Every single task and activity that occurs inside your salon, from higher-profile duties like hiring and training your sales team, all the way down to the tiniest detail, like remembering that Minerva Schlotsenglobber gets cranky when there is one little piece of debris in her tanning room’s wastebasket, all revolve around one underlying goal… LOTION SALES! Because without them, there is no salon.
4 lotion sales epidemics & 4 cures that work:
- The easiest hiding place for dismal sales performance is behind built-in excuses that have been used for centuries. We’ve all used them because sometimes it just comes out easier than the truth. I have heard them all! “The economy is bad,” “Our sales are always down in_______ (insert month).” “People just don’t buy tan extenders in this area” (like it’s some part of the local culture to not use tan extenders). “Oh, she never uses lotion.” (I highly doubt that using a professional tanning product will break any moral or ethical code by which she may live.) “Oh, our little Tiffany is just shy; she doesn’t really talk with guests a lot.” (Well, you’d better find her a position at your store besides sales.) CURE it by being honest about the real reasons why Jessica outsells Tiffany on a daily basis and have Jess work with Tiff to sharpen her sales skills … everyone wins!
- The misconception that if you provide a great tanning service with new equipment, a clean environment and warm bodies that can smile and say, “Hi! What bed today? Are you all set with lotion?” your community will rally around your salon and profits will soar. Cleanliness, smiles and a polite “thank you” are just expected and will never be enough by themselves to create sales. CURE it by providing an experience that enriches each guest’s life and makes them feel great. And, always remember that you’re not just competing with other salons for expendable dollars, but also with other with every business in your community.
- Cast members (staff) who can’t grasp that “NO” is really the beginning of the sale, not the end. We are all pre-conditioned to say “NO,” “NO, thank you,” “NO, just looking,” “NO, can’t afford it,” “NO, not today,” without even thinking about it. CURE it by teaching and practicing how to respond to NO. After a little practice, NO will just mean NO, you haven’t given the guest enough reason to buy … yet!
- The silent salon assassin – the sweet, quiet guest who never complains even when she’s been treated with complete rudeness or total indifference. By the time she says something about it, it’s too late because she’s already buying her lotion at her “new” salon, and talking about it with everyone she knows. CURE it by creating a salon environment that encourages and rewards guests for giving feedback about their experience in your salon. Utilize comment cards, email surveys or even personal texts or phone calls to make sure your guests are happy.
