1. Communicate with your customers.
Communicating with your customers doesn’t mean sending them a mass email, it means building a personal relationship with each of them.

• Start by learning everyone’s name.
• If a customer tries a new lotion, call them in a few days to see how they liked it.
• If a customer upgrades to a new tanning bed , follow up with an email asking about the results.

Basically, start communicating with your customers on a truly personal level.

2. Acknowledge your customers and make them feel special.

Keep your tanning bed users coming back by acknowledging them and making them feel special. A great way to do this is to host a special event around the holidays, put on an open house or treat your best customers to free samples of lotions, tanning bed sessions, etc.

3. Create and sell long-term buying programs.
You should already have monthly membership scheme for your tanning beds, but do you have:

• A Tanning Product of the Month Club?
• Do you offer discounts on tanning package “refills” or multiple tanning lotion purchases?
• What about varying tanning membership levels?

These are all programs you can create to get your customers buying more over the long term.

4. Use price incentives to lure clients into trying new services.

Let’s say you just got a new Velocity tanning bed in, but no one’s trying it (hard to believe that would happen, I know!). Instead of letting that new bed sit empty, try offering your clients one free upgrade or a discounted rate on the new bed. That kind of price incentive could convince a client to try the new tanning bed and stick with it at the higher price.

5. Develop a range of products you can sell.
Stop and ask yourself:

“What other services or products could I be offering my existing customers?”

The goal of this exercise isn’t to flood your business with non-applicable offerings, but to focus on what could fit into your existing product line.

For example, one tanning salon owner I know noticed that the bulk of her new clients came in because they were planning a vacation and wanted to get a base tan. So, she started stocking small travel accessories that were functional and chic. She saw a major return on her investment.

6. Promote other businesses.
We’ve talked about cross-promotion before, but it’s definitely worth mentioning again. Just as your own client list is valuable, so are those of fellow businesses. Develop a relationship with a complimentary business like a nail salon, cosmetic dentist or local gym and start trading referrals.

Frequent buyer programs can be a great way to retain customers and keep them coming back. For example, a friend of mine loves coffee. And we all know there are lots of choices for purchasing a cup o’ joe.  But… everytime he goes to a particular local coffee shop and buys a coffee, they swipe his rewards card and record his purchase. After purchasing 10 coffees, he gets a free one. He also gets the occasional email coupon thanking him for being a customer and offering him a free specialty drink. It’s an effective strategy and one that keeps him passing up the competition and coming back for the rewards.

Frequent buyer programs work for three reasons:

1.  

   Provide an incentive for customers to return or buy more.

2. Prevent customers from straying to competing tanning salons.

3. Help you identify your best customers and monitor their purchasing habits.

Almost every fitness center, spa and tanning salon or other tanning provider offers monthly membership packages, but have you considered other frequent buyer programs that could promote tanning bed upgrades or tanning lotion sales? Here are some creative frequent buyer program ideas you can use:

Offer Rewards for Product Purchases

For every $50 in tanning lotion purchased by your tanners, give them $5 off their next purchase. Or set up a rewards system that awards “points” for every product purchase – once the client has reached a certain level, they can use those points towards lotion or accessories.

Offer Rewards for Upgrades

Try offering loyalty rewards if a client uses the upgraded tanning beds. For example, 5 upgrades earn the customer a free upgrade. Try a service that manages the rewards for you like StickyStreet.com .

Go Upscale With Swipe Cards

Step it up a notch with plastic loyalty cards. The cards are cheap to print, though you will pay a start up cost to have the swiping mechanism installed. But, once you’re up and running, you’ll find clients will place a higher value on their loyalty cards and your tanning salon than they would with paper cards. A service that has a great selection and description of options online is PlastekCards.com.

Don’t Cheapen Your Product

While loyalty programs are a great way to keep customers coming back, make sure you don’t cheapen your salon’s image or product. Instead, model your rewards on your fitness center, tanning salon or spa’s image and the mindset of your market.

So, how do you market your tanning bed packages to the college market?

Free Weekly Papers

Whether it’s your city’s alternative weekly or the on-campus newspaper, college students are picking up these publications every week to find out what’s happening. Use this advertising medium appropriately by running ads that target the college market.

Freshman Welcome Packs

Most colleges hand out welcome packages to their “frosh” or freshman during their first week on campus. For a small fee, you can get a coupon or pamphlet inserted into every welcome package and put your tanning salon’s name into the hands of potentially thousands of new customers.

On-Campus Bulletin Boards

Before you start posting flyers on billboards across campus, make sure you understand the college’s rules about posting advertisements. Most colleges require that all flyers or ads are approved, typically by an on-campus administration office.

Vendor Fairs

Many schools host vendor fairs during the first week or month of the semester. This is a great opportunity to advertise your business, hand out promotions face-to-face and connect with the student population.

Enlist On-Campus Ambassadors

What works with younger customers? Peer-to-peer marketing (also known as referrals to us older folk). So, if you don’t already have a referral program in place – get one. Offer discounts or incentives to existing customers every time they refer a friend.

Target Sports Teams

A friend of mine owns a tanning salon in Michigan and she attracted 45 new monthly memberships simply by contacting local varsity coaches (think cheerleading and gymnastics) and offering tanning discounts for their athletes. At $30 a month, those four phone calls equaled an extra $1350 in monthly revenue.

The Value of New

Don’t forget to feature your latest tanning beds or your newest lotions.  It is no secret that, although most college “kids” tell you they are short on cash, they want what is new & hot and are willing to pay a bit extra to get it.  Distinguish yourself from the undercutters by featuring the superiour tanning bed technology in your tanning salon.

You may think that the secret to success is being able to charge a lower rate than the tanning salon down the street. But, do you really want to be the discount bin tanning salon known for its low, low prices, flickering fluorescent tube lighting and chipping wall paint? I hope not.

If you want to successfully market your tanning salon business to a higher echelon of customer, you need to appeal to that customer. And since you can’t do that having the lowest prices in town, stop worrying about price and start worrying about the experience.

Why Charging Higher Prices Can Work

Charging high prices not only lifts up the image of your business, it also enables you to afford higher quality staff, a better customer experience, improvements to your business and added incentives for your customers.

It takes a small initial investment and time, but the return means you’ll be able to afford to “wow” your customers with a pleasant environment, great service, and what they see as a luxury tanning experience. You’ll set yourself apart from the competition and create the profit you need to not only invest back into your business, but also your own pocket.

Why Dropping Prices Won’t Work

Consider this example, two women are walking down the street and see a luxury tanning salon. One says she’d like to maybe try it before her next vacation. The other declines because she likes fair skin and is worried about health hazards. If the salon owner walked out and reduced the price, would the second woman change her mind? No, because her refusal didn’t have to do with price.

How to Raise Prices Without Raising Prices

If you don’t think you’re in a position to actually raise prices on certain items then give customers the chance to spend more elsewhere. For example, offer upgraded tanning packages, deluxe lotions, premium add-on services or even added luxury levels.

For more on this, stay tuned for Keys to the “Big Sale” Customer Part 2 – Creating an Experience.

The tanning salon business is highly competitive and to retain and grow your customer base, you have to provide exceptional customer service. Being the cheapest or fastest beds in town isn’t going to get you customers, but having a well-trained staff providing excellent customer service will.

One of the fastest ways to improve your profits is to improve the quality of your customer service. To do that, you need to increase your staff’s motivation and ability. So, how do you do that?

Using Training as a Profit Tool

Superior training is going to get you superior results. Too often, a salon hires a counter clerk, shows them how to operate the machines and calls it a day. The new staff is tossed into the job with little or no real training.

Instead, take the time to actively train your staff. Come up with sales scripts for them or a to-do checklist for every customer like:

Greet the customer, by name if possible.

If they’re a first-time customer, explain the business and process. If they’re a first-time tanner, explain how tanning and the different beds and lotions work.

Mention any new products or tanning beds .

Ask the customer if they need any lotions today.

Offer the customer a glass of water before or after their tanning session.

Remember to say “good-bye.”

If you’re going to have a staff, you have to remember that these are the people representing your business, which is why it’s critical that they be well trained with the tools they need. That said…

“You Can’t Teach a Pig to Sing”

Of course, some people just aren’t trainable and simply not worth the investment. If training’s not working, stay tuned to Part 2 of this series – “Hire Slow and Fire Fast” .

When it comes to your business marketing and advertising, look to solutions that are proven, efficient and cost-effective. Because when you’re dealing with your own money and your own business, there’s no need to be experimental, at least not in the start up stages. Instead, stick with what works.

Focus on Creativity That’s Practical

You can be creative, but instead of reinventing the wheel why not put a twist on things, like add on to the monthly membership plan or tweak a proven direct mail effort. Ikea didn’t start their stores with a blank page, they began with proven techniques and subtracted things they didn’t like (poor style) and improved things they liked (affordable prices and a warehouse setting).

The key is to rearrange proven, effective marketing and advertising ideas in new ways. Even wildly successful Hollywood movies follow a formula, so stop thinking you have to come up with the next big idea and start focusing on how you can turn the following resources into killer marketing strategies for your tanning salon:

Your Competitors

Your competitors can actually be a great source of ideas, though their ideas are often poorly executed. If you see a competitor advertising a unique promotion, but in a poorly placed and designed ad, then do it better.

Salon Leaders

Keep an eye on tanning salon leaders outside of your geographic area. We’ve talked about this before, but reading about what other successful salons are doing or even keeping tabs on their websites can help you spot great marketing ideas that you can implement at home.

Don’t be afraid to write up your favorite salons and ask to be added to their mailing lists. Having access to their direct mail campaigns could be an incredible resource.

Comparables

Seek out comparable businesses selling a different product, but in the same price range and to a similar clientele and see how they’re doing it. Stop in and visit local gyms, salons and spas. See how they’re marketing their products and where. They’re not competitors, but they are a great resource.

Remember, there’s nothing wrong with creativity, but it’s best to start with a focus.

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So, how do you turn your tanning salon into a customer-referring, power-selling space?

Ask Yourself “Does it Sell?”

Maybe you have magazines in your reception area. Are they gossip magazines or tanning and fitness magazines that feature beautiful, sun-kissed bodies?

You definitely have sales people – do they actually use the services that they’re promoting?

What about your walls? Are they bare or do they feature framed customer testimonials and tanning success stories?

You have referral and rewards programs (at least you should), do your customers actually know how to access them? Is the information prominently displayed?

When a customer is in your tanning salon they should be doing three things:

1. Getting a tan

2. Being educated about your services

3. Getting motivated to refer new customers to your business

Don’t Overdo It

Applying the “Does it Sell?” principle to a salon doesn’t mean plastering the wall with tacky lotion posters and handwritten signs advertising upcoming promotions. It simply means that you have to evaluate everything that occupies your salon space and ask yourself if it’s really selling and if not, how could it be improved?

For example, is that brown waiting room chair with the threads coming loose selling your business or hindering it? The “Does it Sell?” principle doesn’t mean you have to replace it with a chair upholstered in tanning ads, it just means you should replace it.

So, take a walk-through your reception and tanning areas and ask yourself, would this motivate me to refer other customers? Better yet, ask friends and family to walk through the space with a critical eye and ask them. Sometimes a second opinion can help, particularly when it comes to our own businesses.

1. Focus on Your People

Your staff needs to be able to respond well to male clients and understand that their needs are different to women’s. For example, men that are new to tanning may be shy and need some reassurance.

It’s also a good idea to round out your staff with both male and female counter clerks. It generally helps customers feel more comfortable to work with someone of the same sex or at least know that they’re in the building.

2. Branded Treatments

It’s easy to target certain tanning packages to men by using appropriate branding and naming techniques. For example, the “Golden Sun-Kiss package” may be scaring men away, but the “Power Tan” might be more appealing.

3. Gender Neutral Salon Environment

Are you boasting pastel pink walls and pictures of flowers on the wall, or is your salon décor gender neutral and contemporary? Try to keep the internal environment of your tanning salon fresh and not visually biased towards either sex.

4. Pricing for Men

Surprisingly, price is not as critical in the men’s market – particularly if you’re selling add-on beauty salon services like waxing. Men tend to be willing to pay more for the right place or environment, so there’s a lot of opportunity for profits here if you play your cards right.

5. Male-Focused Tan Salon Promotions

If you want to expand your male customer base, stay away from feminine advertising that could alienate potential clients. Your ads and promotions should either feature males or members of both sexes and they should be as gender neutral as possible.

A Lineup of Commercial Tanning Beds

Introduction We have lots ofcommercial tanning bed choices. The following is a representative selection of beds that all have session times under 15 minutes. Some models are available as standups and some have optional feature add-ons.

Velocity HP1000

This is the next generation in tanning bed design. An open, inviting design and more power than ever. This system provides a powerful ultra-high pressure experience that gives long-lasting color for both fair and darker skin. View the Velocity HP1000 info sheet.

SS755

The SS755 is the first bed to use true 200W lamp technology, this bed will provide your customers with “plateau-busting” color that is unprecedented. Additionally, the powerful Ultimate Reflection™ face tanner built in to this superior commercial tanning bed makes it a bed to build a business around. View the SS755 info sheet.

SolarForce

Give your competition a run for their money with the SolarForce® series of commercial tanning beds! This tanning bed collection features 180 watt Wolff® system lamps, 4 Xtreme Reflection® facials and serious tanning power. Customers are sure to love the quick tan time, comfort and results. View the SolarForce 648 info sheet.

Solaris The Solaris model is meant to “wow” both salon owners and tanners alike. The all metal design and Wolff® system lamps produce a deep dark tan in just 12 – 15 minutes! Our facial tanning system, featuring Xtreme Reflection™ technology gives your customers the result they expect and demand. View the Solaris 442 info sheet.

SunStar

Our SunStar 432 commercial tanning bed has has 160 watt Wolff® system lamps in the canopy and options like Xtreme Reflection™ facials and a body cooling system. With a 12 minute tanning session at a reasonable price point, you’ll make those busy tanners happy. View the SunStar 432 info sheet.

Wholesale Tanning Beds

You want the best price on tanning beds for your salon, right?  Of course you do.  While there is no one “store”, online or offline that has the lowest price –like a Wal-Mart for tanning beds– there are a few purchasing options that will yield you the best deal.  Commercial Tanning Beds at a Discount -  A 6 Step How-To

1. Determine the types of tanning beds your salon needs.  Let’s say you have decided that you need one standup tanning booth and one higher-end face lamp bed.  
2. Now, investigate brands and features of those types of tanning systems and compare published prices and special offers.  Study well and know your stuff! 
3. Contact 3 sales reps and begin to negotiate.  NOTE: The idea here is NOT to pit one sales rep against the other and “force” the lowest offer.  Just be up front, let each rep know this is how you make your buying decision and ask them to see what they can do for you.
4. Don’t rush into a purchase.  This method takes time but it will get you the best price or terms on any tanning bed, whether its a commercial bed or for home use.
5. Be flexible.  Sometimes the tanning bed rep can’t meet the price of another distributor but can offer something else, like 0% financing or an extended warranty which, in effect, makes his deal better.
6. Finally, once you have made your decision, call up that distributor and ask the final killer question: “Is that the best you can do?”  You may be surprised at what gets thrown in just before you seal the deal.

Commercial Tanning Bed Feature Options

For most salon owners, tanning bed technology advances so quickly that they find themselves behind the curve straining to keep up. Here a simple help sheet that describes many of the hottest new (or not so new) features in Level 1 & Level 2 tanning beds.

360° Tanning   Our Velocity HP1000 is breaking new ground in tanning bed design. No walls, just a beautiful open space.

Suspended Acrylics   This is another exclusive feature of the Velocity HP1000. The suspended acrylic bed allows for a comfortably curved, ergonomic tanning experience.

Integrated Audio   We live in world where personal audio is a must have. It is only natural for tanners to want to listen to their own music while tanning and many beds allow them to plug in their iPod –or mp3 player– and listen without earphones getting in the way.

Shoulder Lamps   Only standup tan booths get that “absolutely everywhere” tan but many tanning beds are including shoulder lamps to take the horizontal tan to new areas.

All Metal Frame   A steady stream of customers, constant cleaning and regular maintenance sessions can a toll on tanning beds. An all metal structure holds up to the abuse, last longer and makes the tanning bed nearly indestructible.

Omnilux™ Panels   The Omnilux medical grade rejuvenating panel offers both red and near-infrared light waves – clinically proven to show a 74% improvement in fine lines and wrinkles.***

Commercial Tanning Bed Purchasing Assistance

This information has been brought to you by Ron Wilson @ ETS Tan. In addition to tanning bed financing options, ETS Tan offers leases that can be custom tailored to your business needs.

100% Financing – You may include tanning beds, accessories, freight, installation charges and all or any other equipment.

• Tax advantages – A lessee can usually deduct monthly lease payments as an operating expense.
• Flexibility – Terms and conditions to fit your needs. Leasing generally requires a much lower down-payment than ordinary financing.
• Preserve other lines of credit – With leasing, you have established an additional line of credit that doesn’t tie up other sources of capital.
• Ideal for small businesses – Leases do not appear on a balance sheet and do not affect your current debt ratio.
• Improves budgeting – Fixed monthly payments enable you to budget and manage equipment dollars for the future.
• Financial advisors – Work with you and your sales representatives to custom-design your finance program.

The comment I hear more than any other is:

“I wish I had bought a larger (tanning) bed.” 

So if you want to feel good about the home tanning bed you decide to purchase, follow these simple steps and choose the right size home tanning bed. 

Is “Bigger Really Better”   Believe it or not, you must consider the size of the largest person who will be using the home tanning bed, even if if it is a husband who doesn’t normally tan. 

Why?

Becuase, you can bet that the convenience of having a tanning bed at home will make them a tanner. Fact is, anyone can fit on a large bed but not everyone can make a small bed work. 

Are The Bulbs Long Enough?     You probably havn’t heard of EBTL.  But knowing what it means will help you be sure you geat a home bed that tans from head to toe, literally. 

It means, Effective Tanning Bulb Length and is calculated by subtracting a bit more than an inch from each end of the actual tanning bed lamp length.  A standard tanning bed lamp is 71″ so the ETBL is about 68″ or about 5’8″. This means a 6′ home tanning bed is meant for someone 5′ 8″ or shorter. 

Larger tanning beds use extra tanning bulbs over the face area and provide proper coverage over a longer area. The ETBL remains the same, but by offsetting the face/body lamps, a 7′ tanning bed will comfortably accommodate a 6′ 9″ person. And, like I said before, smaller people can tan in larger tanning beds, but taller people will not be comfortable in a smaller tanning bed.

Pimping Out Your Home Tanning Bed   The 6′ beds are pretty basic and meant for simple, inexpensive tanning.  The 7′ home tanning beds have more room to add features. For example, some tanning bed incorporate “high-pressure” facial tanning units which shower your face with more bronzing power.  Others have shoulder lamps which help get that “all-over” tan without any extra movements on your part.  There are many other features to choose from, just ask the sales rep when you call a home tanning bed distributor.
A Typical 6′ Home Tanning Bed

Don’t Forget to Plug It In

While do get support calls where the solution is basically plugging in the tanning bed, those are rare, understandable (and still make us chuckle) – power is indeed an important consideration for a home tanning bed. 

You can think of a tanning bed like a large lamp fixture. It requires electricity just like other lights and you need to know how to power it correctly.

Here are a few tips:

Normal Wall Sockey or Not?   Most homes have “normal” 120 Volt, 15Amp outlets and most home tanning beds will work fine on these circuits with no modification. But, as the tanning beds get larger, they will need more power. Some even require a 20Amp circuit and perhaps 220 Volts, much like an electric dryer or oven range, so before you buy, check the voltage. 

Will It Hit My Electric Bill?   A tanning bed can is similar to any large appliance in it’s power requirement, but, since it does not run nearly as long nor as often, the impact to your electric bill is minimal.  Really, no worries in the electric bill department. 

“Its My Power!”  Most household electrical outlets are all strung together in what they call a “daisy chain”. In other words, one outlet is connected to another which is connected to another and so on… However, for the short time a tanning bed is running it is very power “greedy” and needs most of the power on the circuit. So, I highly recommend that you put your home tanning bed on a “dedicated circuit”, meaning the circuit breaker is connected directly to the outlet where the tanning bed is plugged in, and nothing else is sharing that plug.

Hiring Help   Since most houses are not wired with dedicated circuits, and usually only have enough 220 Volt power for a dryer and oven, someone will need to wire up a dedicated circuit and/or 220V.  So, unless you are very handy AND experienced you’ll need to hire an electrician to wire the outlet(s) properly before operating the tanning bed.

If you do hire an electrician, send him to our home tanning bed power page for more details.