Don Smith

FYI:

Do you want to know how to make more money from your upgrade (high intensity/high pressure) sunbeds?

So do I!

That's why I am asking my friends Marty and Carol from Syracuse, NY to "share" some of their secrets with us all.

FYI, at the last Chicago trade show, yours truly organized a HP session. We had all of the leading manufacturers and some salon owners with HP experience on a panel. M & C "stole the show" with the information that they shared with the audience.

For instance, that was the first time that I (and others in the audience) realized you could start new tanners out in a HP sunbed.

So, Marty and Carol, this discussion is "Ask Don" asking the two of you to tell us all how to make more money from our high intensity and high pressure sunbeds.

If any of you reading this post have any questions about HI and HP tanning, ask them of Marty and Carol and I'm sure they will be happy to answer them.

The stage is yours!

Don

Marty & Carol

Don,

The truly BEST way to get clients to use upgrade beds is to get rid of your low-end beds.

If you’re not ready for that then get ready to put your "selling" hat on.

Our success in upgrade sales has been a slow evolution over the years. Each year we would add new equipment to keep the excitement going see www.Tropicalsunsations.com for our equipment.

Yesterday Carol & I were in high spirits because we were finally going to get a half-day off after MANY long days.

So we scheduled ourselves together with no additional assistant at our main store…..well little did we realize ALL of our customers must have had the WHOLE DAY OFF!

We got our butt TOTTALY handed to us and I was running like a mad man.

I after two hours was beat….I looked around the store and realized that NOBODY was tanning in anything we have that was “small”

Our entry level (1) vip gold needs dusting each day.

Our “S” Matrix, Sun Terrace II, Turbo 17000 and 2200’s were just ROCKING. Keep in mind that our members toss us $20.00 per tan on most of these beds.

The key to the whole thing as you remember is STARTING clients in this type of equipment.

Once they “discover” that they tan faster and less often using big beds the rest is history.

Don Smith

Marty & Carol:

OK, I hear what you say. I BELIEVE YOU because I know how successful you are.

BUT.... (And I think my next statement will be what most of those reading this will be thinking.)

That's a VERY "scary" idea because of the worry that (1) we will lose all of our existing clients, (2) that perhaps Tucson won't support a "high end" store, and (3) the "cost" of making the change.

Please understand, I'm not arguing against your advice; rather, I'm just thinking about the problems.

So, my questions.

Did the two of you have the same "qualms" when you started to make the changeover? Was there a "period of time" where you wondered if you had made the right decision? Do you recommend "easing into" a HI/HP store or do you recommend "going for broke" right away?

Can you help us "nervous nellies" out here with our (legitimate??) concern.

Don

PS: Of course I am the "dummy" that waited a year too long to put HP in and now I can see we should have done it MUCH earlier because it has been a fantastic success. In fact, we installed our first "hybrid" unit this week.)

Marty & Carol

Don, it was a process. We started to add bigger beds in a 9 bed store and had no room for more beds. Each time we added a "better" bed we would sell off one of the base beds (our base beds were 36 RUVA lamp ISMs)

After 2 years all 7 of those base beds were sold and replaced with equipment that made more money.

Our base beds then were 35 RUVA lamp units with triple facials from Ultra Sun.

Our success came at an expense, we had to move the store 3 times in 5 years.

During that time period we only added layers of beds that were BETTER than we already had.

Same pattern.....get rid of the smaller beds as you add higher ones.

This is the time we started to "get smart".

Instead of selling off the lower beds we put them in storage.

Two years later we had enough beds in storage to open up our second store.

As we progressed the triples had to go.....

Each time we purchased beds we usually did it in threes or sixes. This gave us additional ammunition during peak season and beds to start a new salon come fall.

There are sometimes questions to ourselves about trying to feed a store all new high end beds because each bed as you know is $$$$$$$ Our stores are now large and OVERBUILT in size and power but at least I will not have to move all those beds again....

I have found that our cash flow has evened out. The lean months are not AS lean and the distance between good months vs bad months is still shrinking.

The downside if any is an overhead to make you stay awake at night.......

[ This Message was edited by: Marty & Carol on 2002-05-11 14:13 ]

Marty & Carol

OH!!!! do I get more smiles when I hit 100 post's?

Marty & Carol

OH!!!! do I get more smiles when I hit 100 post's?

Marty & Carol

OH!!!! do I get more smiles when I hit 100 post's?

Marty & Carol

cool.......

Deeg

it's nice that you share this information with these folks. Since you never did at TanToday. Over there, you barely ever posted. So, whatever it took to get you out of your shells ....I will re post it for you.

Don Smith

Marty & Carol:

Unfortunately, there are "lowlife's" like Deeg everywhere.

I started to "delete" his/her post but then I thought it might be instructive for everyone to observe the "mentality" and total lack of ethics of an anonymous "bottom feeding" coward like DWEEB!

Don[ This Message was edited by: Don Smith on 2002-05-11 14:38 ]