sizzle up summer sales

sizzle up summer sales

by Judie Bizzozero

Don’t interpret the captive buyer as forcing a customer to upgrade or buy a bottle of lotion. It means taking advantage of a captive market by using in-room promotions. Salon owners have to take advantage of the amount of time they have the customer as their captive audience. Once tanners shut the door to their room, they spend anywhere from two to five minutes preparing for their tanning session. Place a suggestive-selling sign or poster in plain view so the customer will be exposed to a purchasing idea—before he or she is exposed to the ultraviolet light. The information even can be an educational poster about the importance of eyewear or using lotions to help achieve a better tan.

A salon that offers numerous equipment levels can hang posters of the equipment— along with a description as to the differences— to entice tanners to upgrade on their next visit.

Another option would be to post images of new products, or the lotion of the day, week or month. This can be a flier produced by the manufacturer that lists all of the qualities and properties of the specific products. The summer months are ideal to push sunless tanners to fill in pressure points from tanning equipment and bronzers for a quick dose of color before a night on the town. And don’t forget to stock plenty of SPFs for your customers and promote the heck out of them. It is your duty to reinforce the mantra of responsible tanning—indoors or outdoors.

Remember to post these specials in the tanning rooms where they will be seen. Tanners who may not take the time while standing at the counter to let an employee explain all of the benefits might, when alone, read something that piques their curiosity—either before or after their session.

To increase SPF sales, create a combination deal for vacationers and current clients. Include a tanning package, an accelerator to use while tanning at the salon, and an SPF to use when they reach their destination. Add up the total for all three items separately and then offer a discount when the items are bought as a group.

Make sure to display the savings to show the value of the multiple purchases. A customer who might not usually buy the SPF at a tanning salon could be persuaded by the combo deal when it is promoted correctly. If customers feel like they are saving $20, they may not notice that they are spending $16 more than they had planned.

Let’s face it: During the summer months, even employees can get bored or get the itch to ditch work. However, employee motivation is a very easy and inexpensive way to increase sales within a salon.

Hold a friendly contest that is tracked in the salon and keep the current statistics visible at all times. One example would be for the salon owner to pick a lotion and say that the first person to sell 20 bottles wins and prize. The prize can be as simple as a free tanning product of the winner’s choice or a gift certificate to a movie theater or theme park. Update the chart daily with the progress of each individual employee to keep the rivalry going. It is amazing to see the sales efforts of the staff as the contest gets close to the end.

While a little more difficult during the summer, the same procedure can be used with tanning packages and EFT memberships. If your salon offers a host of retail items such as swimwear and candles, hold a sales contest for that segment. While it is possible to run more than one contest at a time, don’t overdo it or allow the goals to get too confusing. Be creative and ask the employees to help with suggestions for the contest and prizes.

This final idea can be very effective not only to increase sales but also to convert a customer to begin using a product that is offered in the salon.

When customers come to tan and have tanning products that are not available on your shelf, offer them a discount to trade them in for products sold by the salon. If the customers are reluctant, just inform them that it is perfectly fine if they use up their entire lotion—and when it is gone, bring in the empty bottle for a discount.

The employee should be able to recommend which product is comparable to the customer’s current lotion. The staff member should ask questions and be positive. For instance, the employee could ask the customer what he or she likes and dislikes about his or her current product.

Remind employees to be very careful not to suggest that a customer’s product is not good. They should be sensitive to the fact that a tanner could feel embarrassed if the suggestion to use a different product is not handled skillfully. The emphasis should be on explaining the advantages of the recommended product and the qualities that are similar.

Staying on top of the most-effective sales techniques is key to any business, but especially essential during the long summer months. The difference between a good salon and a great one results from the successful execution of innovative thinking and action.