Allowing VIP members to bring a friend once a month for a free tanning session has quadrupled EFT membership sales at Body Heat Tanning in Coral Springs, FL.
“We started this last March and our EFT per-tanner dollars have quadrupled!” said Rhonda Culligan, Body Heat co-owner. “It’s all about working smarter, not harder – if every VIP member brings us just one potential client per month, it will generate more new business than any other type of marketing we do.”
The promotion gives a free session to friends of current VIP members who haven’t tanned at Body Heat in the past six months, and Rhonda and her staff convert those friends into VIP members. “We create a profile for them in our system, and we make it a point to get their e-mail addresses,” she said. “If they don’t join on that day, we follow up with an e-mail offering them a free tan or another special to get them to come back.”
To close some EFT sales, Rhonda keeps a calculator handy at her salon’s counter. “People relate to visuals and tend to understand and remember things better if you show them,” she said. “Anytime someone is hesitant about our EFT program, I use the calculator to show them how much they’ll save and how much more value they’ll get by enrolling.”
Body Heat has four EFT membership levels – Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond – and each offers a lotion discount and two free upgrade sessions each month. “We named it the VIP Program because we truly believe our clients are very important people,” said Rhonda. “We offer many generous incentives that encourage upgrading to the next level.”
After tanning at Body Heat for about ten years, Rhonda and Jack purchased the business in October 2011. The couple continues the salon’s tradition of keeping the people of South Florida looking fab with a combination of UV and custom spray-tans, and the business is known for cleanliness, professional and courteous service and a warm, inviting décor.
