WOW! Talk about starting off on the wrong foot with a negative title; but, I promise that within this title is the purest form of economic opportunity that exists within the tanning industry today.
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I do remember the exact moment that I uttered these words to myself nine years ago, as I stood in a tanning salon just like those that all of you operate, ready to offer my sales training to the staff.
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I remember working tirelessly during the days leading up to the training – to know the products inside and out, so I could pass along the secret ins and outs of each lotion and how to sell it. The training went as planned. I wowed the group of seven Gen-Xers with enough razor-sharp product knowledge to make their heads spin. I had raised their sales IQs to a genius level … or so I thought.
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With the product training out of the way, the easy part was next: work the salon’s reception counter for a couple hours alongside four of their best team members. Okay, no problem – I got this!
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It was a smaller salon – ten beds, cool rainforest theme décor, sweet lighting, spacious lobby – everything in this salon was the best of the best! And to go along with it, a product selection that I couldn’t have picked better myself.
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It was 6pm on a Thursday and just as I walked up to the counter to start working, a steady flow of tanners spilled in that would continue for the next three hours. Each guest walked up, checked in and was asked all the requisite questions in a very polite manner. “Yes, ma’ams” and “yes, sirs,” smiles and “thank yous.” All very polite and sweet. I remember thinking, “what an easy business model – but does it work?”
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It’s not the lotion pitch that counts – it’s everything you did leading up to that moment that will help you sell more than you ever thought possible.
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So, over the next three hours, I heard the same things over and over. “Hi, nice to see you. Can I see your eyewear? All set with lotion? Okay, room four is ready.” And after hearing that over and over with roughly 100 guests and only five of them buying anything besides a tanning session, the cold hard truth about this salon hit me: This business cannot survive if they only turn one or two guests out of ten or 15 into product-buying customers!
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At that moment, I seriously questioned everything I thought I knew! And that’s when it popped into my head – great products and great service are not enough. You can’t just open a beautiful salon with beautiful tanning equipment and shelves full of beautiful products and expect to do well just because you build it and offer it.
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Now, don’t feel bad, because you are not alone. Every beauty service faces this and pretty much every business that exists faces it, too. It’s not just WHAT you offer and the fact that you CAN offer it. It’s really about HOW you offer it and WHO you have on your team to deliver it.
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I vowed from that moment that my purpose would be to help salon teams engage with their guests – to be hosts of a memorable experience, an experience that makes their day. You need to deliver a guest experience that inspires each of them to tell everyone they know (and even those they don’t) to come and experience your salon!
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It’s not the lotion pitch that counts – it’s everything you did leading up to that moment that will help you sell more than you ever thought possible.
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Read “Epic Sales” next month for the exact steps to create, craft and deliver a memorable salon guest experience.
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