It’s August … the weather is warm and sunny and your tanners are starting to cancel, freeze or put memberships on hold. They say, “See ya’ next year!” to their beloved salons and prepare to maintain their golden glow while enjoying the sun outdoors.
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To avoid the Tumbleweed Effect at your salon for the rest of the summer, let’s talk about a few ways to get customers to stay. Turning seasonal tanners into year-round customers is critical to keeping your session counts up and in turn, increasing revenue.
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My favorite promotion to run this time of year is “Tan until 2020 for $99.” Offer this price for Level-1 tanners – the sooner they purchase this promo, the better the deal is for them. The sun is shining now, but how do they plan to keep that summer color? What about holiday parties and events throughout the fall and winter? Offering unlimited sessions for a low, set price is a great deal for your tanners. They will always have the opportunity to upgrade to the higher-level sessions if they so choose. But, this is an ideal and affordable way to start training seasonal guests to become year-round tanners.
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Turning seasonal tanners into year-round customers is critical to keeping your session counts up and in turn, increasing revenue.
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100% Lotion Rebate: This may sound a little crazy, but I’ve seen it work very well in many salons. With this promotion, a guest buys a product and gets that purchase amount back in “tanning dollars” that she can use toward upgrades and spray-tan. This money cannot count toward a monthly EFT draft or other product purchases. The reason this is such a successful promo is because tanners are less likely to cancel their memberships if they have free money “sitting” in their account. This is also a great incentive for tanners to purchase lotion during these slower summer months.
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$5 Hold/Freeze Option: This is your last-ditch option, and it still amazes me how many salons don’t offer it! If a guest is set on canceling her membership for the summer, even after being offered the options above, offer a “Hold/Freeze” deal. Basically, instead of canceling, the membership is placed on hold, which comes with a $5 monthly draft fee. I recommend allowing them to hold it for up to three months, and if they want to extend it after that time, they need to come into the store – not call. Now, you’re probably thinking, why would a tanner want to pay $5 a month instead of canceling? A couple of reasons, actually. When they decide to unfreeze their account, they don’t have to pay a re-activation fee. The second reason: When they reactivate, that $5 a month fee will become credit on their account. It’s a win for both sides, because customers are less likely to leave money sitting on the table that they could use for other purchases.
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As we enter “slow season,” it’s crucial to maintain EFT draft revenue. We cannot turn every tanner into a year-round member. But, these promotions can help to prolong the tanning season for your salon and maintain some tanners who may have opted to not keep their membership through out the summer.
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