John B

lets stay on the subject here...I think maybe some of you are not understanding me. I'm asking do any of you do anything different. and from what I'm hearing the answer is no..............ie: child care. tropical drinks....not change lamps and clean the floors. come on people think here. if you take your salon and put it in a big city and do what you tell me bottom line is your just another salon. we have 43 plus salons in my city where as most of you have 16 you have to learn to do something that stands out above the rest.

shearheaven

I try to be different, and find ideas like you are looking for. What I have come up with so far is...on the bed I place a towel, a sanitized sign on the towel and a mint. I know everyone is going to say, we all do that or we offer those things to. Some people even tell me that i am wasting money on candy. Let me say this, my customers do the talking and that is what counts...they can't get enough of that little bit of extra service. I also offer in the room baby wipes for bronzing lotion removal and stickers. My comment on not having time to clean up after customer is...if your salon is messy your client is messy. I know you won't agree, however think about it, you go into a public restroom that is gross and the garbage is overflowing...where do you put your trash, on the floor with the rest. Be sure you clean up help can do a complete room check in minutes, it will help. Also, have them wear and apron or smock with the candy in the pocket and that part runs much smoother.I also would like to know if anyone sells smoothies or tropical drinks and how that is going.

Forever Tan

That is definately a bit much. I think if your going to go to those measures and aggravation maybe you should sell your salon.

SOLARSYSTEM

just wanted to put in my 2cents if it matters.we just recently opened our salon and a few things we offer that are not offered at other salons in the area are: ponds facial wipes in each room, spray deoderant for those who come on lunch break. we also put towel, candy and sanitized sign on each bed. we have not had too big a problem with lazy people leaving there garbage all over yet.

Adam Cooper

that spray deodorant is not a bad idea at all.. i know i smell a little on the rough side after i get done tanning!

Tracie Williams

I believe what Jean is trying to say is....Of course the cleanliness of the salon and the friendliness "SHOULD" go without saying.However, in our area of Huntsville Alabama we are different in the respect that we clean our own beds after each use. Not another one in Huntsville does. We insist upon eye protection, no one else does. We change and maintain our equipment monthly. I can assure you by visiting the competition they don't. We are constantly having contest and incentive programs for our customers. Nope you guessed it, no one else here does. So you see, although this may be standard elsewhere, in "our" area these items are different. Our customers constantly compliment our salons and staff on the professionalism and cleanliness in comparison to other salons in our area. I guess if we had to choose a specific area in which we are different it would probably be that we provide a customer service dept. for our customers to call and receive assistance on their account or to get general information. Having this dept. leaves our salons to the matter at hand which is selling to the customer and making their visit as enjoyable as possible.------------------Tracie WilliamsSandollar Corporation

Brandi Jordan

In our salon there is a freshen up basket in every room. My salon is a beach theme so the baskets are actually sand pails. The baskets contain body spray, deoderant spray, hair spray, and body lotion. The basket is placed on a clean towel with goggles and sanitized sign on the bed. In the vanity area we have we provide make up remover, towels, hair spray, curling iron, etc. I typically only have to replace once a month and it is not very expensive because I buy all of my items at a dollar store and I stock up when I see a great deal. In my one upgrade room I use large towels instead of hand towels,bottled water is provided, and I put out a nice chocolate candy. This is not very time consuming because we only do this one room and it makes our customers who are paying extra feel like a VIP. At the end of every month I print out a newsletter to be placed in my salon for the first of the month. I type of the first copy and do the graphics on my computer and then take it for additional copies for a very minimal rate. Every month it is themed around that month and it mentions any specials,employee of the month, tanning pkgs., prices, salon hours, and anything else I want to highlite in my salon. One month out of the year I have a customer appreciation day. I mention it in my newsletter by saying here at salon name we that our sun does not shine with out you, our tanners! We want to show our appreciation by giving you 10% off any lotion, swimwear, candle or etc from Beach Boutiqe( an area in my salon that houses all of my retail items)

apsnyc

John B,We supply a bottle of Poland Spring water to each tanner, free of charge. Also we are debating whether to attach a smoothie or juice bar to our salon, kind of a refreshing lounge area to better the atmosphere and relaxation of the clientele. I think if you can market high priced service in your area, the way to stay ahead of the competition other then keeping up to date with technology, is to better the atmosphere you are trying to create in your salon.Aaron

SunspotTanningSalon

I'm the owner of a combination Tanning/auto repair/home improvement salon. While the clients bask under our new lamps (replaced every other day) we tune and detail and wash and wax their cars, while a crew of guys replace the roof on their houses (don't forget the landscaping). Seriously though, I am open to any idea that does either one of two things..1:makes me more money..and 2: helps me to sell, thus making me more money. I have found that developing a strict procedure that anyone can follow is the key to success. Asking every single client if he/she needs any lotion today will result in more sales. Simple stuff, I agree, but check out the other salons in your area and you will be hard pressed to find one that does everything it does to improve sales, and not just because its easier or "everyone else is doing it" If a trained monkey riding on my back through the parking lot, with me in a cow outfit, brings in more dough...all I have to say is "MOOOOO!!".

Tan-U-Too

Why on earth would you replace your lamps every other day? That makes no sense at all.