Tanmand

Every year tanning salons are swamped with calls from price shoppers. As a company we have done polls to see how many salons give pricing freely over the phone. Over 90 percent give the pricing out freely. The question I have to ask is this.

How many tanners come into your salon in the middle of peak season (April) and are complaining about a competitors place of business? They state that the competitor was rude, the beds were dirty, they were not getting the results expected, and the list goes on...

My next question is

How many of those tanners called your salon six weeks earlier asking price?

I always here silence when I ask this question, because of the obvious.

Corporate America understands this problem very well. That is how they put themselves at a level higher than most independent salons.

In the years gone by salon owners looked at the quality of there equipment and a nice clean facility to be the key to success. I agree completely. The salons of today and tomorrow realize this is now just expected and no longer an advantage, just common. Sales training and better communication skills are the true focus we should have as independent salon owners. It is a great way to put ourselves above the competition. Don't you agree ?

Ask yourself this question ?

Is your salon the same as every one of your competitors? When we give a price over the phone are we not telling our consumer tanning base in our community that we are the same as everyone else?

MJ

I see no problem with giving a price over the phone. But first I need to know a few things:

"Since I have three levels of tanning. I obviously can't read you my menu.
*Are you going on vacation or just looking for a little color?

If yes to vacation...When are you leaving?

How often CAN you come in proir to leaving?
This will help me determine what bed level would best fit your tanning needs.

Have you ever tanned indoors before?

If so...What type of beds?

Well hun we have a lot of new members intro packages that would help you achieve your tan. ( give the caller 2 package options here....quote Intro package or in house special price.)

Mostly at this time they ask how long they will go the first time.
Then Ask them to stop in for a quick tour and we can determine their skin type and Intial session time.It will only take 5 about minutes.

Let them know where you are located and business hours.

that is how you politely talk a potential client off the phne and in your door.
I see more clients ..coming thru the door...this way then acting like I would have to kill you.......
If I was to give my prices over the phone.

TanningEmporium

We tell them what they want and then direct them to our website for money saving coupon. Most who come in our store have went to other salons and after 1 month of cheap tanning they are back. We give results, take the insults, we educate not degrade, I love what I do and hope to keep on doing it and eveing improving it with education.

tropicalescape

We have no problem discussing pricing over the phone. We do have our little speal, and since we sell units and not sessions, that usually brings them in. Or if they are stopping around it usually brings them back to us.

Girl7

We try not to give out prices over the phone, we offer first session free and just get them to schedule that session, once they use our bed, they want to buy a package, it's just a matter of helping them decide on which one.[ This Message was edited by: Girl7 on 2004-07-26 21:56 ]

gripmarketing

Girl7 is handling it correctly!

tanu01

No, First tans free went bye bye a long time. Its does nothing but cheapen your salon.
Flick

JOLEE

I don't have a problem giving pricing over the phone either, but I will ask questions such as what MJ stated to determine which bed is their best choice so I'm not sitting on the phone giving them every package price etc.

gripmarketing

Flick, I must respectfully disagree that free works and doesn't cheapen your brand. Here come the arrows!

I'm here to report that first tans free is still here, alive, and doing well at 1,000's of salons. Many salons have even improved the offer to 3 free tans for new clients only. Some salons are offering a free month!

I understand from your post that you fall into the "anti-free" offer camp of salons. I also understand that some in this camp didn't get results with free offers and got better results with X Tans for $Y offers. IMHO, it wasn't the offer that failed, but rather a poor conversion rate from the offer to a sale. Obviously, getting from a free offer to a $40 sale is a tough close but moving the prospect from a 5 Tans for $10 offer to a $40 sale is a much easier close.

Neither of these offers "cheapen" anything: your salon, your brand, or your product in the minds of consumers. Theories abound otherwise, but don't hold water.

It's too easy to debate the value of a free trial offer here. AOL, on the back of a free trial offer (1,000 hours free!), "cheapened" their brand, their ISP service, and resultantly cheapened (gained) enough market value in the process to buy out Time Warner. If "free" cheapened them, then give me all I can handle.

The Health & Fitness industry's only working offer is a "Free Week of Membership". The entire industry does it. Hasn't "cheapened" fitness clubs as they are reaching for their pinnacle of market penetration. We should know because we're also in that industry mailing millions of pieces. All kinds of other offers have been tried and tested by chains and single-unit operators and none work as well as a free week membership.

Prior to offering free cell phones, the cellular providers were charging for the phones and sales languished. A Free cell phone offer when you sign up for the service is the free offer that worked so well it caused the telecommunication industry to completely saturate the N. American market for cell phones. As of August 2002, there were more cell phone lines in use than land lines according to the industry and its analysts. We used to be in this industry, but left it to pursue the tanning industry in June 2001 (we smelled the saturated market rat coming and got out before it was over - smart and lucky us?!? - and so did many retailers, some of whom sold their businesses, got out, and bought restaurants, tanning salons, and dry cleaners).

Now getting a free dish, free installation, and free receivers is the free offer that satellite retailers are beating the crap out of cable operators with to gain humungous market share right now as we speak. For the first time in years, cable operators are having to advertise to beat back the exodus of people leaving cable and going to dish. We should know: last year we mailed over 10 million pieces for this industry.

I could go on and on, but what's the point? The proof is simple. Free works to bring in the bodies. Conversion to a sale by the highly-professionally trained must take place after that. But training costs money. And there's the conundrum!

_________________
Gary[ This Message was edited by: gripmarketing on 2004-08-04 19:29 ]

tanu01

There's nothing wrong with giving prices over the phone,As long as you also explain your type of units and why your so
proud of them and the job they do.
Flick