It’s obvious why tanning salons sell tanning lotion—it’s the perfect complement to any tanning session. Not only does it give your customer a better tan, but it also increases your sales. Selling SPF products, on the other hand, can seem counterproductive (considering you are selling something that is used to block UV rays when you promote UV exposure). But SPFs are actually a perfect add-on.

Everyone owns some type of SPF product these days—the question is, where did they buy it? Chances are, they purchased it from a grocery or all-purpose store as opposed to a tanning salon. So, if they are going to purchase sunscreen regardless, why not have them buy it from you? Your product is probably just as good—if not better—than whatever sunscreen they would normally buy. Not to mention that yours will certainly have more skincare elements in it, which means the customer would actually be saving money because they wouldn’t have to buy a moisturizer to go along with their SPF.

People who buy SPFs do so because they care about their skin. So, use the vitamins and moisturizers in your SPF as your main selling point and stress the fact that your SPF contains higher-quality ingredients than those found at the grocery store, and you should have no problem closing the sale.

I’m sure you will find that SPFs are a perfect (and easy) add-on sale. The best part is that, in the end, you and your customer win!

Cyndi and Keith Leonard are the owners of Blasdell, N.Y.-based Total Tan Inc., a chain of 29 tanning salons across New York and in Erie, Pa. Cyndi has a degree in marketing and management from Siena College, and her background includes stints in sports marketing, event promotions, advertising and operations. Keith’s background was in the animal-feed industry, which led them to leave the Albany area and move to Buffalo in 1992 to open a large pet supermarket. In 1994 they realized the potential for more professional salons in their area. Armed with a wealth of sales, operations and marketing acumen, they opened their first Total Tan and have been growing ever since. The salons offer tanning and sunless services, and feature more than 800 units.

1. Make it look good. Sounds obvious, right? Well, you’d be surprised by how many missed opportunities occur simply because a potential customer gets the wrong first impression when going to a Web site. One way to make your site stand out is to use flash instead of html—this allows you to place dynamic images, videos, animation and music on your site to better convey the essence of your business. For example, creating a dynamic 'before and after' flash demonstration of a spray tan.

2. Cut to the chase. When writing the copy for your Web site, remember to write clean, relevant text. Search results typically publish only 20-30 words of your description, so it’s good to get to the point!

3. Get to No. 1 on Google search results. Unlike a storefront—where you can receive walk-in traffic—there are millions of other sites competing for eyeballs! When trying to bring potential customers to your site, keyword selection is very important. Keywords are the words that people type in Google and other search engines to find what they’re looking for—so, when choosing your keywords, think about popular terms related to the services you offer. If you offer high-pressure equipment at your salon in Kalamazoo, Mich., you might choose the keywords “high-pressure tanning Kalamazoo,” “high-pressure tanning Midwest,” or “hp tanning Michigan.”

4. Let people know you’re there. One way to help Internet browsers find your Web site is to simply let Google and other search engines know that you exist. It takes approximately 15 seconds to visit www.google.com/submityourcontent and submit your URL to Google’s directory.

5. Link to your friends and clients. A hyperlink is something that directs someone to your site. When it comes to driving traffic to your site, it’s very important to have other sites linking to yours. The more relevant people linking to your site, the better your chances of getting to the top of the Google search results. One easy way to do this is by asking relevant professional contacts to link from their Web site to yours.

These are just a few tips for getting started online. To learn more about designing your own Web site, check out www.wix.com.

Allon Bloch is the CEO of Wix, a simple yet powerful online platform that enables users to make flash Web sites, MySpace layouts and more. For more information, visit www.wix.com.

How can one of your most valuable assets be your greatest exposure? Because owning a business in today’s society comes with rewards and challenges, and every day, decisions are made that will have an impact on your business. Ensuring you have proper and adequate insurance could help prevent the chance of a lawsuit, especially when it comes to the valuable assets I mention above: your employees.

Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) is a vital part of your insurance portfolio. Many aspects of the employer/employee relationship can lead to EPLI claims, from the initial interview to termination of employment and everything in-between. That’s why one of your most valuable assets (your employees), can easily become one of your greatest exposures.

Over the past decade, the number of lawsuits from employees and potential employees has escalated. These employment-related claims can result in large settlements and the financial strain of an EPLI claim that is not covered by insurance can have a crippling affect on any business. Employers of all size are at risk and even an employer that “wins” a lawsuit may face devastating defense costs.

EPLI is designed to protect your business from such losses. These types of claims are becoming so common that every business—even if you have only one employee—needs EPLI coverage. And, considering the state of the economy—which has made it nearly impossible for businesses to avoid cutting employee benefits and/or decreasing the benefit contribution, reducing work hours and even terminating staff to maintain the bottom line—EPLI is even more important. In fact, the incidence of EPLI claims is usually the highest during tough financial times. When employees are terminated and cannot find another job, they are more likely to blame their former employer and find a reason to file suit.

Your loss will most likely start with an allegation of some sort. Immediate access to expert counsel and specialists in this area is imperative if you want to keep the action from becoming a full-blown lawsuit. Legal representation can cost thousands of dollars and, without proper insurance, these costs would be your financial responsibility.

EPLI coverage varies from company to company with subtle differences that may have a big impact in the instance of a claim. For example, some EPLI policies do not provide coverage for claims of wrongful termination of an implied contract, where as other policies clearly respond to a claim of this sort. That is why it’s important to fully understand your coverage—your insurance professional can help you with those questions.

Fortunately, the cost for acquiring EPLI is very affordable and the product can be customized to fit your salon needs. When purchasing your EPLI policy, be sure to evaluate the form with your licensed representative to determine what is best for you and your salon.

Jenny Bortman is an account executive for Phoenix-based Universal Insurance. For more information or to get a quick, no-obligation quote, call (800) 844-2101 or visit www.uiftanning.com. If you have an insurance question, e-mail it to LF’s Managing Editor Danielle Maheux at dmaheux@vpico.com and it will be answered in a future blog from Jenny.