Eye Pro, Inc.

Last month, my column featured interviews with several salon operators who shared their tips for encouraging tanners to wear eye protection. This month, I’m talking to longtime salon owner, Angelene Eubank.

“How do I convince my tanners they need to wear eye protection? For us, it’s all in the verbiage when we make a sale. Every time someone signs up or buys a package, we just grab a pair of goggles and say, ‘You absolutely need to protect your eyes,’ and just ring up the sale. Our guests do not even question it. If a tanner says, ‘Oh, I already have eyewear’ we say something like, ‘That’s great, keep using them to protect your eyes!’” shares this Mattawan, MI operator.

This industry veteran gained her skills by working in the family’s tanning salon business while going to college. “When I show a customer the correct way to fold disposable eyewear, I again emphasize the importance of wearing it,” explains Eubank. “And when I give a salon tour, I instruct them, ‘When you lie down on the bed, pull the canopy down, make sure that your eyewear is in place to protect your eyes, and push the start button.’”

“After two decades in the tanning industry, I’ve learned how repetition is important in making your message heard,” she continues. “Another way we reinforce the eyewear message is by placing the goggle tower and display box of disposables on our back counter, which is a great reminder to our tanners that they need to buy eyewear. The disposable eyewear display box is a conversation starter. Tanners will say, ‘She looks like an alien with those cones on.’ I use this as a lead-in to my pitch. Did you know those cones are see-through, but completely block all damaging UV light? Did you know those silly cones have been FDA compliant since 1985? Here, let’s put a pair on you, so you can see how well they work with no strings or nose bridge.”