Steve Underhill

Quote (Steve, just out of curiousity. What can the average salon owner wannabe expect to pay in consultation fees? You know, so they can add that to the budget. )

I am sure I am not the only consultant available. The cost of hiring a consultant would be based on salon size of the salon and particular needs. In my case as you know I distribute the TanAmerica line of equipment. If a person is interested in the TanAmerica line of equipment, hiring me becomes a very easy decision because all of my extensive services are free when you equip your new salon with TA equipment.

Even if you are not interested in the TA line my services are less than the cost of a single base bed. However the savings that I create in opening the salon and the hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional income that is created over the life of your salon as a result of my services makes the decision easy.

Steve Underhill

Quote (I think some people are cut out to be business owners and the others, well they need to stick to working for the ones that are cut. )

All of those years of working for someone else is what fuels the desire to own your own business. Yes some people are leaders and others workers. However that not mean that the leader does not need help to experience the highest possible level of success. It also does not mean that a worker can't be given the knowledge to succeed, That is what build America. In most cases a persons life savings is involved, a consultant is a form of an insurance policy against failure.

Steve Underhill

Quote (I worked as a business consultant for approximately 5 years in the early 90's. I was trying to sell my services to a business owner when he asked me "If you know so **** much, why ain't you doing it yourself?".) I have attached my bio so you can see where my experience comes from. I have owned 14 different salons over the years. In the effort of always improving my situation based on current levels of knowledge. While still operating salons I founded the Texas Tanning Association later to become the National Tanning Association. Through my Association Introduced the first debit program to the tanning industry, today you refer to it as EFT. I was offered an opportunity to get a new importing and manufacturing off the ground (puretan) I spent 12 years as the General Sales Manager, we grew that company to the fourth largest manufacturer in the US. When I left puretan I knew there there was a void in the industry. With all of the manufacturers and distributors out there, no one was providing a complete service that would teach salon owners how to be successful. While at puretan i developed the Tanning For Profit marketing program which at that time was the only structured marketing program that was available to the public. In all of the 27 years that I have spent in this industry I have always compiled information and statistics that helped me determine what worked and didn't work in salons. I devoted myself to creating programs that where easy to understand and implement using excepted marketing principals and current industry standards. Because the industry is always changing, I wrote Tanning For Profit The powertan edition, and the program that I now promote (Tan Today).

So you ask why do I consult instead of operating my own salons? Because I not only try and teach people how to progress in their knowledge but I have put my self in a position to improve my own situation through 27 years of hard work. I would actually like to have a couple of salons here in Texas again, however it is a conflict of interest for my clients to have to compete against me. That is also why I give my clients that I set up a protection radius so I am not helping your competition.

·Owned and operated 14 tanning salons in Dallas, Texas
·Owned and operated one of the largest tanning equipment and supplies distributing company in the US (Southern Exposure)
·Distributed 10 different lines of tanning equipment
·Developed and marketed a private line of lamps and lotions
·Founder and President of Texas Tanning Association, later to become the National Tanning Association
·Introduced automatic debit to the tanning industry through the NTA, later to become Electronic Funds Transfer
·Creator and Author of Tanning For Profit, Tanning For Profit the PowerTan Edition, Tanning Today, Value Plus and Toning & Tanning Today the four most successful marketing programs in the industry
·Featured speaker, teaching Tanning For Profit seminars at tanning trade shows and for large chains of tanning salons
·National Sales Manager for puretan International Inc. a tanning equipment manufacturing company for 12 years
·Owner of SMU Consulting and Equipment Sales

Steve Underhill

Quote (EFT's are ALL about volume. Sooooo, if you can get top dollar out of the clients now, why start an EFT and hope you double or triple the volume just to make the same?)

In my opinion it is a good idea to always be concerned with the future of your salon and all possible occurrences.

If you sell tanning based on equipment use rather than selling the desire to be a part of something (Memberships) you leave your business vulnerable to fluctuating seasons and economic conditions. I am sure you will agree that it is a great advantage knowing that each month before a single tanner comes through the door you are guaranteed an income of a few thousand dollars up to 30 or 40 thousand dollars as a result of your membership programs. An EFT program is not your only way to sell tanning but it is probably the most important foundation for a business like tanning. I think many people believe they are discounting the value of tanning when offering Value memberships. This may be because you don't understand the dynamics of this type of marketing. At the end of each year a tanning salon that is properly structured and packaged using a program that includes EFT memberships will always be more profitable and create more income than the salon that does not offer EFT. Again it is all about having the proper information to make this type of program work.

This is why only 10% of todays salons are maximizing income potential and 90% are leaving some meat on the bone.

billable

Steve,

I assure you that I wasn't trying to attack you. I hope you understand that.

However, I still think that it is at the best, misleading and at the worst, lying to state that "the things that you teach are successful 100% of the time."

You and I (and everyone else reading this) know that there is nothing in business that is 100% successful. There are too many variables. It may not have been your intention, but I read your post to say that, if I buy your beds and follow your advice, there is 0% chance of failure. That may not be message that you were trying to impart, but it comes across as that.

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Waiting list candidates 96,910
as of July 8 2007 at 4:23pm

Mr Derf

Told you.

Mr Derf

Yes, I'm now working for Frankie in his salon.

Mr Derf

No, your wife did in between gulps.

billable

Then it must be true. She knows everything.

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Waiting list candidates 96,910
as of July 8 2007 at 4:23pm

Mr Derf

Don't they all?