Help - I need some promotion ideas! - TanToday

theelles · 22nd June 2006, 03:11 PM

We have hit out slow season and are trying to stay alive. I am in South Texas and have a lot of competition with the sun! We have hair and nail services in our salon and we sell fashion accessories and Circle E candles. Our preference is of course selling tanning pkgs - no sales tax to pay. I would welcome any suggestions. Our EFT's are keeping us going.

Rob · 22nd June 2006, 03:52 PM

Give me a call, I have an idea for you.
866-954-1305

Soo · 22nd June 2006, 03:59 PM

We have a special running whenever product is available on closeout prices... such as Formula 420 and that bunch of lotions with the free 18oz of Fully Loaded for $25.00...I bought 400 (i think actually more) of these 4 different kinds in early January and have about 30 left...the deal was unbelievable...the tanners go crazy over it...many have purchased those for starter lotions and moved up from there...

Still have this one going...Free week of tanning in base units with any lotion $35. and up...

Free tan w/ any purchase of moisturizer...so thats like a free bottle or tan whichever they call it...It's a deal too...

Use a hook with your least expensive month that includes the purchase of $20. of lotion or better for that special...

You can do it...Don't forget to remind them to protect themselves and not tan and sun the same day...and how tanning with you they can be assured a NO burn session as opposed to the Texas sun this time of year...

Have a Great Day... Soo

Alan @ TanToday · 22nd June 2006, 07:32 PM

What I love is when people ask for advice and someone gives them a # instead of just sharing.

Theelles, what did Rob pitch you on?

As for this time of year CONSERVE CASH and reload for next "season".

gottatanfl · 23rd June 2006, 12:28 PM

As Alan said conserve your money til next season.

If you can do a direct mailer try a special to get them back in, like a discount on lotions with tanning packages or a tan til Sept for $$. Maybe a bogo offer.

theelles · 24th June 2006, 12:04 PM

Thanks to everyone that responded to my plea. Great ideas!

SOLSTICE · 27th June 2006, 08:28 AM

First post...I have an idea. Get your staff motivated! Want something off the shelf? You can either sale price it for the customer or we will first give the incentive to the employee. For us we have bought 6 bottles of Addicted to Love at the beginning of the season just isn't moving - so we put up weekly memos for staff. This one is $10 to any staff member that "gets if off our shelf" contest and that is the way we post it. If they can't sell it then we put our a flyer in the salon and "super sale" it.
WEEKLY the staff has a posting that says sell "this lotion" you get.... anything from a free gas card, t-shirt, car wash, bath scrub, movie passes. Some weeks the offer isn't good enough some weeks they fly. We will also have contests based upon sales per hour or total sales. Such as High Pressure sales - we just had a 4 day contest who could sell the most between our 2 stores. then gave them a goal of what they would get if they met or exceeded the sale goal ( 2 movie passes each) then we based upon most per hour (this way if you have a part-time staff even they can score and win) $10 gas card, then based on most sold for the event - a bath scrub. Losers always get something too... usually goofy stuff we have accumulated such as car air freshners, key chains - something fun but usually stupid!

BigLeo · 27th June 2006, 10:08 AM

check out Pointblank Business Technology. they have free marketing advice that you can download for free. last time i checked they had all kinds of ideas for boosting sales during the slow season

theelles · 27th June 2006, 12:18 PM

Great ideas! Thanks!

Sun shine · 6th July 2006, 07:35 PM

Buy one tan get one free mondays
Happy hour fridays half price tans(works grate if there is a bar next to you)

Rob · 7th July 2006, 12:03 AM

[quote][What I love is when people ask for advice and someone gives them a # instead of just sharing.

Theelles, what did Rob pitch you on?

As for this time of year CONSERVE CASH and reload for next "season".
__________________
/QUOTE]

This is Tammy. Alan, I do believe I talked to you and gave you help and advice when you were first purchasing your Sizzles tan salon.

why Rob didn't post and gave a number is because he already posted some of it elsewhere and didn't want to type it all again. And it wouldn't have cost the salon owner a cent to implement. But you made sure by your post that they wouldn't call to find out how they can increase their sales in the slow season because you made them think the were going to be "pitched" something. Thanks Alan, after being one of the few to actualy HELP you on TSO when you were first getting into the business, way to thank us. Your advice to the salon owner was WAY helpful now wasn't it. But thats what I'd expect to hear from a salon owner who's only been in the bus just a year. But because you own this site, now you act like you know it all about tanning. You have a long way to go.

Rob wasn't going to "PITCH" anyone anything, but rather offer some PROVEN methods to increase your slow season sales, many of them. As for sharing them on here, ya great idea, give my competitors a heads up on how we are NUMBER 1 On Vancouver Island as the most efficent and profitable salon. ( with only 6 units I might add, something you think is a waste of time, as you said, 13-15 beds or don't even bother. how many hours you working your salon Alan? we are hardly there, and live soley off the one salon) We would gladly help anyone on here learn from our 7 years experience in the industry, help them learn from our mistakes, (except comp) and pass on what we've learned from other great salons that are #1 in their Market, but you just took that away from all your readers.

Thanks Alan. Your welcome for the help we offered you in your begining also. Did we pitch you anything? I think not.

Brandy · 7th July 2006, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan @ TanToday

What I love is when people ask for advice and someone gives them a # instead of just sharing.

Theelles, what did Rob pitch you on?

As for this time of year CONSERVE CASH and reload for next "season".

I was going to say the same thing. If you are going to share, SHARE with all of us or don't say anything at all.

gottatanfl · 7th July 2006, 10:42 AM

Ditto........
Post valuable info for all of us to read.

Rob · 7th July 2006, 01:06 PM

There is hundreds of valuable info that will never make it to these boards. I have learned more by calling and talking to salon owners one on one than i ever learned from these chat sites. Sorry, salon owners that are successful, aren't going to post their success secrets on boards for all their competition to read.

Also, had Rob post all the info he had on here, it would have taken him a whole day to type it all, and it would have probably spanned the full 2 pages on its own, that this topic had has encompased. And then there is no garauntee all would have understood it correctly, as people learn different from one another and often need things explained different. We have been entrusted with valuable secrets from other salons, entrusted we would not plaster it online for their comp to benifit from also. You will never learn even a quarter of the info out there from these boards. You must network with other salonowners to learn. Every time I talk to a different salon owner, I learn something new. Usualy some small but hugely valueable tool. Online, haven't learned anything new of any valueable since the days of the "old tantoday". Everything now has been nothing but repeating the same old same old. I've actualy seen less and less of the good info talked about that use to be on boards as the salon owners possessing that knowlege are sick of re-posting what they have already posted many times, and lots of them just plain don't participate anymore because of the lack of new info and a flood of newbie's asking over and over the same questions

Tommy · 10th July 2006, 03:08 PM

I like the cheap stuff, lots and lots of different things that take more effort than money, I’m a strong believer in “Word of mouth”, give your staff something to chat with your customers about.

Calender events. (both)
Bikini babes handing out flyers. (new customers)
Co-advertising with other businesses. (new customers)
Email. (existing customers)
Salon Parties. (both)
Sponsoring local events. (both)

Good Luck.

Tom

Stephen Underhill · 11th July 2006, 10:47 AM

I just went through all of the most recent post on this entire site. The majority of all of the post are people bickering back and forth. I think you have lost site of the potential of forums. These are not chat rooms designed so people can hide behind their computers and pretend to be something or someone they are not. I always thought they where a place where ideas are shared. Instead it is just a place to knock the other guy. If you don't like the information or how or who presents it you attack and dilute the original content. Everyone is so judgmental and holly. All you have to do is be in the tanning business for ten minutes and all of a sudden you are an authority on everything. Spend some time in this industry before you think you know it all. Until then it would not hurt to just listen and maybe learn. If you are this way in your salon you will fail. You must listen to establish the tanners needs. The same here, you must listen and learn. If you are in a salon that is struggling you probably should not be giving advice, you should be asking for it.

Rob · 11th July 2006, 01:42 PM

(Sun Shine)

You sent me an email asking if you could call me, I replyed but no call. I am posting on here in case you didn't get my email.

1-866-954-1305

I am on the west coast.

Natureboy · 11th July 2006, 02:53 PM

1.Make more in season, to get through the off. Period.

2.Drop all advertising (within reason), reduce hours, staff, costs anyway you can in off or JASON as I like to call it.

3. If you are not already, work some shifts yourself, unless you are well off enough not to do so.

Side shows, candles, massage, ect is all just wasting your time IMO to make more in off season. This is the bottom line. If anyone has an idea that REALLY works in off season. I will pay $1000 for it. Because in all these years, I have never see it and I have tried it all.

Rob · 11th July 2006, 11:04 PM

James, you know that cust Ap thingy you and I do in the spring, we do it also in Sept. it realy boosts our slow season as well as jump starts the tanning seasion. We focus our advertising of it through direct Mail outs mostly, word of mouth, we do a full page news add ( I know this isn't for your area) and I put a sign out at the road saying HUGE SALE 3 days only. we do the same in dollars as we do when we do it in the spring, and we run the same specail. You know, the one that is perceived by the customer as a phenomenal deal, but doesn't break us. (the 50% more thingy. So if you try it in Sept, (usualy we do it in the middle) and you do as good or close to as you did in the spring, do I get the $1000???? lol just kidding. Just want to see you do well.

Natureboy · 12th July 2006, 12:14 PM

Actually I was considering it this fall....funny you mention that. Was thinking more about late November though. Probably just do a direct mailout. No radio for this one.

If I do as good on it as I do in the spring, I will send you a case of good old Saskatchewan "Philsner".

22nd June 2006, 03:11 PM	#1 (permalink)
theelles Rookie Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 10	Help - I need some promotion ideas! We have hit out slow season and are trying to stay alive. I am in South Texas and have a lot of competition with the sun! We have hair and nail services in our salon and we sell fashion accessories and Circle E candles. Our preference is of course selling tanning pkgs - no sales tax to pay. I would welcome any suggestions. Our EFT's are keeping us going.

22nd June 2006, 03:59 PM	#3 (permalink)
Soo Hall of Famer Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,574	We have a special running whenever product is available on closeout prices... such as Formula 420 and that bunch of lotions with the free 18oz of Fully Loaded for $25.00...I bought 400 (i think actually more) of these 4 different kinds in early January and have about 30 left...the deal was unbelievable...the tanners go crazy over it...many have purchased those for starter lotions and moved up from there... Still have this one going...Free week of tanning in base units with any lotion $35. and up... Free tan w/ any purchase of moisturizer...so thats like a free bottle or tan whichever they call it...It's a deal too... Use a hook with your least expensive month that includes the purchase of $20. of lotion or better for that special... You can do it...Don't forget to remind them to protect themselves and not tan and sun the same day...and how tanning with you they can be assured a NO burn session as opposed to the Texas sun this time of year... Have a Great Day... Soo __________________ What Other Profession Does The Sun Shine Everyday?? Enjoy It !!

22nd June 2006, 07:32 PM	#4 (permalink)
Alan @ TanToday Checks and Balances Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,158	What I love is when people ask for advice and someone gives them a # instead of just sharing. Theelles, what did Rob pitch you on? As for this time of year CONSERVE CASH and reload for next "season". __________________ Alan "America is too great for small dreams" - Ronald Reagan

27th June 2006, 08:28 AM	#7 (permalink)
SOLSTICE In need of Wisdom Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 7	motivate staff..... First post...I have an idea. Get your staff motivated! Want something off the shelf? You can either sale price it for the customer or we will first give the incentive to the employee. For us we have bought 6 bottles of Addicted to Love at the beginning of the season just isn't moving - so we put up weekly memos for staff. This one is $10 to any staff member that "gets if off our shelf" contest and that is the way we post it. If they can't sell it then we put our a flyer in the salon and "super sale" it. WEEKLY the staff has a posting that says sell "this lotion" you get.... anything from a free gas card, t-shirt, car wash, bath scrub, movie passes. Some weeks the offer isn't good enough some weeks they fly. We will also have contests based upon sales per hour or total sales. Such as High Pressure sales - we just had a 4 day contest who could sell the most between our 2 stores. then gave them a goal of what they would get if they met or exceeded the sale goal ( 2 movie passes each) then we based upon most per hour (this way if you have a part-time staff even they can score and win) $10 gas card, then based on most sold for the event - a bath scrub. Losers always get something too... usually goofy stuff we have accumulated such as car air freshners, key chains - something fun but usually stupid!

7th July 2006, 12:03 AM	#11 (permalink)
Rob Super Star Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 969	[quote][What I love is when people ask for advice and someone gives them a # instead of just sharing. Theelles, what did Rob pitch you on? As for this time of year CONSERVE CASH and reload for next "season". <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->__________________ /QUOTE] This is Tammy. Alan, I do believe I talked to you and gave you help and advice when you were first purchasing your Sizzles tan salon. why Rob didn't post and gave a number is because he already posted some of it elsewhere and didn't want to type it all again. And it wouldn't have cost the salon owner a cent to implement. But you made sure by your post that they wouldn't call to find out how they can increase their sales in the slow season because you made them think the were going to be "pitched" something. Thanks Alan, after being one of the few to actualy HELP you on TSO when you were first getting into the business, way to thank us. Your advice to the salon owner was WAY helpful now wasn't it. But thats what I'd expect to hear from a salon owner who's only been in the bus just a year. But because you own this site, now you act like you know it all about tanning. You have a long way to go. Rob wasn't going to "PITCH" anyone anything, but rather offer some PROVEN methods to increase your slow season sales, many of them. As for sharing them on here, ya great idea, give my competitors a heads up on how we are NUMBER 1 On Vancouver Island as the most efficent and profitable salon. ( with only 6 units I might add, something you think is a waste of time, as you said, 13-15 beds or don't even bother. how many hours you working your salon Alan? we are hardly there, and live soley off the one salon) We would gladly help anyone on here learn from our 7 years experience in the industry, help them learn from our mistakes, (except comp) and pass on what we've learned from other great salons that are #1 in their Market, but you just took that away from all your readers. Thanks Alan. Your welcome for the help we offered you in your begining also. Did we pitch you anything? I think not. Last edited by Rob; 7th July 2006 at 12:11 AM..

22nd June 2006, 03:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rob Super Star Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 969	Give me a call, I have an idea for you. 866-954-1305

23rd June 2006, 12:28 PM	#5 (permalink)
gottatanfl Hall of Famer Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,605	As Alan said conserve your money til next season. If you can do a direct mailer try a special to get them back in, like a discount on lotions with tanning packages or a tan til Sept for $$. Maybe a bogo offer.

24th June 2006, 12:04 PM	#6 (permalink)
theelles Rookie Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 10	Thanks to everyone that responded to my plea. Great ideas!

27th June 2006, 10:08 AM	#8 (permalink)
BigLeo All Star Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 59	check out Pointblank Business Technology. they have free marketing advice that you can download for free. last time i checked they had all kinds of ideas for boosting sales during the slow season

27th June 2006, 12:18 PM	#9 (permalink)
theelles Rookie Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 10	Great ideas! Thanks!

6th July 2006, 07:35 PM	#10 (permalink)
Sun shine Rookie Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 22	Buy one tan get one free mondays Happy hour fridays half price tans(works grate if there is a bar next to you)

7th July 2006, 10:42 AM	#13 (permalink)
gottatanfl Hall of Famer Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,605	Ditto........ Post valuable info for all of us to read.

7th July 2006, 01:06 PM	#14 (permalink)
Rob Super Star Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 969	There is hundreds of valuable info that will never make it to these boards. I have learned more by calling and talking to salon owners one on one than i ever learned from these chat sites. Sorry, salon owners that are successful, aren't going to post their success secrets on boards for all their competition to read. Also, had Rob post all the info he had on here, it would have taken him a whole day to type it all, and it would have probably spanned the full 2 pages on its own, that this topic had has encompased. And then there is no garauntee all would have understood it correctly, as people learn different from one another and often need things explained different. We have been entrusted with valuable secrets from other salons, entrusted we would not plaster it online for their comp to benifit from also. You will never learn even a quarter of the info out there from these boards. You must network with other salonowners to learn. Every time I talk to a different salon owner, I learn something new. Usualy some small but hugely valueable tool. Online, haven't learned anything new of any valueable since the days of the "old tantoday". Everything now has been nothing but repeating the same old same old. I've actualy seen less and less of the good info talked about that use to be on boards as the salon owners possessing that knowlege are sick of re-posting what they have already posted many times, and lots of them just plain don't participate anymore because of the lack of new info and a flood of newbie's asking over and over the same questions

10th July 2006, 03:08 PM	#15 (permalink)
Tommy Veteran Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 290	I like the cheap stuff, lots and lots of different things that take more effort than money, I’m a strong believer in “Word of mouth”, give your staff something to chat with your customers about. Calender events. (both) Bikini babes handing out flyers. (new customers) Co-advertising with other businesses. (new customers) Email. (existing customers) Salon Parties. (both) Sponsoring local events. (both) Good Luck. Tom

11th July 2006, 10:47 AM	#16 (permalink)
Stephen Underhill Super Star Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 597	I just went through all of the most recent post on this entire site. The majority of all of the post are people bickering back and forth. I think you have lost site of the potential of forums. These are not chat rooms designed so people can hide behind their computers and pretend to be something or someone they are not. I always thought they where a place where ideas are shared. Instead it is just a place to knock the other guy. If you don't like the information or how or who presents it you attack and dilute the original content. Everyone is so judgmental and holly. All you have to do is be in the tanning business for ten minutes and all of a sudden you are an authority on everything. Spend some time in this industry before you think you know it all. Until then it would not hurt to just listen and maybe learn. If you are this way in your salon you will fail. You must listen to establish the tanners needs. The same here, you must listen and learn. If you are in a salon that is struggling you probably should not be giving advice, you should be asking for it.

11th July 2006, 01:42 PM	#17 (permalink)
Rob Super Star Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 969	(Sun Shine) You sent me an email asking if you could call me, I replyed but no call. I am posting on here in case you didn't get my email. 1-866-954-1305 I am on the west coast.

11th July 2006, 02:53 PM	#18 (permalink)
Natureboy Moderator Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 3,339	1.Make more in season, to get through the off. Period. 2.Drop all advertising (within reason), reduce hours, staff, costs anyway you can in off or JASON as I like to call it. 3. If you are not already, work some shifts yourself, unless you are well off enough not to do so. Side shows, candles, massage, ect is all just wasting your time IMO to make more in off season. This is the bottom line. If anyone has an idea that REALLY works in off season. I will pay $1000 for it. Because in all these years, I have never see it and I have tried it all. __________________ Turn out the lights, the party is over.

11th July 2006, 11:04 PM	#19 (permalink)
Rob Super Star Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 969	James, you know that cust Ap thingy you and I do in the spring, we do it also in Sept. it realy boosts our slow season as well as jump starts the tanning seasion. We focus our advertising of it through direct Mail outs mostly, word of mouth, we do a full page news add ( I know this isn't for your area) and I put a sign out at the road saying HUGE SALE 3 days only. we do the same in dollars as we do when we do it in the spring, and we run the same specail. You know, the one that is perceived by the customer as a phenomenal deal, but doesn't break us. (the 50% more thingy. So if you try it in Sept, (usualy we do it in the middle) and you do as good or close to as you did in the spring, do I get the $1000???? lol just kidding. Just want to see you do well.

12th July 2006, 12:14 PM	#20 (permalink)
Natureboy Moderator Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 3,339	Actually I was considering it this fall....funny you mention that. Was thinking more about late November though. Probably just do a direct mailout. No radio for this one. If I do as good on it as I do in the spring, I will send you a case of good old Saskatchewan "Philsner". __________________ Turn out the lights, the party is over.

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