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-   -   Start With The Basics (http://tantalk.com/tanning-salon-management/2393960-start-basics.html)

Steve Underhill 05-04-2014 06:48 PM

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.

Tony 05-05-2014 12:24 AM

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!

sunsally 05-05-2014 06:09 AM

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??

peach 05-05-2014 07:27 AM

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.

Steve Underhill 05-05-2014 10:05 AM

Re: Start With The Basics
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Underhill (Post 15085215)
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.

Your salon should be efficient and clear of clutter and items that do not potentially advance sales.

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.

peach 05-05-2014 11:15 AM

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.

Steve Underhill 05-05-2014 02:06 PM

Re: Start With The Basics
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Tony (Post 15085219)
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!

What other service business allows employees to be on their cell phones while working. These phones are used for FB, texting and playing games totally unrelated to business and are a distraction. Texting and using a cell phone while driving is illegal. People walk down the street and in public in general like zombies, and that is your choice in your personal life. When you are working in a tanning salon you should be concentrating on doing your job. If you leave it to their discretion they will always make the wrong choice. Your staff will always do a better job when they are given a specific job description and guidelines. I am surprised at you Tony, saying that cell phone use in the work place is not a distraction.

peach 05-05-2014 02:14 PM

Re: Start With The Basics
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Underhill (Post 15085240)
What ever service business allows employees to be on their cell phones while working. These phones are used for FB, texting and playing games totally unrelated to business and are a distraction. Texting and using a cell phone while driving is illegal. People walk down the street and in public in general like zombies, and that is your choice in your personal life. When you are working in a tanning salon you should be concentrating on doing your job. If you leave it to their discretion they will always make the wrong choice. Your staff will always do a better job when they are given a specific job description and guidelines. I am surprised at you Tony, saying that cell phone use in the work place is not a distraction.

Live with the technology, die with the technology. In his salons, people sell themselves products and packages anyway.

Steve Underhill 05-06-2014 03:29 PM

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.

peach 05-06-2014 03:49 PM

Re: Start With The Basics
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Underhill (Post 15085272)
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.

The average tanning customer is not aware of what are new or old tanning beds. That is the area that gets me the most. Customers want performance and value. Whether the bed is new or 10 years old, they want a bed that performs. So why salon owners are obsessed with a 2014 versaspa vs a 2010 or 2012? or a Ergoline 1050 vs another top of the line HP bed that is 4-6years old. Tax purposes?


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