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Old 02-11-2002, 09:35 AM   #20 (permalink)
CHUNN
 
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We finally got Max to talk. After 2-3 weeks full of excuses which included the famous one about the airlines broke his laptop.

These questions were submitted by various TanTalk members.


(1) If you could take a picture of the tanning industry 10 years from now and describe it how would it look?

20:58:41 [Max] Great first question.....i think it will at least four to five times larger today. There will be roughly the same 20,000 plus salons, but they will be better, better equipment, better trained associates and better lotions

20:59:08 [Max] there will be winners and losers, i am not sure chains or franchising will work

20:59:28 [Max] great independents will flouish....

20:59:32 [buntanner] And why do you say that max?

20:59:44 [Max] Caltan and others may actually be publicly owned

20:59:48 [Christine'] whay makes you say that Max

21:00:21 [Max] I have visited every major firms research and development labs, i also know my own, the best is yet to come




(2) How do you feel about the scare tactics that ETS used pulling their advertising in response to your button campaign? What do you think now that they have decided to put their advertising back? How would you respond if you were censored by any of the major trade shows and told you couldn't pass out materials?

21:02:27 [Max] I was disapointed in the ETS decision to pull the ads after Tancun...i did not feel that Vince's group did anything wrong, you were there did you?

21:03:36 [Max] Don...actually i would like you to add where you feel it is appropriate, i have a tremendous amount of respect for you and your efforts on behalf of all of us often go unnoticed. So join in

21:03:46 [Don] It was a "shot across the bow" to keep all of the trade publications in line.

21:04:10 [chunn] TanCun was Great! I'm ready for next year. Spoke to Vince Friday and he's got dates for TanCun 2002. We will be talking more about TanCun in the days to come.

21:04:32 [Don] Manufacturers have too much control of the trade pubs; that's why they are losing credibility.

21:04:43 [chunn] I agree with Don. ETS was flexing their muscles.

21:04:58 [Max] Caltan...would never allow itself to be censored. We handled the I vote for Salons i thought very professionally. ETS does like the fact that you guys are getting full access to their business practices.

21:05:00 [buntanner] So you are saying that ETS used IST as a model

21:05:37 [Don] Unless and until salon owners are willing to pay for their magazines, the manufacturers will call all the shots.

21:05:44 [Max] I don't know, i really don't know Bill very well and have never met Trevor or Edna in person

21:05:58 [Max] Don could speculate on that better than i

21:06:38 [Max] i have not said fifty words to bill, i like some of their people, they are very hard workers

21:07:02 [Don] If you go back and read the "coverage" of Tan Cun, you can see why they had their nose out of joint. A certain company and a certain CEO got too much ink.

21:07:21 [Don] In IST.

21:07:53 [Christine'] but Caltan did more than anyone there

21:08:02 [becka] gosh I pay for my mag's

21:08:05 [Max] I liked (loved) Tancun, we worked very hard there, got the appropriate amount of press or so i would like to believe, they only sent two people and took it too lightly

21:08:11 [Christine'] why not more "ink"

21:08:22 [Don] That "certain CEO" is one of the best "smoozers" I have ever seen.

21:09:38 [Max] I also think Tancun is the very best convention i have ever been too, and i have been to more than 100 of them....they made you feel proud to be part of this industry



(3) How is Caltan compensating for the lost revenue of pulling out of beauty supply, internet sales, etc. You can't tell me that somehow that cost will not be passed onto salon owner's because it will. By demanding and clamping down on diversion. I fear that there is a high cost to that. I want to know what's changed since taking their strong stand on diversion.

21:10:04 [Max] Our revenue's have been fine and inline with all of our estimates

21:10:52 [Max] I think we have at last count more than 2000 salons owners who have thrown in with us by either stocking more of our products/lines or giving us a new chance.....

21:11:19 [Max] i think prices are unaffected by this decison



(4) What do you think the future holds for the ITA? How involved are you going to be in the goals of the ITA? Will the ITA ever enbrace the salon owners?

21:12:23 [Max] We need the ITA or something like the ITA to work.....our industry has alot of enemies out there

21:12:50 [Max] Caltan is a founding member, Frank Muscatello holds a board sear, we designed the logo for them

21:12:56 [toto] ITA did nothing in washington last week. why not?

21:13:20 [Max] I see the ITA role as simple "Protect the consumers right to tan" that's it

21:13:41 [toto] so how do they do that?

21:14:02 [Max] The ITA is now headed by an excellent person....Dan Humiston...a salon owner....can't reach out more than that

21:14:27 [toto] we need a million dollar a year organization to protect the consumer right to tan? we under fire that heavily?

21:14:45 [Don] The consumer will always have the right to tan. They may be inconvenienced by having to patronize more than one salon or be forced to buy a home tanning bed, but nothing will stop them from tanning.

21:14:51 [Max] why a million?

21:15:19 [Don] What is at stake is whether or not tanning salons will survive the regulatory onslaught!

21:15:32 [Max] yes, this industry is constantly under attack and was attacked this week and i saw a very negative article on Fox News this morning.

21:15:32 [toto] do you think so don?

21:15:54 [chunn] Don - What should the salon owners be doing to fight this? Spell it out.

21:16:14 [Don] The "consumers right to tan" is a "going nowhere" issue.

21:16:22 [buntanner] And why doesn't our organizations jump out before this starts every year???

21:16:26 [toto] Don - how did you do in washington?

21:16:33 [Max] First of all organize, hopefully Dan can help here.....

21:17:08 [Don] I made 5 of the 7 presentations made by the industry and I did my best.

21:17:28 [Don] That's all you can do.

21:17:33 [toto] and - what happend? who did the other two?

21:18:41 [Don] Michael Stepp (Wolff) presented data on violations of sunlamp compatibility (as did I) and a philips guy (J. Daniels) gave a technical presentation.

21:19:05 [toto] that's it?

21:19:08 [Max] Didn't Lonn Dugan also issue a press release there as well

21:19:27 [toto] no wonder we are taking so much bad press

21:19:46 [Don] At the end. After the scheduled meeting was over.

21:19:50 [Max] Mitzi...that is for Dan Humiston to answer and their new director and their board.

21:20:24 [buntanner] I realize that Max, but he doesnt come to the boards

21:20:24 [Don] The "bad press" came from a "swiss cheese" article (that is full of holes).



(5) Pretend you are a salon owner and CalTan does not exist. Which products would you carry and why?

21:22:59 [Max] Matahari and Emerald Bay....they are really good brands....LOL

21:23:31 [TanGirl] Max - Try again on that one.

21:23:35 [chunn] LOL!!!!

21:23:36 [Sammy] i knew you would say that Max

21:23:46 [Don] I will get the answers, trust me!

21:24:07 [Max] Maybe Designer Skin......Beth has some excitement going on over there. She is trying to do the right thing

21:24:27 [buntanner] beth is good

21:24:39 [Max] I could not support ETS, Supre or Body Invest on any level

21:25:05 [Max] they in my mind are working against me as a salon owner



(6) As a consumer, Pepsi, Coca-Cola and other such "big" companies nationally advertise. They educate me through their commercials and their products are an everyday staple in my life. The convenience store clerk, theater attendant and grocery store don't have to educate me on why I should buy a product. Why don't indoor tanning lotion companies such as California Tan promote their products on such a national level? Why is the sole responsibility for this exposure and education and consumers placed on the small shoulders of independent salon owners? Don't you think this is expecting an awful lot of them?

21:25:53 [Max] It should not be on them alone, we are launching local cable TV advertising for our Expert Salons to tie into.

21:25:54 [buntanner] How is that?

21:26:21 [Christine'] You asked him IF HE WAS A SALON OWNER

21:26:29 [Max] no i do not nor does caltan have any economic interest in any tanning salon

21:26:59 [buntanner] Why should it be Only Expert Salons tied in?

21:27:04 [Max] TV and Radio work great for tanning

21:27:27 [Max] we used it very efectively for Banana Boat

21:27:42 [Max] we will support those salons that support us

21:28:29 [buntanner] But Max I support you

21:29:13 [buntanner] I am not expert salon, but I stock and sell your products

21:29:20 [Max] I am personnally against Billboards (too high of a cost per thousand reach and billboards work best after and electronic image has been established), i don't believe in Val-Pak type coupons either, (not cost efficient against our target makret)

21:29:38 [Max] mitzi,,,,then become an expert salon

21:30:15 [Sammy] mitzi its easy to be expert salon

21:30:15 [buntanner] I would not stock only one line of any thing max. people like choices

21:30:36 [Steph] you don't have to be cal tan exclusive to be an expert salon



(7) Before going to work at CalTan, name a time when you listened to a customer and acted upon their wishes? Name a time when you didn't act upon those wishes?

21:31:36 [Max] Best success story......Playtex Spillproof Juice Cups......

21:32:06 [Max] Worst failure....launched a line of Sunscreens called BioSun, awful.

21:34:16 [Max] BioSun.....everyone in the focus groups and test groups said they were very afraid of the sun and would pay alot for premium products, they did not and we did not invest enough to get the job done...



(8) What was your childhood like?

21:36:48 [Max] And Max said.....Let there be manufactured UV Light and it was good

21:37:33 [chunn] He is ignoring question 8.

21:37:33 [Max] And then Max said....Let there be a multi step lotion system to compliment this manufactured UV Light and it was good too

21:38:01 [buntanner] And then Max forgot to use his product in tancun so he burn

21:38:13 [toto] MAx was hatched - never was a child

21:38:22 [toto] lol

21:38:24 [neon] and on the 8th question he rested

21:38:25 [Christine'] heheheheheeee

21:38:25 [Max] thanks mitzi...with friends like you who needs enemies

21:39:45 [Don] But Don will soon decree that UVR is not enough. What will you do then, Max?

21:40:19 [Max] I am from Buffalo, New York, we were happy, my mom and dad still live there (crazy if you ask me, but they won't move)

21:41:13 [Max] Buffalo is a great place to be from, despite all the jokes about it, i loved it....still a Bills fan (sadly)




(9) Aren't salon owners shooting themselves in the foot by demanding an end to diversion? Won't this only cause the price of lotion to sky rocket and force tanners to seek their lotions from other companies who don't have an anti-diversion policy which will in effect snowball, dropping in-salon lotion sales, forcing companies such as Caltan to re-evaluate their stance on diversion?

21:50:53 [Max] you already asked that one



(10) What do you consider the main influence that allowed you to get to where you are in life?

21:57:15 [Max] Moved to New York City at a young age, great for helping you grow.



(11) Is there any way to lower the salon cost in Canada. Apparently, salon cost in Canada is much higher than US cost. She stated that they have a really hard time selling CalTan since the prices are so high. They have to retail Naughty & Nice for over $90, and no one is willing to pay that.

22:04:05 [Max] i will answer, both Chipp and Malibu Stacey are right....we are going to review all of this for next season...


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