Your Frequent Buyer Program: A Secret Formula for Effortless Repeat Sales

Your Frequent Buyer Program: A Secret Formula for Effortless Repeat Sales

The other day I passed an upscale nail spa and a sign on the front desk caught my eye: It read “Cheaper by the dozen, buy 12 manicures for the price of 10.”

Well what that hoity-toity nail spa knows is that frequent buyer programs, by any description, are a very powerful tool.

Here are a few ideas for frequent buyer programs.

* Make your program user friendly (for both the client and the salon/day spa). A punch card or a stamp will do. Make sure you keep the number of purchases in the computer in case the client forgets her card.
* For a more “expensive” look, try a plastic card. You can purchase these through your software provider. A wonderful touch is sending the client a printout of her usage.
* Try collaborating with an aligned business and offer “frequent” buyer programs. For example, you can arrange with a neighboring tanning salon to give a free tanning session for every three haircuts in your salon.
* Give a gift certificate valued at $x for every $y spent in services in your salon.
* Offer your top “inner-circle” of clients an exclusive discount as a reward.
* Arrange to give frequent flyer miles with your gift certificate program.

After you decide you’re going to have a program, make sure you:

* Clarify your goal.
* Clarify all the technical aspects of your program (how it works).
* Have a reward that the client considers valuable, but not so expensive that you lose money on it.
* Determine the length of your program—give enough time so the client can benefit.
* Know how the clients will receive the bonuses—don’t make them wait too long or jump through a ring of fire to get the bonus. They’ll only get frustrated and all your hard work will go down the drain.Test your program.

Andrew Finkelstein, President of the Beauty Resource, is a successful New York City-based entrepreneur, author, speaker, and coach who helps professional beauty businesses get more clients. Andrew’s E-zine The Finkelstein Report is the beauty industry’s #1 marketing resource with free articles, marketing tools, and valuable advice for salons and day spas owners. Contact Andrew at TheBeautyResource.com

If you are interested in printing a postcard for your sales or buy one get one events, please visit Salon Pro Marketing

Fear Factor Haircut ..This is Terrible!

Is Your Curly Hair out of Control with All This Heat? Shiva Flat Iron Gives Your Smooth Straight Hair

	Features Titanium Plates create the smoothest surface with less friction & drag on hair strands while the hair is hot and fragile. Floating Plates help to have uniform pressure and consistent result in straightening each hair section. Maximum Temperature is 450°F or 230°C with LED digital adjustment. Temperature can be switched from °C to °F. Maximum Temperature Variation from set temperature is under 2%. Nano-Silver helps to kill virus, germ, while you are using on different clients, or while it is coming in contact with unsanitary surfaces. Negative Ions break up water molecules to help penetrate deeper into hair follicles and help hair to be shinier and healthier instantly. Ceramic Heater creates negative ions, and heats up very fast, and holds constant temperature much better than other materials. Instant Heat Recovery, SHIVA Flat Iron is engineered such that from near the scalp all the way to the end of long & dense tresses, there is no drop in temperature. Automatic Cut off Switch (Advanced Feature) by microprocessors to prevent overheating. Non-use Rest State, when the flat irons are not used automatically shuts off; shut off time can be adjusted from 20 to 120 minutes. Safety Plug very important feature for consumers and professional, any short in Shiva Flat Iron caused by water, or any conductive liquid will automatically trip the safety plug circuit breaker. Ergonomically Designed to ease stress and strain on hand, wrist, fingers and tendons. Suitable for any Hair from coarsest to finest, from chemically processed to virgin, from short to long hair. All you need is one flat iron. For More information on the Shiva Flat iron please visit  www.shivalab.com

Four Big Time Pricing Myths

Pricing your services and/or products is an integral part of your salon/day spa generating the sales and profits you are looking for.

The question you want to ask yourself is what prices should we be charging? When you think about the answer, please keep your objective clearly in the forefront.

For sure your ultimate objective is to maximize the amount of money your business makes. It’s just that on the road to doing that you can use pricing as a strategy (there’ll be more on pricing as a strategy in a future Finkelstein Report).

However before we can even make pricing decisions it’s important to wipe your mind clean from four big pricing myths. If you hang onto these myths, you’ll be sure to dilute any advantage that a pricing strategy will bring to your salon/day spa.

Myth #1 Price is the client’s most important buying criteria. Sure price is important; however, it usually comes up around #4 in consumer shopping surveys about what’s important to them. Yes, there are people who buy based strictly on price. The question you must answer is do you want to do business with these folks?

Myth #2 You have to match or even slightly under-price your services or product in a competitive or commodity driven market. With so many different ways to differentiate your salon/day spa, I’m astounded people even think this way.

For instance, you could try:

• Specializing in a particular niche within the beauty niche (example: hair color or laser treatments)
• Touting your experience or credentials
• Partnering with top of the line manufacturers
• Limiting accessibility

Myth #3 Pricing only involves taking the cost of your service or product and marking it up by your desired profit margin. Unfortunately, too many salons/day spas don’t have a handle on their true costs so even if they wanted to do cost-plus pricing they couldn’t. For that matter, cost-plus pricing may have nothing to do with the value of your services or with the market price.

However, if you don’t know already, please find out the cost of delivering the service and figure out what gross margin you need to cover all your fixed expenses.

Myth #4 If your sales are stagnant or falling behind, just drop your price and they will increase. Remember that although people put a high value on price, they also put a high value on quality. In the service business, perception is reality, so when you lower the price you chip away at the perception of your quality.

There are ways to justify lowering prices, if you believe you can retain the clients once you have them in the door and up-sell and cross-sell them with other services. However, if you lower your prices to increase sales you could very well be accelerating your losses.

Andrew Finkelstein, President of the Beauty Resource, is a successful New York City-based entrepreneur, author, speaker, and coach who helps professional beauty businesses get more clients. Andrew’s E-zine The Finkelstein Report is the beauty industry’s #1 marketing resource with free articles, marketing tools, and valuable advice for salons and day spas owners. Contact Andrew at http://www.thebeautyresource.com or 212-831-2421 x202

No More Frizzy Hair – 6 Stylish Tips

By Kate Stephen

Whether you’re looking to get your hair in shape for a special occasion, or just trying to look as smart as possibly for that big neeting, there are a few simple things you should be doing to keep your hair looking great.

Conditioning

The role of the hair conditioner is to add shine and body to your hair. You can compare hair conditioner to fabric conditioner – they both have the effect of leaving the material comfortable and smooth.

Another benefit of using a hair conditioner is that it will usually leave your hair free of static, which will in turn reduce any ‘frizziness’ that may appear.

Take your time to massage the conditioner fully into your hair.

Take the time to fully dry your hair

In the time strapped society that we all seem to inhabit these days, the hair dryer has become a common place item in the bathroom.

It is important that you only use the dryer on wet hair, and you need to constantly be moving the dryer to make sure that no section of your hair is exposed to overheating.

Choose the lowest of the heat settings if possible.

Shampoo Properly

What I mean by this is you should avoid using cheap generic shampoo. Invest a little extra in some salon quality shampoo that is matched to you hair type.

If you have added a color to your hair, make sure the shampoo you are using is suitable for that particular coloring. It is a good idea to talk to your stylist about your shampoo choice as you are getting your hair done.

Hair Straighteners

A hair straightener is one product where it usually pays to go for the better quality version. Most women have had the experience of using a poor quality hair straightener.

Either your hair gets caught up, or the iron isn’t hot enough to smooth out all the kinks in one pass.

It is a good idea to go for a straightener that uses either glass or ceramic heating plates. you should also look for a switch that will allow you to adjust temperature settings.

One brand that consistently develops good straighteners is GHD, whose equipment is used by salons across the globe. Their plates heat up quickly and are super smooth to make hair straighteneing a breeze.

Serum

There are a whle range of hair products available that are used to help smooth your hair. One again, your hairdresser will be able to give you some suggestions with regards to a serum that will help keep your hair looking fantastic.

These hair serums work by relaxing and smoothing the hair, and decreasing the amount of static electricity that it will attract.

Diet

Your hair, like every other part of your body is nourished by the food you eat and the liquids you drink. It is important that you keep a well balancd diet that contains sufficient amounts of the essential vitamins and minerals.

Make sure you are keeping your fluid up and that yuo eat food with plenty of protein – after all this is what hair is mainly made up of.

By following the simple tips lsted above, you should have no problems keeping your hair looking its best all year round.

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Kate Stephen runs Red Ribbon Gifts which is an online boutique gift shop that offers stylish gifts from fresh young designers, and lesser known manufacturers.

Originally focusing on gifts for her, the business has recently expanded to include a gifts for him and a corporate gifts range.

Visit Red Ribbon Gifts today to find valentine gifts for her  http://www.redribbongifts.com.au

Super Food for Your Hair ~ Argan Oil

Features     Virgin / Cold Process

Organic Argan Oil From Argan Trees Growm in Southwest of Morroco Enriched with Botanical, Vitamins, and Antioxidants.

• Moisturizes & softens
• Nourishes the scalp
• Promotes hair growth
• Protects hair color
• Reduces drying time & speeds up styling
• Heals & nourshes damaged hair
• Protects against sun rays & environmental pollutants
• Protects against heat, cold humidity & dryness
• 4oz $39.95  more info

Firing Right—Letting People Go with Dignity

Here’s a quick primer culled from executives and outplacement experts on how to fire people without bruising their egos.

• Give warning. All performance-based firings should begin with a warning or probationary period. If you let employees know they’re on the edge, they just might turn things around. If they’ve put in years of service, it’s the least they deserve.
• Document, document, document. Once you’ve told an employee she/he’s on probation, document every task and interaction. The better records you keep, the easier it will be to justify your actions should you find yourself defending them in legal proceedings.
• Time it right. Fire early in the day and early in the week. The worse time to terminate an employee is the day before a weekend or holiday.
• Prepare the paperwork. Don’t wait until after you fire an employee to deliver termination paperwork. Deliver pay, including any benefits and unused vacation, on the spot. This is not only good policy, frequently it’s the law.
• Don’t go it alone. Have someone else with you in the room. It adds a sense of seriousness and finality to the termination conversation. It also provides a witness on your side should you end up in court.
• Ensure privacy. Make it clear to the employee that only you and the other person (your witness) will take part in the termination meeting. Reassure the employee that nobody else will be in on what’s happening. Neglecting this will make her/him self-conscious.
• Be brief. Say what you have to say, say it clearly and don’t say any more. Prolonging the meeting allows the employee to believe she/he is involved in a negotiation—there may be a way out. When she/ he realizes there isn’t, she/he will feel betrayed.
• Watch your tone. Choose your words carefully and make sure you convey a tone of cordiality and sympathy. Be compassionate but firm, honest but guarded. Never say, “I know what you’re going through,” even if you do.
• Seek feedback. Although it’s important to keep the meeting short, encourage the employee to voice her/his feelings after you’ve delivered the news. If she/he doesn’t answer immediately, count to 20 before moving on. The last thing you want is a reputation for being heartless. However, if recriminations result, take charge and cut her/him off; remember that you’re declaring the employee fired, not engaging in a dialogue.
• Give a good send-off. Always offer words of encouragement and confidence in the employee’s future career. Stand and extend your hand to indicate the meeting has ended. Thank the employee for her/his service and don’t be surprised or hurt if the employee declines to thank you for firing her/him.

Andrew Finkelstein, President of the Beauty Resource, is a successful New York City-based entrepreneur, author, speaker, and coach who helps professional beauty businesses get more clients. Andrew’s E-zine The Finkelstein Report is the beauty industry’s #1 marketing resource with free articles, marketing tools, and valuable advice for salons and day spas owners. Contact Andrew at TheBeautyResource.com

Argan Oil.. Miracle Oil for Many Reasons

Argan oil is an oil produced from the kernels of the argan tree, endemic to Morocco, that is valued for its nutritive, cosmetic and numerous medicinal properties.

Argan oil is exceptionally rich in natural tocopherols (vitamin E), rich in phenols and phenolic acid, rich in carotenes, rich in squalene, rich in essential fatty acids, 80% unsaturated fatty acids and depending on extraction method more resistant to oxidation than olive oil.

Argan oil is pretty new in America, but English and French tourists discovered it in Morocco years ago and it’s all over the markets of Provence, along with the lavender and olive oils. Now, due to the efforts of the Moroccan King Mohammed VI, who has been praised for his efforts to promote women’s rights, the oil is being promoted and exported worldwide.

It is Berber women who are solely responsible for harvesting the nuts and producing the oil, and they are doing so in fair trade working cooperatives. Outside groups, like the government of Monaco, are also financially backing a system whereby women can work half days (so they can still tend to their families) in exchange for fair wages and good working conditions. This has allowed an income for women and families where before there was little.

The cost of pure Argan oil isn’t cheap — not like olive oil, for example. But a little bit goes a long way — it is no more expensive than many high-end moisturizers, and it earns terrific marks in terms of sustainability and supporting women’s rights

Something Fun to Start Your Weekend

Dandruff and Possible Causes

Causes

By Mayo Clinic staff

Dandruff can have several causes, including:

• Dry skin. Simple dry skin — the kind you get during winter when the air is cold and rooms are overheated — is the most common cause of itchy, flaking skin. Flakes from dry skin are generally smaller and less oily than those from other causes of dandruff.
• Irritated, oily skin (seborrheic dermatitis). This condition, a frequent cause of dandruff, is marked by red, greasy skin covered with flaky white or yellow scales. Seborrheic dermatitis affects not only your scalp but also other areas rich in oil glands, such as your eyebrows, the sides of your nose and the backs of your ears, your breastbone, your groin area, and sometimes your armpits.
• Not shampooing often enough. If you don’t regularly wash your hair, oils and skin cells from your scalp can build up, causing dandruff.
• Psoriasis. This skin disorder causes an accumulation of dead skin cells that form thick silvery scales. Psoriasis commonly occurs on your knees, elbows and trunk, but it can also affect your scalp.
• Eczema. If you have eczema on your scalp, it’s possible you could develop dandruff.
• Sensitivity to hair care products (contact dermatitis). Sometimes sensitivities to certain hair care products or hair dyes can cause a red, itchy, scaling scalp. Shampooing too often or using too many styling products also may irritate your scalp, causing dandruff.
• A yeast-like fungus (malassezia). Malassezia lives on the scalps of most healthy adults without causing problems. But sometimes it grows out of control, feeding on the oils secreted by your hair follicles. This can irritate the skin on your scalp and cause more skin cells to grow. The extra skin cells die and fall off, clumping together with oil from your hair and scalp, making them appear white, flaky and visible in your hair or on your clothes.Exactly what causes an overgrowth of malassezia isn’t known, although having too much oil on your scalp; changes in your hormones; stress; illness; neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease; a suppressed immune system; not shampooing often enough; and extra sensitivity to the malassezia fungus may contribute to the development of dandruff.

For more inforamtion on dandruff, causes and treatment visit Mayo Clinic