Sheila in Minnesota

Most people come ONLINE to not only ‘talk’ with others that have similar situations (employee problems, equipment problems, the dreaded slow season, the emotional and financial highs of the BUSY, the funny or gross things that happen with clients on a day to day basis) - they COME online to LEARN.

To pay a consultant to set up shop is a great investment, especially for those that have never owned a business before, or how simply don’t have the education and experience to get started themselves.

But the fallacy that indoor tanning is a FUN and EASY way to make money doing what YOU enjoy is the first error many people make when deciding to ‘be their own boss’. For this reason, this industry sees about 35% new owners every year. And they take the place (and sometimes stores) of those that fell for the Fairy Tale about how fun indoor tanning is.

This business (like any other business) requires effort .... there is NO ‘instant success or instant gratification ...... and Hard Work and Great client service and a Clean salon are NOT enough to succeed with.

The really wise people RESEARCH indoor tanning as a VIABLE money producer..... Let’s face it, day-care providers are making more money than MANY here, **** - - even McDonald’s PAYS more per hour than many salon owners personally make after a long day at the salon..... but if you understand that to succeed - you MUST be willing to LEARN and GROW while still providing the level of service you feel comfortable with - then you need to really take the time to LISTEN.

No one says you have to follow a plan or advice to the ”T” - but in every post, there is something that can help you learn and GROW your business.

Some salon owners have even become successful business people just by LISTENING to the meaning of a post and not getting weighed down in personal assumptions about the poster. . . .


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Standing Firm Against Diversion, Spammers and Obnoxious Vendors like Dorsey & Grip Adverslandering[ This Message was edited by: Sheila in Minnesota on 2004-12-05 01:18 ]

Sheila in Minnesota

So, let’s look as some examples of how regular people react to offers of advice.

You are new, don’t know much and a salesperson tells you they can sell you equipment that will KILL the competition..... that you will be successful.

Do you know how many people are willing to PAY thousands of dollars on a promise of success to a person whose own success lies simply in the selling you THAT EQUIPMENT?

Are bed dealers bad?

NO they are NOT.... they are in the business of selling YOU equipment. If they do a good job (don’t overtly screw you) and you do happen to succeed, they can hope for RETURN business ~ ~ but if not, there is always some newer salon owner they can do business with.

There are some very successful salon owners that come online - (reasons are mostly personal) but they come in the hopes of offering inspiration to those of us that are sitting in empty salons and even emptier checking accounts.

Do you guys remember Dot Com (,,,,,,,,}}}}}}} ‘grow in size or get out of town’)????

He is not a bad guy.

As a matter of fact, he is a very nice person and one that I happen to respect. But he (like some other sassy chicks I know,) tend to ruffle people’s feathers when he posts. He P*s*sses you off and you get INVOLVED, you start THINKING, and if you can be big enough to get past the personal offense you feel he has given you .... the message IS clear and it is true. There is a lot to be learned from people like our friend DOT COM ..... if you have the ability to visualize the TRUE intentions.

Is it enough to WANT to be successful? Or do you feel that only the RICHEST people can be successful?

The truth is, that most of the really big players in this industry.... started out with NOTHING. No silver spoons and sugar daddy support ..... no Masters Degrees in Business or even undergraduate degrees ..... But one thing they did not have was false expectations of How Fun Owning A Salon Would Be........

Sheila in Minnesota

OK .... There are many things that can suck about owning a ‘seasonal business’, one where the actual industry is disorganized, hated by many in the medical communities, and filled with - so called peers- that would run you over rather then let you get into your car before them .....

Flip side - - it is a GREAT business for those that enjoy interacting with lots of people on a daily basis, you can meet awesome folks online and at the shows, you will meet some of the most stellar human beings ~ and often times, they are the people that you employ.

There ARE ways to BEAT the ‘seasonal aspect’ of this business.... and with a little foresight, you can avoid the predators that fill this industry (and every other industry out there) and with a little practice and effort - YOU CAN LESSEN THE BLOWS FROM ANTI-TAN FACTIONS ... but it ALL takes time, it ALL requires and open mind to others stories, it requires you to WORK TOWARDS a plan that will not give you instant gratification ......and the sacrifices and extra work load are no joke.

But you want to be successful ` right?

Everyone’s EXPECTATIONS of what they want for success are different.... I have met people that won’t feel successful until they own 15-to 20 stores..... and others that feel success will be when they can run a good business and afford to take a vacation once a year.

Regardless.... one does not NEED to be selling drugs, or stripping at Joe’s to be successful (although the tips can be great) ..... but if I’ve said it once - I’ve said it a thousand times..... what WORKS in California will not necessarily work in Mississippi.... there is not ONE cookie cutter pattern that can cure the ills of YOUR situation..... but there are financial outlines that can be followed that has taken a guy with 3 beds to one with HUNDREDS of beds..... simply - numbers in a plan do not lie. 2+2 will ALWAYS equal 4.

I know a man...... some of you are getting to know him ~ and because the written word (posts ) and the writing style are not the same for everybody ( or even is the READER’S comprehension level the same ) this can lead to ruffled feathers and acid indigestion.

Like Dot Com ~ some people type WORSE than they can speak - and cannot express their thoughts as well as some sassy bi*tches that we know and love

The point I am trying to make is this: Not everyone that is successful comes Online to rub your nose in your struggle...... As an owner of a salon ~ it can be wise to listen to someone that can tell you HOW to avoid the mistakes they already made, and listen to how - by using a simply process of MATH - that you can STOP the process of being in a RUT (busy-slow-starvation cycle repeated year after year).

Can you take a 6-bed salon and transform it into a 20-bed mega store over nite?

Absolutely ...... NOT

But in order to grow your business you need to understand 2 things first..... One* The importance of gaining the MOST of the “client pie “as your customer base and Two* the need to use ADVERTISING expenses as a necessary part of your growth,.......

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Standing Firm Against Diversion, Spammers and Obnoxious Vendors like Dorsey & Grip Adverslandering[ This Message was edited by: Sheila in Minnesota on 2004-12-05 01:25 ]

Sheila in Minnesota

OMG...... if I could take back 1/2 of the BLUNDERS I made as a new salon owner - I would not be hardly psychotic at all!!!!

Like many .... I bought an EXISTING salon that was functioning.... and thought it was better than my original plan to Gut and Rebuild an already failed location.

If I had the advice of strangers.... like the ones you meet ONLINE prior to jumping into that deal - it never would have happened. The strange and lovely flip side of this is that I have made some wonderful, lifelong friendships that never would have been made, had I not bought this salon.

See - - - always a positive can be found in a negative!!!

TOO LATE in the game, I found Online forums..... Namely Tantoday.com and it was there that my REAL education about indoor tanning ( the politics of Anti-Tan and the politics of our own Trade Orgs, as well as the technical information that I had ZERO access to otherwise).

Sure - it’s great to share your troubles with others ..... but you also need to GET EMPOWERED to save a failing business, or simply to re-charge the goals of a static growth business.

I have a friend ---- he is in Jamaica by now, but I had the opportunity to spend some time on the phone with him on Saturday. He, (just like Dot Com) felt that the level of despair that he was seeing on this board was something he could help out with.

He was not aware of the in-house tension between some members .... and because of this already volatile atmosphere ~ his intentions to help were viewed as a successful salon owner showing up to BRAG and Rub Their Noses in their misery.

This is a man, who started out (and remains in Small Towns USA) and at times..... used all his income to buy 1 more bed even tho there was only a head of lettuce in the fridge. A Self-Made Man in this industry that happens to have quite a few ‘rags to riches’ (like Neon likes to dream of ) stories.

But using a simple numbers plan - - - - one that evolved over years of MAKING ERRORS every day - - - is now how he succeeds. It’s not EASY. No business ownership is. But he has proven to me - that anyone that owns a salon or plans to start one from scratch - - can achieve whatever goals they set out to gain.......

Imagine getting the consulting advice for free!! ..... and without AGENDA .....

To pass up this opportunity to learn from someone that already been there, done that, and fixed all the kinks.... well,

It’s like seeing a $100 Bill in the street - and deciding it takes too much effort to bend over and pick it up......

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Standing Firm Against Diversion, Spammers and Obnoxious Vendors like Dorsey & Grip Adverslandering[ This Message was edited by: Sheila in Minnesota on 2004-12-05 01:49 ]

Sheila in Minnesota

So..... you have a salon. You have competition that is charging LESS than you do or worse, just gives plain shi**y service. You use the yellow pages, you send out mailers, you plaster the cars in parking lots with fliers..... why are you not flooded with clients???

Didn’t somebody say... “if you build it, THEY will come”??? Sure they did.... and others heard the SAME message.....

How can you grow your client base?

Is there a way, that you can gain the lion’s share of all AVAILABLE people that use tanning?

Do you have to give it away to gain that customer’s loyalty to you?

I’ll admit.... I’ve flip-flopped myself on this issue so many times ..... but that was because I kept waiting for a promised expansion - - - it never came. But - even with a power problem (lack of amps) I STILL could have upgraded a few beds over the time I was there in order to make an EFT / Debit Membership work.

If you can imagine that the PREMISE is to CREATE the year round tanner simply by making it EASY for them to be your client - you can afford to offer them a fantastic value, with easy-payments, and the ability to see more of that client (and perhaps increase your sales of upgrade visits and other retail sales) .....

Now let me give an example...... I was stunned by the suggestion of selling a year membership for $199.00 ****, I was getting $56.00 for a 6 week ‘Base Builder Program / 15 tans max’ in regular 24 lamp SCA IIs......HOW could I survive on only getting $199.00 for a year of unlimited tanning sessions????

Fact is: if at my prices, I saw that client for only 3 months..... I would only make $168 and never see them again until next spring..... SURE ~ plenty would have loved to come in during the other months..... but the idea of spending another hit of 60.00 bucks would have wilted that desire I’m sure.

How can you succeed on this Easy to Pay - Exceedingly Great Value to the Client?

How will you MEET the bloody rent?
Pay the Staff???
Pay the utilities????
Don’t you NEED a lot of beds to pull this off????

But like I’ve said..... it’s a plan with MANY steps.... and the need to SET YOUR OWN GOALS to grow.

Without upgrade equipment, you are limited in not being able to compete with other salons that do offer it, and you are limited in the TYPE of tanning plans you can offer...... but imagine, with a great advertising campaign that offers a great value to the client, with easy payments combined with great staff, friendly service and a real commitment to their satisfaction----- you will be able to buy that next piece of equipment that will raise your monthly income so that it pays for itself and the next new bed.

Sure.... you may have to eat lettuce for awhile..... but are you eating any better July thru January now?




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Standing Firm Against Diversion, Spammers and Obnoxious Vendors like Dorsey & Grip Adverslandering[ This Message was edited by: Sheila in Minnesota on 2004-12-05 02:21 ]

Sheila in Minnesota

Let’s look at upgrades for a bit......

All humans have teeth. So technically, they don’t really need a fork and knife to be able to eat.

At the all -you- can- eat deal the client that chooses the Entry Level package gets to eat only the foods that are easy to manage with their hands and teeth.....

Some clients prefer to use a knife and fork .... so they will opt for the Mid-line package that gives them the bells and whistles of being able to Eat more efficiently and with better satisfaction for a few more dollars.

And then there is the Fillet Mignon crowd..... They want champagne with their meal, and are willing to spend more to ensure they get it.

Maybe this is a bizarre analogy ~ but it is easy to visualize how upgrades work.

I had a small salon..... only 8 beds. With 3000 active clients on the database..... if I had offered the Entry Level beds at a (this will make Robbie smile) $18.88 a month EFT Debit..... I would gross close to $56,000 a month ....... say if only 1500 of them paid an extra $5 to use an upgrade bed, that would bring in another $7,500 and so on.....

I NEVER had a $56,000 dollar month....... not the way I ran my business. ~ but imagine if only 1/2 those 3000 clients opted for the $18.88 month unlimited .... I would STILL make close to $19,000 a month..... as bad as my rent was - - - -it was no where NEAR 20K a month!!!

So....... with this type of income ~ do you think you could afford to expand? afford to upgrade? afford to open another store if you wanted?

You could.... given time .... and by using that income towards stellar marketing to ALLOW THEM TO COME

Remember - - -this is just tanning services I am talking about.

I happened to excel in Lotion Sales..... it was the biggest moneymaker for me over the years - and at times, was the only thing that kept my head above water.

One does not need 20 beds to make this plan work.

But one does need to understand that it is far easier to Make and Keep a client by offering great services at a great value..... being able to offer the knife and fork, or Fillet Mignon only makes your business better.

Sheila in Minnesota

Can we talk about CHAINS?? the BIG BOYS taking indoor tanning to CORPORATE levels?

And why we fear them?

First - I want you to remember when you went to the small, local, mom&pop video store..... you had less selection and sometimes an unviewable movie. You often missed your return due date cause - unlike you, they don’t sit up til 3am watching movies.....

And along comes..... say it with me!! BlockBuster Video..... and they quite literally put Mom&Pop video ‘out of business’ cause let’s fact it...... they offered more selection, better prices and were more convenient for the customers .....

Are they evil?

Some like to think so.... but I challenge anyone of you to tell me you opted to stay with the Mom&Pop Video stores out of loyalty.

Guess what?

NetFlix is kicking the sh*t out of Block Buster..... for 17.99 a month - you can get unlimited movies, they send them to you in the mail, they give you a pre-paid postage envelope for each of the DVDs, you can keep em as long as you want..... you just can’t get more movies till you return em......

Are they Evil for doing the service better than Blockbuster?

or Are they SMART?

Even tho I never wanted to own more than 1 salon..... I can see how Advertising money is better spent when you have 2-3-5-10 stores incomes paying for it.

The more you have, the BETTER the lotion deals you can command (Sh**T, just look at ‘Bad Dog’ ) and also, the BETTER deals on equipment you can also command based upon the VOLUME of business you will be doing.

It makes sense to understand that a smaller salon will have to pay the same, if not more of the costs to MARKET your business than the bigger guys ..... a $6000.00 radio ad is easy to chew when 8 STORES are chipping in for the cost of that ad.....

But regardless of size..... you do need to get SMART about how to advertise your salon. This is another area I personally succeeding in screwing up .... and I am not alone.

Sheila in Minnesota

I hate the terminology ‘Cheapest Tans in Town’ and it can be done without all that bullsh*t mind games......

who doesn’t want a GREAT VALUE coupled with GREAT SERVICE?

I have a friend Sean, whose motto was Make it EASIER for your customers to do business with YOU ..... and then take it the next step ~ annouce to the world (or your local piece of it) WHY your salon should be their choice to tan at.

Consider a 6 to 10 week campaign that gets to the population..... once is not enough. 4-5 efforts over this time will be hard to forget..... and let’s remember ----- for most of us, word of mouth is an awesome referral tool..... for every one client your advertising brings in, your great value and service will be cause for 2-3 friends of that client to come in.

ok.... I'll admit it..... it's after 3 am and I am tired....

So I will leave you with this sweet thought for your pillows........

We have seen proof that it can be done .... and we know now, that not every successful poster is an evil sh*t....

Every salon owner out there can CHOOSE to start a plan for the future of their success..... sometimes you just need that *jump start* and the spirit to see it thru.

Sheila in Minnesota

*oh, and Dorsey?

I do believe in magic*

studio 102

As always, some good advice from the "Queen of Awareness".

That was some GREAT reading, my lovely Ms ~S~!