product’.

See, I get these offer every day. And I rarely, if ever, endorse anyone…

First, I have to believe in their product or service. Second. I will supply my subscribers with the pro’s and con’s so that they get an unbiased review. And this scares a lot of people away…

I didn’t look at David’s marketing course for months because I didn’t have time (2 toddlers, businesses, etc.)

Today, I found a small window of time to open up David’s salon email marketing course. And honestly, I didn’t want to. But he followed up with me and went to the trouble of sending his material, special links, and articles that I felt a bit obliged (a little marketing lesson right there).

So here’s the deal…

I like the simplicity of the main course. He describes the basics of email and website marketing for salon and spa owners fairly well. I can tell he made a concerted effort to keep it simple because using ‘autoreponders’ (don’t worry if you don’t know what that is) can be a little difficult to understand for someone who doesn’t have a clue. But, you’ll ‘get it’ after few pages.

His example of a follow up sequence will make you money. Just model it and you are on your way. But…

The most important part of email marketing is building a list. You have to have a list of email addresses and names of customers and potential customers to make this work.

David covers this area, but I think he should have delved into it deeper. He should have more examples and case studies on building lists. But he does cover it.

For me, the best part are the bonuses. He gives you a bunch of proven sequences that you can model in your salon or spa. They are really good. And I was relieved when he used one of the secrets I reveal in my marketing course in terms of skyrocketing the perceived value of an offer with a few simple words.

In my opinion, the bonuses are worth the $67 you’ll spend on this. Oh yeah, his email marketing course for salon owners is only $67. I spent more than that on dinner the other night.

There is one minor area that I disagree with. In the beginning of the main course he shows you an example of a ‘Thank You’ email which is sent when someone requests to be put on your mailing list. It’s good and you should use it.

However, in this email example the recipient is also give an ‘attachment’ which is a list of your salon and spa’s services. An attachment is a document that is not part of the main email. You have to open the attachment to review the document.

This is a mistake in my opinion. Why? Three reasons.

1. It’s hard enough to get email through spam filters and other ‘blocks’, and attachments are a sure fire way to getting sent straight to the spam folder.
2. It’s asking your prospect to take an extra step, and it can be a pain. Maybe they don’t have the right program to open the attachment, or maybe their computer is slow and your attachment freezes their computer, etc. etc.
3. Instead of attaching a document you should send them to a webpage where you can get them more involved in your business.

So, now you know and you can make the changes or test it yourself.

I have one more criticism of David’s email marketing course. I would have liked to see more examples and case studies of the use of video and audio. Video, particularly, is now the norm on the web and if you are not using it to provide information and sales messages you are missing out on a lot of opportunity.

BUT, that’s an advanced technique. And since 99% of salon owners are not even using email properly getting the basics of email marketing down and using it to increase profits should be your goal now. This email marketing course will do just that.

Now that I’ve slammed a few areas of David’s marketing course, I have to say that it’s is more than worth the measly $67 he is asking…

• As I stated above, his explanation and examples of creating an email marketing campaign are very good and they will make you money, and it will be automated (read the course to find out how). Maybe lots of it.
• The bonuses are awesome. You can go straight to these if you have a list already and model them (but you really should read the main course so that you don’t make a mistake in your email message sequencing).

So the bottom line is this: Despite a few minor weakneses described above, I recommend you get it and implement the techniques.You’ll make a lot more back than you invested.

In my last blog post called 4 mini marketing systems I referred you to a video on what I believe to be 4 must-have mini salon and spa marketing systems in place.

They will increase your sales instantly, increase the average sale, increase referrals, and build a more loyal customer base.

I know it from personal experience because we use them every day in our salon and spa.

Watch the video to get the fine details of each mini marketing system and put them into action.

In a nutshell here are the four mini salon and spa marketing systems:

1. Thank you marketing system: A thank you system will work wonders for your business. Your clients will thank you for thanking them. But it’s more than just a simple thank you. Watch the video now.
2. A referral marketing system: A referral marketing system will get more referrals in the door. This is how to do it.
3. A survey marketing program: Our survey reveals what we are doing right and wrong in our salon and spa so we know what to improve upon. But it also accomplishes a lot more. Watch the video to find out.
4. Lost customer promotion: One of best mini systems to date. Dollar for dollar this is one of our top 5 or 6 promotions.

Watch the video to learn the secrets of our mini marketing systems and how you can easily, and instantly get them going in your salon and spa.

Don’t delay, and don’t waste your money on expensive advertising until you get these systems going.

Actual salon and spa mini marketing systems we use can be purchased here.

Although there are several tips on growing your business, the key ingredients are marketing and spay tan training. These are two areas that are overlooked by many salon owners. But read the article for specific advice.

They are easy to implement, and in my opinion, crucial tools that should be the foundation of your marketing infrastructure…

I firmly believe that you are leaving money on the table if you are not using these mini marketing systems.

2 of the four mini systems are largely responsible for doubling our sales in the first year.

Watch the video, take notes, and feel free to pass it along to a fellow salon owner.

Also, the video is a little rough around the edges in terms of presentation. So do you mind letting me know what you think of the video and the actual content?

I believe you will be impressed. But even if you are not, put these four mini salon and spa marketing systems to work and you will reap the rewards.

If you have any suggestions or comments on this salon marketing videos I would love to hear them. Just post them below.

You will be rewarded financially and achieve personal satisfaction from a successful launch. And you will be rewarded from your consistent business building efforts.

Constant attention, and effective leadership are two very important factors in maintaining a quality salon.

There are some pitfalls to avoid when your starting a salon or spa. For example, if you dive in head first without doing any market research, or you don’t spend time finding an ideal location, you can be devastated by the results.

I’ve seen this happen first hand. For example, I received an email from a subscriber who opened a salon because she wanted to have a place where all her friends could hang out and enjoy each other. Now she is wondering how to make money and pay her rent.

Here’s another example that is all too common: We recently were hired to consult on opening her new tanning salon. She wanted us to help her with a layout and get a basic understanding of the business (how to handle transactions, check in customers, and marketing).

Everything sounded like she was on the right track.

Our first meeting took place in a coffee shop because she couldn’t get her lease finalized. So we went over basic business structure, budgeting, and marketing until she could show us her location which she thought was fantastic. We told her that it was important to see the location before she signed anything.

She signed her lease anyway because she wanted this location ready to go before the annual parade started in the town it was in. Appartenlty the parade goes right by her location.

In the meantime, she bought a MyMist booth, and two tanning beds. When we met the second time she said she wanted to sell clothes as well. I had a bad feeling about this…

So by this time she had put a down payment on her lease and purchased her equipment which was in storage. Now it the uphill battle was beginning. But we wanted to see the location because maybe we could do something there.

The location was terrible. It was small, hidden, and the interior needed thousands of dollars of build out. She said she was just going to put some walls up, and replace a wooden bench that was underneath the front window and she was done. And after that her marketing was going to be a sandwhich board sign out on the sidewalk…

Ugh…

Unfortunately she did not understand what was really needed and ended up paying thousands more to get the interior set up. By the time she had her equipment, and had the build out half way done, she ran out of money. She told us it was her inheritance, and the last time we spoke she said that she might have to file bankruptcy.

This was really sad because she wasn’t taking our advice and she was acting on impulse and making decisions based upon emotion.

So a few lessons to take from this are:

• Never make impulsive and emotional decisions especially when opening a salon. Be rational and do your due diligence. In some cases you can get away with a few emotional based decisions when you buy some product (lotions, etc.) as long as you have a budget that allows for a few mistakes.
• Budget. You’ll have fewer surprises you when you have a solid budget to work with.
• Find a good location, not an average or below average one.
• Be congruent. Don’t sell a wide, diverse range of products. You want people to know what your business is, and what it can do for them. Sure, a few impulse items can be at point of sale, but they have to be congruent as well. For example, if you are a hair salon, you don’t want to sell cigarette lighters. But lip balm, or hair care travel kits might be better.

When we bought our first salon, we almost bought a salon because we were spending lots of time researching and looking at salons with nothing to show for months. My wife fell in love with one salon because it was cheap, the equipment was good, and the location was average at best.

It took a lot of coercing to get her to back down. After a few more weeks, we bought our first salon, and our patience and due diligence paid off.

• Here is an article on how to start a tanning salon.

• Here is our 84 page guide to starting a tanning salon.
  

• Here is the answer to how much does it cost to open a tanning salon?

Please post your comments and suggestions…