Start With The Basics Lets talk about just one thing that will change how you are perceived and in turn have an effect on business. When a tanner enters your salon what do they see? Do they see a salon that is cluttered with trinkets and things on the walls that you would find in someones home? Does the lobby look like your grandmothers sitting room with over stuffed furniture and fake plants? Is the lobby so packed with furniture and stuff, that it is difficult to get to the selling area? Is your lotion display poorly stocked and hard to see? Is your staff not recognizable because they do not wear a shirt with a logo? Are there chairs or stools behind the desk that encourage your staff to get comfortably seated instead of on their feet and ready to great each and every tanner? Is your staff allowed to use their cell phones while at work or even have them at the desk? Is your salon, tanning rooms and restroom anything less than clinically clean at all times? Does your salon have chipped paint chipped or scuffs on walls and equipment that makes your salon look old and worn? Do you have paper signs taped or pined to any of your walls? If you answered Yes to any of these questions, your salon is suffering from the most basic issues that are easily resolved. This is just basic stuff, we are not even talking about your actual business model yet. The problem is that these basic issues are costing you business because they establish how the tanner perceives your salon without ever saying anything. They also devalue your product. |
Re: Start With The Basics Not allowing your staff to have their cell phones with them at the counter is draconian and unsafe! There are better ways to keep employees pushing sales and without coming across as a real tyrant! |
Re: Start With The Basics I will echo this. Yesterday I visited 11 open houses, getting prepared to sell my house in the next year. There are things I LOVE in my house - of course. But when you see SIMILAR things in ANOTHER house - not YOUR taste - it stands out as...........UGH! Which may mean, someone would think the same when they looked at YOUR place! BIGGEST ISSUES IN SALONS OVER TIME - DIRTY AND WORN OUT! 1. Walls have smudge marks, paint chips, UV fading, outdated colors 2. Doors have the same 3. Beds haven't been "broken down" and deep cleaned since the day they were moved in (Note - See this the MOST frequently!!!) 4. Floors seem worn/dirty -- carpet (UGH!) is stained or lint filled, other floors have lost their "shine" 5. A bunch of crap behind the counter in view of the customers - "notes", scraps of paper, etc etc 6. Decor is dated 7. Posters or other signage is worn, faded, edges rolled (if just stuck on the wall) etc Go walk through OTHER SALONS - in your hometown or in another town. Go to some big chains, go to some some owner/operators. What stands out? Good and bad. Come back and walk through YOUR SALON - as if you were going to buy it. Does it look absolutely ready to get "top dollar" from a buyer?? |
Re: Start With The Basics Sunsally, Steve, All good points. That is why your salon should always be in a state of upgrade. You should always be looking at your store with a critical eye. |
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The furniture or seating area should be functional but not so comfortable that a tanner wants to sit back and get comfortable. Upholstered benches look great and serve to keep the tanner alert. Your walls are very valuable advertising areas and should display matted and framed product and service posters. The walls in your tanning rooms should also be free of clutter and have I suggest three separate top loaded acrylic frames that are used for advertising lotion, UV and spray specials and current offers. They should be changed as offers change or at least once a month. Your desk area should be free of clutter with a lotion display that is sufficiently stocked. You should also have impulse items at the counter like lip balm for impulse purchases. Staff should never be seated so do not provide seating. Staff should wear a shirt with logo, there are many styles to choose from. There should never be food allowed at the desk, only water or drinks in cans if you sell drinks. The single most distracting item for an employee is a cell phone. they should be turned off and left in a purse or designated area while at work. No other service business allows cell phones or sitting. This is not being a tyrant these should be establish rules of employment. Salon business should be conducted on the salon phone only. As an owner it is good to communicate with your employees by text or on their cell phone because that is the only way to reach them, but not while at work. Your staff do not know when to put them down. Equipment should be deep cleaned at least once every 30 days. The entire salon must be clinically clean at all times. A daily cleaning check list must be followed and checked. A warn un-kept salon with a warn floors, walls and equipment is costing you business. If you feel the need to post a sign it should be of a proper design and framed. If your salon looks cheap, you devalue your product. This are all important issues that can be resolved without a great deal of expense and yet they have a great impact on staff, as well as tanner pride and actual sales. These fixes do not address the other pressing issues like training, pricing and marketing, but my point is that everything you do or don't that you should has an impact on sales. I know everyone will explain why they do not or should not be concerned with these issues, and that is where the problem lies. You must remove your blinders and take control. |
Re: Start With The Basics Steve, All good and helpful points. I agree, Cell phones are a scourge on customer service. And dangerous in a tanning salon, as people could be put in the wrong beds for the wrong amount of time. |
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Re: Start With The Basics I have seen relatively new equipment that looks old and dirty and I have also seen much older used equipment that looks showroom new. My point is that your salon and everything in it should never look old and dated unless you allow it. Take pride in every aspect of your business and that trickles down to how tanners perceive the value of tanning at your salon. It also creates a higher level of pride with your employees making a more desirable work place that in turn translates to greater sales performance. So much of operating a successful business is your attitude, your willingness to go above and beyond the minimum effort that so many operators fall into. |
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