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? 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! 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.
Recently, a salon owner ranted in an online salon owners’ forum about how unfair it is that she has to ask her guests to show eye protection and turn them away if they won’t wear it, after they have paid for unlimited tanning. Of course, none of us wants to engage in a pitched battle over eye protection with a salon guest. There are several ways to “hint” to your tanners without saying a word, and they will be prepped when you ask to see their eyewear or suggest it’s time that they buy another pair. One way to prepare your tanners is to display a colorful window cling on your front door that says, “Eye Protection is Required.” As your tanners walk in, they will know that you’ll be asking them about it.
What are some other ways you can prepare your tanners for the “big ask?” I’d suggest using social media and your salon website. Occasionally post an eye protection message. This can be in several forms; a pic of really fun, colorful goggles with, “Free this week with any $15 purchase!” Or, you can choose from dozens of related social media posts from eye protection manufacturers or your distributor. You can share a past “Eye to Eye” article from ISTMagazine.com. Another fun way to “get the message out” is to have your staff take some selfies wearing disposables or goggles.
Last month, I interviewed Mike DePeuw about how a salon owner should prepare for an inspection by a state authority. This month, we talk to an operator who has been inspected three times in five years and is sharing her inspection review. She hopes this will help you be ready!
“Inspectors always show up unannounced,” shared Rhonda Culligan, owner of Body Heat in Coral Springs, FL. “Inspectors want to catch you off-guard,” she added. “If you aren’t there, your staff will have to handle it,
Click here to read more or download PDF of entire article.
Want to see an inspector’s checklist & what they use to grade your salon? Email Brenda@WinkEase.com and I’ll send it to you.
September 2016 – EYE PRO, Inc., world leader in disposable eye protection for indoor tanning and makers of Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE and WINK-EASE Dark, is offering salons a FREE counter mat to educate tanners on why eye protection is critical.
“Salon owners ask us all the time how to convince their clients to wear eye protection,” says Brenda Fishbaugh, president. “Our theory is simple — a picture is worth a thousand words!” With one quick glance, our laminated counter mat has helped thousands of salon owners and staff educate tanners on the importance of eye protection,” says Fishbaugh.
“We stress the importance of EDUCATING the tanner, not trying to scare them,” explains Jackie DeWald, Office Manager. “The photos of eye damage from unprotected tanning are dramatic, but it’s not meant to be viewed by itself. It’s a tool to have handy at the counter or attached to the new customer clipboard, so every new client receives information on why eye protection is required,” she continued. “As soon as tanners see what can happen to their eyes without clean eye protection, the lightbulb goes on! Tanners are now ready to wear eyewear when tanning,” DeWald concluded.
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According to most salon operators who have been through inspection, you can run a very tight ship and still be flagged for violations. I talked about this subject with Mike DePuew, owner of Beach ‘N Tans in Mocksville, NC, a 21-year industry veteran who has taught salon certification classes to other operators in North Carolina.
“I spend a lot of time helping salons prepare for inspection,” Mike says. “They are always surprised by what inspectors find important.” What’s the No. 1 “hot button” issue?
Click here to read more or download PDF of entire article.
Want to see an inspector’s checklist & what they use to grade your salon? Email Brenda@WinkEase.com and I’ll send it to you.
August 2016 – EYE PRO, Inc., world leader in disposable eye protection for indoor tanning and makers of Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE and WINK-EASE Dark, says summer is the perfect time to try Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE, or WINK-EASE Dark in the our pack options.
“During the slower summer season, our WINK-EASE packs allow salons to invest less or try disposable eyewear in a smaller quantity option,” says Jackie DeWald, Office Manager. “Or, if your salon only uses Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, for example, you can have tanners try Lash Room WINK-EASE for longer lashes, or WINK-EASE Dark — great for a quick nap when tanning.”
“Salon owners love our award-winning WINK-EASE eyewear because it’s disposable and provides tanners with such a comfortable, custom fit,” says Brenda Fishbaugh, president. “Salons can resell WINK-EASE to clients who like to use them at the beach, or include our 30-pair pack in a tanning package or gift with purchase,” Fishbaugh continued. “WINK-EASE disposable eyewear is the BEST choice for stand-up units because there’s no nose bridge or strings through the hair, and a medical adhesive holds WINK-EASE firmly in place.” (more…)
Did you know that in Kentucky, salon operators cannot offer their tanners shared goggles – those used by multiple people and sanitized by staff after each use. Kentucky regulations require each tanner to have their own eyewear or the salon to provide disposable, one-time-use protection; it is not required to be provided for free. New Hampshire also does not allow a pair of goggles to be worn by multiple consumers in a tanning salon. Eyewear cannot be altered in any manner that changes it from the manufacturer’s intended use, such as removing any straps that are included in the product packaging. The salon must sell eyewear to the tanner or provide disposable eye protection. Iowa is my favorite: eyewear cannot be reused, it can’t be altered, your staff must ask to see a tanner’s eyewear before they enter a tanning room, and the salon must provide disposable eyewear in the tanning rooms at all times with a sign posted stating that disposable eyewear is available and must be worn (whew!). I consider Iowa’s law to be excellent! It ensures that the tanner shows their own eyewear, but still has access to clean eyewear in the tanning room.
Some states go the opposite route.
July 2016 – EYE PRO, Inc., world leader in eyewear and makers of Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE, and WINK-EASE Dark, wants to help salons as much as possible — and has a special online section of their website to do just that!
“Offering salons support is so important to our industry,” said Jackie DeWald, EYE PRO office manager. “We have dedicated a portion of our website, called Salon Tips, to offer quick and easy ways to help educate and provide ideas to your salon team. We offer a variety of things: our FREE 20-minute online staff training, downloadable single page PDFs of salon tips, including a 104-point salon cleaning check list, our WINK-EASE one-time use letter to share with tanners that want to re-use their disposable eyewear, articles explaining how to switch to selling eye wear instead of cleaning it, a Tanners’ Quiz, and so much more,” she continued.“Our goal is to provide great resources to help salons increase sales. The Salon Tips section is found on our website (WinkEase.com/support) and we add new tips all the time.”
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In the 13 years I’ve written “Eye to Eye,” the most popular topic has been “Making the Big Switch” – basically, my tips for switching from sharing goggles to only SELLING eye protection – and keeping your guests HAPPY.
It may be easy to write about phasing out shared eyewear; but does it actually work? Here’s what some salon operators who did it successfully have to say:
Sabrina Tan owns Healthy Glow Tanning in Chelan, WA, and used several ideas from my “Making the Big Switch” article. She put a notice on her salon’s front counter informing tanners that due to insurance and sanitation reasons, there would be no more shared goggles.
June 2016 – EYE PRO, Inc., world leader in eyewear and makers of Ultra Gold WINK-EASE, Lash Room WINK-EASE, and WINK-EASE Dark, is excited to be on Twitter!
“We are excited to be able to showcase our products and promote tanning on Twitter,” said Jackie DeWald, EYE PRO office manager. “We post tanning tips, fun tanning memes, and promote eye protection. We love for salons to retweet them to promote their own salon,” she continued. “And best of all, expanding into a variety of social media allows us to educate tanners about tanning responsibly and wearing eye protection!”
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