It’s July… womp womp womp! It is that time of the year when the weather is getting warmer and your customers are starting to cancel, freeze or hold their memberships. They say “See ya next year” to their beloved tanning salons in hopes of maintaining their perfect, bronze glow with exposure to the natural sun outdoors.[gap height=”15″]
Turning seasonal tanners into year-round tanners is critical to keeping your customer counts up and in turn, increasing revenue. To help you avoid the tumbleweed effect at your salon this summer, let’s talk about a few ways to get your customers to stay.[gap height=”15″]
My favorite promotion to run this time of year is “Tan ‘Til 2018 for $99” (base level beds). The sooner your tanners purchase this deal, the better it is for them. Even though the sun is shining now, how do they plan to keep that summer color? What about being ready for holiday parties and events throughout the winter? This is a great deal for your tanners – unlimited sessions for a low, set price. They will always have the opportunity to upgrade their membership to the higher-level equipment, if they so choose. But, this is an ideal and affordable way to start training seasonal tanners to visit your facility on a year-round basis.[gap height=”15″]
90-day Upgrade Plan: What do you usually charge to upgrade a monthly tanning package from a Level-1 to a Level-2? Take that number and cut it in half. If it’s usually a $20 upgrade charge, offer three months of sessions in the next equipment level for a one-time fee of $29.99, or let your tanners jump two levels for $49.99. I recommend this promotion because, again, you’re extending the season for seasonal tanners. By getting them to commit to another three months, by the time their membership is expired it will be time to start tanning again for the holiday season.[gap height=”15″]
100% Lotion Rebate: I know this may sound a little crazy, but I’ve seen this promotion work very well in many salons. Here’s how it works: when your guests buy a product, they get that amount back in “tanning dollars.” For example, if they buy a $60 lotion, they get a $60 credit on their account that can be used toward upgrades and sunless sessions. These “dollars” cannot count toward their monthly EFT draft and cannot be used to purchase other products. The reason this promotion is so successful is because tanners are less likely to cancel their membership if they have “free” money “sitting” in their account. This is also a great incentive to get your tanners to purchase lotions during these slower, summer months.[gap height=”15″]
July is usually considered the first month of slow season, and I know that we cannot turn every tanner into a year-round guest. But, I feel as though the promotions we discussed this month will help to prolong the tanning season for your salon and maintain some of your tanners who may have opted to not keep their membership throughout the summer.[gap height=”15″]
Wishing you all a safe and happy summertime season! [gap height=”15″]
Turning seasonal tanners into year-round tanners is critical to keeping customer counts up and in turn, increasing revenue.
