What the heck is going on?

[Bruce]

Hello everyone!
I have kinda been a stranger lately do to a new venture my wife and I have under taken recently. We’re opening a tanning salon and thought you might enjoy some of the “build out” pics. Let me know what you think.

Pics (http://www.diginetx.com/SB/html/thumbs/index.html)

[Corey]

Hey! That's great stuff! Good for you guys, I admire your motivation. You guys deserve whatever success you achieve, I hope the tanning salon does very well for you!!!! :)

BTW what's the name? If I had a tanning salon I'd go with, "Spend 'n Bake" cause it sounds franchise-ey and people trust that. I'd greet clients thusly, "G'morning Mrs. Smith, how's your wallet, errr I mean mother, today?"

Hee. But seriously I remember doing marketing for a tanning salon in Edmonton once. The key to success there was to call it a spa and market it as a health service. Tanning salons have a bad rap up here, plus the market peaked a while back so Edmonton was kind of chock full of dead and dying tanning salons which is never a good thing for marketing. But the good news is that they ended up doing very well once I got them turned around from trying to sell on price point, which is a zero sum game because simply reducing your own pie is obviously a recipe for slow gradual failure, to selling on quality of service.

Couple tips which may help:

1. One key thing is to make sure and take full advantage, that means renewing *every week*, of any local free or inexpensive press. Don't be shy to go down to the office of the local rags and negotiate your own advertising. Often they will cut fees in half if they like your energy. Believe me, they need your business. Be aggressive in the beginning, the tone you set will stick with you.

2. Constant local Flyering. Remember that flyers only work by repetition. You have to hit the same homes every month for 5 months to really get the benefits of it. Isolate the top 5 concerns of your target consumer and then focus on those right at the top of your flyer. Don't get into a price war, you are better having one client at $50 than you are having two at $25. Focus solely on connecting with your ideal target consumer.

3. Sponsor giveaways in local media. Go down to your local radio and TV places and give them a few coupon packages for contest giveaways. You'll get thousands of dollars worth of ads for free if all goes well. Be consistent, don't miss a week. For tanning salons this is a biggie. Also giving away packages of minutes to local charities for their door prizes and auctions is a really great way to connect with the right kind of people in the right kind of way, i.e. the type of people you meet buying things at charity auctions are *exactly* the type of people you want in your store, so even if they don't end up buying a package after using their free minutes, you can bet that the word of mouth they are spreading about you after the fact is making it to the right ears. Tanning salons are a long term play so word of mouth is vital, as is attracting the right type of clients, i.e. the nice steady folks as opposed to the impulse walk-ins.

4. If there are any gyms within the vicinity take a stack of cards in and try to get them placed on the counter. It's getting harder but if they like you, they'll do it. Play the "I'm just a local boy trying to make good as an entrepreneur and you guys have always been heroes of mine" card, that'll work. You can also work out a reseller deal with them, i.e. give them a stack of marked coupons and offer them $10 for each one which gets redeemed *OR* better yet offer them a card swap, i.e. you'll put a stack of their cards on your counter in exchange for them putting your cards on their counter. obviously there's a variety of variations here but the idea is to connect with health food stores, gyms, sporting goods stores, clothing stores, etc. in the neighborhood who already have clients of a similar lifestyle to those you seek.

5. Add some twist to the business so that it becomes more than a tanning salon. This works great. In the case of the tanning salon I got involved with what I did was to negotiate chair rentals with a stylist and an aesthetician so it could be marketed as a salon. In this case it was win-win because the stylist and aesthetician are paying you cash for the chair rental (plus a percentage of gross past a certain amount) to begin with, plus they are bringing in clients "through" your salon who all buy product, plus their prescence there turns the salon itself into a "spa" if you like. Anyhow in the case of the salon I worked for it was night and day, worked very well. They do very well now.

6. Honor *all* competitors coupons. Can't overemphasize this one enough. Whoever thought this one up is a genius. Works like a charm. Mention it in all your ads and/or radio spots.

7. Do the entrepreneur circuit. Exploit any local media opportunities which are business based. My guess is that the husband and wife team angle is very appealing to the local business media.

8. Put up a heavy duty web presence. Offer discounts to online orders to condition your users into using that method early. It may cost you a dollar fifty right now but once you are busy you will be thankful you did it because the number one thing which causes a small salon to have to hire part time help is phone traffic. As much as that can be deferred to the web offsets that. One salon in Edmonton books over 30% of all their appointments online, the result is that they haven't had to increase staff for years yet their sales have doubled. It won't work for everyone but it's a good thing to keep in mind...

A bit of a rant but maybe something of value to you in there. I have otns more but I'll spare you for now. I'm sure you guys have everything planned out. :) Anyhow Bruce man I really do wish nothing but big time prosperity for you guys! :)

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[Brett]

I hope Bruce will name it the "Bronzed Banana" and use his avatar as the logo.

[Bruce]

Cory-
Rant on!! Thank you for your kind words! I am always surprised by your insightful and helpful reply’s on our forum. You brought up some really great ideas for marketing, some that have passed over our plate, thanks a ton. I would love to hear more from you… Any time.

Our plan is to start BIG. We’re opening with 16 beds and raising the number to 24 the first or second year. We’ll be offering low, medium and high pressure beds along with non UVB tanning technology such as a booth that will spray you down in six seconds and hand spraying.

We’ll also offer a process that uses infrared heat to burn up to 1200 calories in one session to drop kick unwanted fat and pain relief: FORMOSTAR (http://www.formostarusa.com) (I did the video).

The salon will be non traditional in the sense that we will not have beach bunny posters, palm trees and standard cubical walls: WALLS (http://www.feistcabinets.com/structures/index.html) (lower pic)

and the floors will be stained like this: FLOORS (http://www.kemiko.com/rembrandt.htm).

What a wild ride! Any input from my Indigo Rose family is greatly appreciated.

More pics to come, stay tuned…

Oh.. by the way the name will be Summer Breeze

[Sandy]

Looks awesome, Bruce! As a woman, the FORMOSTAR is really appealing...that would get me in the door. :yes

[Corey]

Beautiful Bruce man. Nothing like starting big. :) BTW I really like the look of that floor, nice and clean looking but without being sterile. Great look, good choice. :)

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[Corey]

Oh yeah I just remembered an Idea I was going to put into play for the salon in Edmonton but I didn't end up doing it because I got some other jobs which took priority. The thing was:

1. Create some autoplay CD-ROMs for the salon. Include a really posh video tour, and some photos. Nothing too much, don't overdo it, always leave them wanting more. Just a taste of the good stuff to make people go, "huh?"

2. Print up a whack of them. Package them nicely in cardboard sleeves (jewel cases are too bulky and ugly) which use real nice subtle colors, i.e. try to get the envelopes in a nice rough stock, something organic looking, like off white or pastels with a textured feel. I think I priced this out to just over $1 US in bulk. So a 500 unit run is peanuts really. Print, "Summer Breeze Premium Members" or something to that effect on the front of the CD, or "Friends of Summer Breeze"... Whatever, you get the idea. Perhaps a big yellow sun on the backside of the envelope with your logo below is you can afford the extra .50C per unit. Anyhow main thing is that it has to imply that the people who are receiving this unit are getting something not available to the public, we're hunting rich people here.

3. Take those CDs to premium spas in the area who do not offer tanning. Also stylists and aestheticians. Anything high end which is non-competitive. Invite the manager to your shop if possible, buy them lunch if you can. The idea here is to get them into a win-win situation whereby they offer premium tanning services to their clients at a discount via those CDs, and pocket a few bucks, and you service their clients properly and kick them back a few bucks. If the CD is superb not only will you have lots of success doing this, but you will also be able to sell a bunch of CD jobs to those manager, trust me. Get them coming and going.

4. For this to work you need to develop a premium package. *****Always***** have a premium package on hand, and make it easy for people to give that as a gift. make sure you are planting that in their head too, i.e. have a sign that says,

"Q: What do you give the person who has everything this Christmas?
A: Sanctuary."

Do the same for mother's day, Easter, spring break, etc. Works well on bus ads.

5. That's it. The main thing here is to show the salon managers how you can help them offer extended value to their clients and make money at the same time. Kick them back $30 for everyone who brings in a CD and ends up buying a package. Never miss a kickback payment, be very diligent about making sure those managers get every cent they have coming and when yo udrop by to pay them bring them small things when you can, i.e. flowers. Sounds corny but the idea is to show them right away that you are a different breed than everyone else in your class.

Anyhow you get the idea, perhaps you can use some germ of that and modify it to suit your personal style. I realize a lot of people wouldn't be able to handle my approach. I'm very corny, but I do stand apart from the pack, it's just a question of priorities. The main thing is that you have to make a big splash with a tanning salon in today's market, or at least up here you do because there's a lot of competition.

One last thing:

If you have a local bartering system or free ads mag, get in there with an ad that says, "Multimedia expert willing to trade web site, video production, or interactive CD-ROM design services for free advertising of any type for my tanning salon. Samples online at www.brucerules.com"

I promise that will bring you ***tons*** of free advertising (and walk-in clients) which will range from those guys with roadside signs (get one) to radio people. It can't hurt to run this in your local newspaper too if you can swing the $20 for a week or two. Crazy as it sounds, I use to run ads in the help wanted column for certain services and I'd get 40-50 calls per day.

Ole!

P.S. Just went and listened to Summer Breeze by Seals and Crofts just to make the circle complete on this thread. So anyhow I start playing along with it, sounds like a simple enough song. Accidentally discovered that it's a pretty interesting arrangement and not that simple at all. A couple of those chords are fairly weird. Then it reminded me that once I saw stuffed toys in a store, little yellow suns which played summer breeze when you poke their belly. My advice to you, find some of those at any cost, give those to your affiliate managers. They were like $9USD or something...

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[gbrown]

So, do we get discounts if we visit??

[John-oh]

Corey,

You could be charging for this level of advice.

The conection between IR forums and detailed advice on opening and marketing a tanning 'spa' is surreal.

Anyway Bruce, all the best - if I was any closer I'd come in for a quick spray.

[gbrown]

Oh, but VERY important! How many of us geeks NEVER get out in the sun? You know, that PALE PASTY look??? Now, if we want to get our official daily requirements of Vitamin D ya gotta get some UV rays. See the connection now?

[Corey]

I'm nothing if not surreal. Here's the thing, my plan to get rich involves helping Bruce get rich first. I figure once he owns half of his state I can just pop down there and get a cushy job running a hospital or a resaurant or something for like $500K/yr. Yep, that''ll be sweeeeeet.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[Bruce]

**** straight Corey! LOL BTW... keep ranting! We thought of some of this stuff already but I like to here it from others. It confirms that it was an ok idea.

Anyone from this group can sprayed, toasted or cooked for free at least once :yes

[Bruce]

We thought of getting the local church youth groups involved by having the kids hang door hangers and then give a donation to the youth group (Less chance of the hangers going into the trash). OR Each door hanger would have a coupon. On the back of the coupon would be a special mark or stamp for each of those who hand out these door hangie downies each person would the get a kick back or stars that could be redeemed toward a service for each coupon that was brought into the salon and used.

[Corey]

I like it. Great idea, and it's win-win. You can't lose when you do positive things in your community because in the long run that it what will really establish you, not low ball prices. Plus it's outside the box, which is good because this is all about doing several things at once and then gaining a good result from the accumulated effects. If you do several things which are all inside the box, you won't get any steam, but if you do a few different things, someone inside, some outside, that will get you your most bang-per-burrito.

At the end of the day, it can't hurt regardless because those kids will all know what great folks you are, and so will their families. Smart plan. You'll never go wrong taking the high road.

I remember once, just before I landed in IR's lap, I was applying for a job here:

http://www.accurate.ca/ to try and revive their non-functioning http://www.maxim.ca

Anyhow, the guys there are a real piece of work. Classic stuff. Suffice to say, the GM asked me how I would help to create a profile for Maxim in the community and I suggested sponsoring a small bursary at the University of Alberta Computer Science Dept. is a great way to network with all the best people and it can be written off of his taxes. He said angrily, "What's in it for me?"

Hee. Good times. Suffice to say I didn't get the job and thank whew. Anyhow you on the other hand are doing the right thing Bruce. For me a tanning salon wouldn't have been my first choice but in your case I do think it is a good idea because you are going about it properly, the shop looks great, you're not cutting corners, and you're dedicated to your ideal. Put it this way, essentially you are the reason life is not going to be very fun for a few other local tanning salons this year who *did* cut corners.

Any business idea is a good idea if you are motivated. I can honestly say that I've seen a few tanning salons in my day but none of them looking as well done as yours seems to be shaping up, and I think that puts you a step ahead so to speak. :)

Further than that I have reasonably good instincts and my gut tells me everything is going to shake out very nicely for you guys when all is said and done... No red flags so far.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[JimS]

Congratulations on the new business, Bruce. Looking good.

OT Nice job on that video. That should have gotten you a few of those machines, and made the company quite happy. Good work.

[Mark]

Good luck with everything Bruce.

[Bruce]

Here is a teaser of pics to come...
http://www.diginetx.com/images/floor.jpg

[Corey]

WOW. Three words. Awesome. Skateboard-ready. :)

I have to say, without any prejudice, that is the nicest floor I have ever seen. I like everything about it... You guys have real talent.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[sferguson]

WHOA!!! Very cool! You guys obviously tie-dyed the concrete ...but where'd you find big enough rubber bands? :p

Seriously though, I'm curious how you were able to achieve that really nice fluid effect. When I saw the post above, I went by the Kemiko floor stain website to check it out. The sample shots they have are really nice as well, but you guys have obviously taken it a step further with your water-color-esque technique.

[Bruce]

BIG rubber bands! LOL..

The floor is DONE! YEAH! (www.diginetx.com/SB/html/thumbs/index.html)

[Corey]

I can't believe how much it looks like water here, that's ART!

http://www.diginetx.com/SB/Images/images/090%20SWEET!.jpg

I'm also jealous of the sunshine there. It's nothing but grey, mud, wind, and snow here.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[Bruce]

We have an extra room with it's own entry and bath... Just kick in a little $ for bread and milk and your in! :yes

[Corey]

Hee! Well I must admit, it's tempting to hang out and learn how you did that floor, it's spectacular... You really outdid yourself.

Corey Milner
Creative Director, Indigo Rose Software (http://www.indigorose.com)

[Lorne]

No kidding...very nice, Bruce.

[Derek]

I'm impressed! The floor looks sweet .. sure did a great job. Top Banana!!
Good luck with the venture, guys.

[Bruce]

New pics... Enjoy :lol

Latest pics (http://www.diginetx.com/html/html/thumbs/index.html)

Click "Last" to get to the newest pictures

[Corey]

Looks good, I like the blue ceiling. It's better that you have a new power line in the end anyhow, you can sleep well knowing you won't have any hassles. :yes

[Bruce]

Walls are gping up!

Summer Breeze Tanning (http://www.diginetx.com/html/html/thumbs/index.html)

Give it a chance to upload... I have 50% to go.

[Corey]

Sweet! Nice work... :yes :yes :yes

[gbrown]

Cuel, indeed! What's the life-expenctancy on that floor treatment before it has to be sanded down and re-glossed?

[Bruce]

10 Years they say hummmm :rolleyes

[Corey]

I don't know, those "spa types" can be pretty unruly... Rip up your floors like an eighth grade barn dance if you don't keep an eye on them. :o

[gbrown]

Yeh, and walking around with those ping pong ball things over their eyes, knocking down carafes of herb tea....

[Roboblue]

A friend's wife opened a beauty salon in a small town close by a couple of years ago. They made a great hit in the town by catering to the wealthy. They called it a "day spa" (cos' you could spend all day there). Should have called it a "pay spa" because of the prices.
It was put into an 1890's bank building and still had a lot of the original fixtures (ceilings, floor tiling, etc..), even used the original bank counter with the brass bars as a greeting station. One of the technicians used the old vault as her workstation.
One of the things that really helped was getting the Chamber of Commerce in on the Grand opening, and linking the COC's website to the spa's website. They had a "wine and canapes" day once a week, and various discount packages that would allow the less fortunate to come in. All Holidays were what the town accented and was decorated according to the COC's Holiday commitee's suggestions.
In other words, they kissed local leaders buttocks, and put on airs.
It worked, and now thay have two other spa's in a fifty miles radius.
I had designed a website for them and used the old fixtures and interior colors as the theme. It was done before alternate browsers were popular, so I think it will only look right in IE, but here is a link so that you may get an idea of how they present their business. It is my portfolio sample.
http://www.blueangel-productions.com/samples/park/index.htm
I also think it helped to hire really pretty woman for technicians. (See the girls bios on the site)
They have the spray type tanning booth and, of course, I asked for the job of the "buddy guy" (for safety, you should always have someone in the booth with the client), but I didn't qualify. It would be hard to move fast and help in an emergency when your tongue keeps getting in the way.
So they hired a nice lady, instead.

[Brett]

The closest I ever get to a day spa is a Saturday where all I have to do is take a shower and watch a Star Trek marathon on the Space channel. OK, sometimes I skip the shower.

[gbrown]

:D Star Trek Marathon :D


Today I shall buy Season 7 of Voyager. I've got 'em all so far...but I have resisted the urge to buy the repackaged ST-TOS. Now those DO have extra interviews that weren't on the disk I got Way Back When. Is resistance futile? :huh

I don't care .. I like Voyager.

[Brett]

I have to say that I like Voyager as well. My three favorites are the originals ("Dammit, Jim, I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker!"), Next Generation (Oh Q, will you ever stoip with your crazy antics) and then Voyager (mmmm, Captain Janeway.) I never really got into DS9 or the new Enterprise series at all. Thnakfully, I am not a nerd. (yeah right)

[gbrown]

Janeway? Geez.... 7 of 9! :D

-and-

T'Pal, Decontamination Chamber, 'nuf said! :D :D :D

[TJ_Tigger]

7 of 9! :D



or as my wife called her . . . "Two of the Best"!

[Intrigued]

My wife and I thought, "Oh, no! Don't mess with StarTrek!" (original TV version).

Then we saw a few episodes (ok, the characters needed a few to get to where they were "in the zone").

Now, I still like StarTrek - Next Generation the best!

I order movies online and I like that I can get shows like this as well as the silver screen movies!

Then there is the Star Wars movies. I have seen them all in the movie theaters. It's become a tradition for me (and I suspect millions of others).

So, I like to read non-fiction but I like to indulge my inner-child when it comes to TV and Movie watching and do the fiction thing.

[gbrown]

BTW... you should check out Wil Wheaton's site: http://www.wilwheaton.net. Yes, I know you wanted to chuck ol' Wesley out the airlock, but Wil's site is great. His latest book, "Just a GeeK' is Good Stuff. :yes

[Bruce]

Ok, here's tha last of them! WE'RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!! What do you think?

The finished product (http://www.diginetx.com/html/html/thumbs/index.html)

[Corey]

Wow it's really beautiful Bruce, I love the wood look. Nice and organic. I also *really* like the way you left a lot of open space in front of the counter. Too many places are so crowded these days, it's uncomfortable. The way that area really opens up to the floor is spectacular. You did an awesome job of establishing a "premium" look which is a good move because it means you don't have to compete with "normal" salons. Premium customers seek out premium facilities, and that game is all about having "the look" which you have achieved. Great job! You get ten thumbs up from me for your work. Well actually only 4 of the thumbs are for you. 4 are for your wife, and one for each kid.

:yes :yes :yes :yes :yes :yes :yes :yes :yes :yes

BTW great job on the sign the "TANNING" really pops out which is *exactly* what you want. Awesome work on the placement too, perfect.

[Intrigued]

That floor space is going to work out just great Bruce.... for.... our I.R. vs. customer's LAN party!

;)

[Lorne]

Nicely done, Bruce! Congratulations.

[gbrown]

It came out just beautiful :yes ! Oooo.... I can just see it now. An IR customer in each bed, big party afterwords :D .

[TJ_Tigger]

Looks Great Bruce. Conga-Rats

[Bruce]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and advice. Looking forward now to comming home to my true love... AMS he he he :yes

B.T.W. Ten thumbs! Wow thx Corey!

[Corey]

my true love... AMS

Well reading through the page titles on your photo pages it's obvious your wife has a good sense of humor so hopefully that one won't get you in any hot water. :D I especially like the one which said something to the effect of "Come in and we'll tan your hide..." Hilarious. :yes

No time to rest yet though Bruceman, where's the web site? Such a great spa surely needs an equally great web site! :yes

[Intrigued]

BTW... you should check out Wil Wheaton's site: http://www.wilwheaton.net. Yes, I know you wanted to chuck ol' Wesley out the airlock, but Wil's site is great. His latest book, "Just a GeeK' is Good Stuff. :yes

Ok, I stopped off, and here is what I found:

http://gallery.wilwheaton.net/RockNRollMarathon2004/IMG_4315

Does that guy really think he can fool the Trash Man on pickup day?

I know, it's the effort that counts.

:D

[Corey]

Does that guy really think he can fool the Trash Man on pickup day?

I hope he's got good negotiation skills if his trashman is anything like ours. :)

[gbrown]

In the last fund-run he participated in for breast cancer research he raised, if I remember right, around US$20K on his site. Not too bad! And... he ran the rull marathon.

[Bruce]

No time to rest yet though Bruceman, where's the web site? Such a great spa surely needs an equally great web site!

Got ya covered!

www.summerbreezetan.com (http://www.summerbreezetan.com)

[Corey]

Camarillo Brillo (frank zappa) eh? Looks great. One tip Brucemeister, try padding that text a bit so it doesn't push up against the top left of it's table and see how you like it. That should make the page reading more relaxed. Also You should probably strongly consider using a screen font instead of a print font. Serif fonts (print) are hard to read onscreen and detract from your page, whereas a sans-serif font (screen) will give you a really nice spa-like look.

Anyhow great job B-dawg. :yes

[Sandy]

Wow, Bruce. You and your family have done a bang-up job with that salon. It really looks fantastic. I would definately sign up if only you weren't so far away. ;) I could use a good tan after all of the -30 temps we've been getting.

[Intrigued]

Bruce!

The Salon looks awesome in its completed state!

I like the lightening and the use of lighter colored woods!

Now, how do I get a franchise!

*My wife loves tanning and someday she has thought about going this route (owning a tanning salon). But, I just put a new sink faucet and drain body in... so far that is close to the extent of my construction talents (save roofing0. Now, we have someone to look too for a professional and very inviting setup!

*Wife just walked in... she loves what you have done with the Salon! Nice beds!

:yes