Jaclyn Haslam delivers her tips on selling retail, utilising promotions and spreading positive word of mouth in a spray tan only salon.
What services do you offer and what is your specialty?
We only do spray tans. We noticed there was a market to do good spray tans so we focused solely on that. We do airbrush tanning so rather than having a portable small machine we have a small compressor out the back which is linked to all four of our tanning rooms and we use airbrush guns. We use a really fine mist, which eliminates streaking and over-spray, and so we offer a huge range of tans. We have about 15 tans, and we offer mostly 8-hour tans as we find people prefer that.
What are some events, specials or promotions you offer your clients?
Lots of modeling and commercial agencies send their models to us for tans so we offer special discounts for models and TV commercials. We also change our rates for the seasons, so obviously the busier times are through summer. We have our normal rates then, but if people come regularly, they can buy their tans in discounted packages that go under their names to use when they like.
Through winter we have further discounts; at the moment we’re about to start a special of three tans for $99. Generally our tans are $55 each and that’s to encourage people to come through winter when they don’t normally come. We also do birthday vouchers. We call all our new clients the next day after their first tan to make sure they’re happy with everything, see if they have any feedback — good or bad — and if there’s anything we can do to help them for next time.
Do you sell retail? How do you promote this and tie it into your salon?
Yes, we do. We produce a monthly newsletter, so if we have any new products we’ll talk about the benefits and the price. All our products are related to tanning so basically we listen to the client’s needs. If they say they’re going on holiday then we talk to them about tan extenders and how to keep their tan for the whole time they’re gone. If they say their skin’s feeling a bit dry, we talk to them about our huge range of moisturisers or hydrating shower gels. It really depends on the client’s needs. Maybe they can’t get their tan off in time for the next one, so we’ll talk about exfoliating products, listening and recommending what would help them.
What are your biggest tips for running a successful salon?
We focus on being nice. It sounds simple but we have really nice staff here; people comment all the time about how accommodating we are. I think just remembering that word of mouth is really powerful so treat everyone like they’re just as important as the next person. We hardly advertise so being friendly and listening to people’s needs is the key.
Jaclyn Haslam is manager of Tan Temple Bondi, visit www.tantemple.com.au
By Shannon Gaitz