sunsally

Tan Hopes -

I was watching this thread earlier, and my first thought was ...."Only 60K population, Darque Tan market - their salon is very popular, the others are dirty and need to change lamps.....hmmm......pretty easy to do a quick clean and change lamps if new competition comes to town, and even easier to add a new Darque Tan --- I'd say no".

Then I see how you have responded to "Robbie S", and even more so, I'd say ---- NO.

As I have a habit of writing long posts, I'm going to break this into smaller pieces with some general advice for new prospective salon owners everywhere.

First advice - KNOW your competition!

While you may not know this, Robbie S is among the most widely respected in this entire industry as a great mind and great businessman. Darque Tan is among the most successful models in the country. Robbie has implemented some of the most successful strategies now copied (sometimes well, sometimes not well) by salons everywhere - oftentimes with his help and encouragement.

And no - he is not my "friend", we have met in passing and I can assure you he has no idea who I am -- but in my line of work I interact with his peers, suppliers, friends and others, have studied his model as a consultant and I have also been on the boards long enough to recall when he more actively participated and I can assure you he is the "real deal".

CAN you open one there? Sure. Can you be successful? Maybe. I guarantee I have NEVER talked to one salon owner ever, in over 5 years in this industry, who didn't think that the existing competition where they wanted to open was a) dirty and b) rude/bad customer service. Always - EVERY time. What they don't realize is it is a lot more than that separating success from failure.

"Know your competition" means --- know what THEY can do to respond to you. Can they get off their butts and do a quick spruce up on decor or add a bed and suddenly be in the game again at minimal cost? Can they stop being lassez-faire with staff and reinforce good customer service skills? Can they offer some crazy specials (free tanning for a week, a month, a summer, a year.......) to ensure you never get off your feet?? Can they add another store to your market and "book end" you so that they are the "first stop" for customers coming from any direction??

Look at your competition with a CRITICAL eye. But then go back and try to look at them with the most generous attributions. What might CUSTOMERS like about going there? Is it convenient (location, hours), comfortable (been going there, familiar), cheap, popular (there are a LOT of people who like to "stay with the herd", even when that means waiting around -- it is why some popular restaurants will have 1 hour plus waits in a night and another down the street might be empty!)? Is it only a little bit of those things, but they have INCREDIBLE sales skills and somehow "talk" customers into THINKING it is those things?

Step 1 for anyone thinking of opening a salon - KNOW your competition!

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