Success, like everything else in life, is really quite easy, once you know how. Everything that is now easy for you to do was difficult, at first. The best advice I can give you is to seek out what other successful people are doing and then do what they do. Sounds simple; but it’s highly effective.
1. Decide to take action.
Nothing good happens until you decide today is the day to take control. Whether we’re talking about your salon marketing, dieting, quitting smoking, etc., you need to finally say, “Today is the day I make a commitment to myself to (fill in the blank.”)
Often times, something needs to happen to trigger your decisiveness. Maybe you just found out the salon down the street is starting an aggressive ad campaign or that a new competitor is coming to town. We all need a kick in the butt sometimes to get the ball moving.
I was at an event earlier this year and got to spend some time with country music superstar and “Celebrity Apprentice” winner, John Rich – an incredible talent and a very, very smart entrepreneur. One of the very smart things he said stuck with me. He said that once he got the ball rolling, he’d “run after it and keep kickin’ the darn thing down the street.” That’s determination, decisiveness and implementation all in one.
Earlier this year, I was unhappy with how I looked and felt, carrying around more weight than I needed (a nice way of saying I was overweight.) Once your “fat clothes” start getting tight, you get a little nervous. I simply decided one day that enough was enough and I was going to lose some weight. I really dislike exercising, so
I thought the best plan for me was to eat healthier, since I knew I had bad eating habits. Five months later, I had dropped 19 pounds and my old “skinnier” clothes fit again.
It just started with, “I’m not going to accept this anymore and I’m going to figure out a way to make a change.”
If you’d like a copy of my strategic, million dollar marketing plan that I use to make my salons the leader in my area, I’ll be happy to share it with you; visit TanningSalonMarketing.com
2. Make a plan.
Okay, so now you’re motivated and committed but now what? Sort of like, you decided to drive cross country but need to figure out how to get there. An old buddy of mine loved to say, “People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan”, and it’s very true.
Planning at this point should just be the big strokes and strategies – don’t get bogged down in the details. Your plan can and will change during the year and that’s okay. Some items will be added, changed and deleted as the year progresses.
The physical act of writing out your plan is important. There’s something about getting it out of your head and on paper that just makes your subconscious mind kick in. I have a jumbo, 12-month calendar sitting on an easel in my office outlining everything I have planned for the entire year. How I’m going to get new customers, promotions to generate more revenue from existing customers, in-store events, referral programs, lost client campaigns, EFT promotions, etc.
3. Make it happen.
You’re almost done; now, you just need to implement. Implementation is the hardest part … the devil is always in the details. But, you decided and committed to do it. You now have a written plan, so you’ll just need to fill in the holes. Some of your marketing game plan can be hired out or delegated to others. Personally, I’m very hands-on with marketing since effective marketing is not only the most fun part of the business, it also makes you more money than any other activity. If you can drive new customers into your salon and get them to spend more money more often, that is a HUGE factor in your success.
As you browse through this magazine, you’ll probably find some product vendors that can help you along your way. Get decisive, create a plan and then, implement. It’s the best way to ensure you’ll achieve maximum success in minimum time.
