First Tan Free ??? - Page 2

Tropical Image · 02-28-2003, 10:23 AM

O yes MOTO, I agree that no one should walk in expecting anything free. I agree that maybe you shouldn't offer free tans to everyone, just advertise and include a coupon. That way you know how many free tans will be coming in and you most likely won't be losing any money. I was looking for a new salon yesterday and found a few in the phonebook but guess what i tried the one that had a coupon for a free tan. And guess what they proved themselves, and i am going back today to buy a package. If your salon is as good as you think, a free coupon wouldn't hurt your sales, because once your customers walk in, your salon should hook them.

_________________
* Laura *
* Year Round Tanner * [ This Message was edited by: Tropical Image on 2003-02-28 09:23 ]

moto-x-girly · 02-28-2003, 10:29 AM

I agree and I also do alot of advertising that runs "first time customer gets a free tan" But its those salon jumpers that get to me. I also have a question, if its your friends salon and all your friends work there, why are you looking for a new one?

Tropical Image · 02-28-2003, 10:41 AM

Well actually a couple reasons... yes they are my friends, and i actually hang out with them on a regular basis and i love them, but the salon's OWNER OWNER is NEVER there. The owner is my friends ex fiance. He is a horendous owner. If you all could see the salon you would be shocked. They have 5 20 min beds and a Starship. THATS IT! Keep in mind that the 20 min beds are seriously around 17 years old. He bought the salon from its previous owner, hoping to make a quick easy buck. When he bought the salon he hired my friend (his fiance's sister to manage it) and 2 other girls. THEY RUN THE SALON! He is NEVER THERE, maybe once a month, he never calls to see how everything is going. There newest lotion is SMOKE "regular". He doesn't believe in carrying bronzers or tingles. He works with computers for a living and the salon is just a way to make a few extra bucks. The only thing that kept me going back is the fact that I love the girls. Its just sad.

TikiTan · 02-28-2003, 10:54 AM

Ok, We do first tan for free.. For several reasons.. #1 I bought an existing salon where the reputation was going downhill.. I want customers to come back and see the changes/improvements at no cost to them... #2 even though we do this we force customers to go through our "sales pitch" prior to tanning.. this means a tour of the salon an explanation of the equipment, a view of our bathroom.. etc.. then we go back to the counter and have them fill out an exposure sheet... It is at this point most say ok..and I want to purchase.... (see we got them in and they loved us and bought...)
Another thing..we had a "sunfest" weekend last week. We used Grip Marketing and sent out 5,000 postcards for a "free tan"... We sold 90% of the customers who came in for the free tan that weekend (we had some specials to convince them to buy then..) but of the 10% who did not buy 5% came back after the sale and did and the other 5%.. who knows maybe we will see them in the future.. I know some had packages elsewhere... But even so some of them are still telling their friends about us... So a free tan is not always "free"... Just practice your sales techniques so it is not free

redhot · 02-28-2003, 11:42 AM

WHY DO WE HAVE TO GIVE ANYTHING FOR FREE???? I don't get it?! Can you name 5 other businesses that give a first anything for free?
A salon should "impress" by having good beds that work, a clean, friendly atmosphere, lots of nice touches/amenities, and a good variety of fair-priced packages.
There are always exceptions to the rule - but usually free tanners don't spend much money in your salon. Usually. Sure, some of them come back - but not that much.

And who's business is it about how much money we make off of one session? Why should that be any reason to give tans away? Do you know how much it costs Starbucks for that $5 cup of coffee you just paid for?

Hey - I'm a nice person. When new people come into my place, I treat them like family. They get all kinds of nice free things here. Just don't hit me up for a free tan! If I want to give you one, I"ll let you know.

_________________
[ This Message was edited by: redhot on 2003-02-28 10:44 ]

clubtannin · 03-01-2003, 01:46 AM

We do buy 1 tan get 1 free flyer around 3x a year. It has always worked well in the past...they have to be 1st time clients but if they're not, if they purchase a package they can get a free one tacked on but only 2x's. Having a buy one get one, gives a customer something for FREE which everyone loves, brings a little money in for the day but most importantly gives my staff a second chance to make that great impression and to sell them a package!

jimnkelli · 03-01-2003, 08:43 AM

I am not a fan of the first tan free, I believe it does encourage salon hopping with no intent on really finding a new/better place to tan. We do coupons that are 3 or 4 tans for a very good price, which gets the person to really get to know our place and our beds. We dont do any high pressure sales to clients, just want them to get to know how good our store really is.

Tamar · 03-04-2003, 09:24 AM

Freebies at my sole discretion only. We do, however, offer a credit for their walk in price if they buy a package within a week. Works very well for us.

hotgirl · 03-04-2003, 09:40 AM

The first tan is always free with us because there is a big Walmmart mentality in this town where people phone every salon in town for prices and go tom the cheapest one. You would not believe how many people walk through the door and ask for a price list. About 15 per day, and usually NONE of them even ask what kind of equipment we have. This is why I explain our booths and encourage them to try, because ours are SLIGHTLY more expensive than most FABUTAN-type places in this town, but once people have tried them, they will never go back. If we just had basic equipment; the same as everyone else, I don't know if the first tan would be free....

CancunRayz · 03-05-2003, 10:18 AM

We provide the first TAN FREE whenever someone calls to ask about pricing. We have learned to not say "Company policy does not allow us quote pricing over the phone". We tell them that tanning is specialized to each individual depending on skintypes/preferences/time and that we will assist them in finding a cost effective package to suit their needs. If they still insist, we ask the to come to the salon and take a salon tour and after the tour we provide them with a FREE TAN for taking the time.
If they still insist, then they are the competition and we provide them with the number of a low-cost salon.

______________________________
K. Orso
A Tropical Blend of Color and Style
Cancun Rayz Tanning Salon

[ This Message was edited by: CancunRayz on 2003-03-05 09:25 ]

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02-28-2003, 10:23 AM	#11 (permalink)
Tropical Image Join Date: Nov 18 2002 Posts: 400 Rep Power: 7	O yes MOTO, I agree that no one should walk in expecting anything free. I agree that maybe you shouldn't offer free tans to everyone, just advertise and include a coupon. That way you know how many free tans will be coming in and you most likely won't be losing any money. I was looking for a new salon yesterday and found a few in the phonebook but guess what i tried the one that had a coupon for a free tan. And guess what they proved themselves, and i am going back today to buy a package. If your salon is as good as you think, a free coupon wouldn't hurt your sales, because once your customers walk in, your salon should hook them. _________________ * Laura * * Year Round Tanner * [ This Message was edited by: Tropical Image on 2003-02-28 09:23 ]

02-28-2003, 10:29 AM	#12 (permalink)
moto-x-girly Join Date: Dec 4 2002 Posts: 79 Rep Power: 0	I agree and I also do alot of advertising that runs "first time customer gets a free tan" But its those salon jumpers that get to me. I also have a question, if its your friends salon and all your friends work there, why are you looking for a new one?

02-28-2003, 10:41 AM	#13 (permalink)
Tropical Image Join Date: Nov 18 2002 Posts: 400 Rep Power: 7	Well actually a couple reasons... yes they are my friends, and i actually hang out with them on a regular basis and i love them, but the salon's OWNER OWNER is NEVER there. The owner is my friends ex fiance. He is a horendous owner. If you all could see the salon you would be shocked. They have 5 20 min beds and a Starship. THATS IT! Keep in mind that the 20 min beds are seriously around 17 years old. He bought the salon from its previous owner, hoping to make a quick easy buck. When he bought the salon he hired my friend (his fiance's sister to manage it) and 2 other girls. THEY RUN THE SALON! He is NEVER THERE, maybe once a month, he never calls to see how everything is going. There newest lotion is SMOKE "regular". He doesn't believe in carrying bronzers or tingles. He works with computers for a living and the salon is just a way to make a few extra bucks. The only thing that kept me going back is the fact that I love the girls. Its just sad.

02-28-2003, 11:42 AM	#15 (permalink)
redhot Waiting Confirmation Join Date: Jan 14 2003 Posts: 328 Rep Power: 0	WHY DO WE HAVE TO GIVE ANYTHING FOR FREE???? I don't get it?! Can you name 5 other businesses that give a first anything for free? A salon should "impress" by having good beds that work, a clean, friendly atmosphere, lots of nice touches/amenities, and a good variety of fair-priced packages. There are always exceptions to the rule - but usually free tanners don't spend much money in your salon. Usually. Sure, some of them come back - but not that much. And who's business is it about how much money we make off of one session? Why should that be any reason to give tans away? Do you know how much it costs Starbucks for that $5 cup of coffee you just paid for? Hey - I'm a nice person. When new people come into my place, I treat them like family. They get all kinds of nice free things here. Just don't hit me up for a free tan! If I want to give you one, I"ll let you know. _________________ [ This Message was edited by: redhot on 2003-02-28 10:44 ]

03-01-2003, 01:46 AM	#16 (permalink)
clubtannin Join Date: Feb 26 2003 Location: PA Age: 32 Posts: 159 Rep Power: 6	We do buy 1 tan get 1 free flyer around 3x a year. It has always worked well in the past...they have to be 1st time clients but if they're not, if they purchase a package they can get a free one tacked on but only 2x's. Having a buy one get one, gives a customer something for FREE which everyone loves, brings a little money in for the day but most importantly gives my staff a second chance to make that great impression and to sell them a package!

03-01-2003, 08:43 AM	#17 (permalink)
jimnkelli Join Date: Jan 11 2003 Posts: 121 Rep Power: 6	I am not a fan of the first tan free, I believe it does encourage salon hopping with no intent on really finding a new/better place to tan. We do coupons that are 3 or 4 tans for a very good price, which gets the person to really get to know our place and our beds. We dont do any high pressure sales to clients, just want them to get to know how good our store really is.

03-04-2003, 09:24 AM	#18 (permalink)
Tamar Join Date: Aug 15 2001 Posts: 2,240 Rep Power: 8	Freebies at my sole discretion only. We do, however, offer a credit for their walk in price if they buy a package within a week. Works very well for us.

03-05-2003, 10:18 AM	#20 (permalink)
CancunRayz Join Date: Feb 20 2002 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Age: 45 Posts: 140 Rep Power: 7	We provide the first TAN FREE whenever someone calls to ask about pricing. We have learned to not say "Company policy does not allow us quote pricing over the phone". We tell them that tanning is specialized to each individual depending on skintypes/preferences/time and that we will assist them in finding a cost effective package to suit their needs. If they still insist, we ask the to come to the salon and take a salon tour and after the tour we provide them with a FREE TAN for taking the time. If they still insist, then they are the competition and we provide them with the number of a low-cost salon. ______________________________ K. Orso A Tropical Blend of Color and Style Cancun Rayz Tanning Salon [ This Message was edited by: CancunRayz on 2003-03-05 09:25 ]

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