Tanner traffic is starting to slow down, and selling those bottles of expensive lotion has gotten a lot more difficult since the rush to be golden for Spring Break and graduation is over. Kids are out of school and moms are too busy to tan – there are fewer guests to pitch your upgrade beds to … so, what do you do? [gap height=”20″]
Think about focusing on sales of smaller-ticket items this month, with the goal of selling more items to more tanners at a lower PCA. Let’s try pushing the lowly eyewear sale! [gap height=”20″]
Start with a baggie. Yep, go to the grocery store and spend $3 for 100 snack-sized zipper-seal plastic bags. When a guest walks in, offer her a complimentary baggie to keep her goggles in. Your guests will need to show you their eyewear before they are allowed to tan – do they even have eyewear? You’ll be able to explain how goggles get dirty in a girl’s purse or guy’s gym bag, and how a baggie keeps them clean. I like to suggest you also offer a rubber band to attach the baggie to their lotion bottle. As they hand you their goggles and you put them into the baggie, you can mention your special eye protection sale, and how it’s important to replace goggles at least once a year. [gap height=”20″]
Have you seen the new goggle styles in fun colors and animal prints? Order a few from your distributor. I’d display the fun, neon-colored goggles in a bright, shallow plastic bowl from the Dollar Store, maybe placed near some fun, summery jewelry or sunglasses you also have for sale. This type of eyewear sale is going to be an impulse buy – it’s quick, easy and fun. [gap height=”20″]
Now, you’ve offered the free baggies for a couple of weeks, so let’s change it up. One of my favorite salon operators promotes an eyewear trade-in week, when guests get 40 percent off new goggles if they trade in their old pair. It’s a great way to discuss why eyewear is important and why you need to avoid touching the parts of the goggles that will touch your eye area (think about your toothbrush: you don’t touch the bristles, right?). [gap height=”20″]
Offering FREE eye protection is another fresh option. You may want to consider offering a free pair of disposable eye protection if your tanner buys a bed upgrade. Perhaps they get the basic black goggle with any $20 lotion and their choice of eyewear with a $40 bottle of lotion. [gap height=”20″]
A salon chain I frequently visit puts a tiny note on their front door that reads “Take our eyewear test and get FREE eyewear!” To take the ten-second test, the guest simply looks at three photos to determine whether they have loss of color vision. Then, you give the guest a quick eyewear education and a free pair of disposable eyewear that costs you about 20 cents. You can mix it up by asking one of nine questions that often surprise tanners and opens the door to explaining why at YOUR tanning facility, eyewear is NOT optional.
May your summer sales be visionary![gap height=”20″]
If you’d like the color vision test & list of eye protection questions to enliven your summer sales, email your address to WinkEase@WinkEase.com. Please mention “IST Summer Sales.”
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