by Greg Milner | May 28, 2010 | Australia, Marketing Superstars, The Smell of Success
Hair Salon Marketing Template Superstar: Message from a Doting Grandmother!
Now we’re being credited with creating babies!
At Worldwide Salon Marketing we’re dedicated to creating wealth and financial freedom for salon and spa owners. But we never thought we’d be thanked for making babies as well.
As Maureen Hardman writes, daughter and long-term Inner Circle member Cherie Underwood has been able to get married, start a family and work from home thanks to the success of direct response salon marketing she discovered in the WSM Inner Circle Marketing & Mentoring Program.
“When we purchased the salon nearly 3 years ago the old salon owner had implemented some of your strategies as she had hard copies of some of your marketing material, so at some stage she must have been a member.
“We know she had increased the business by about 25% in two years prior to her selling, due to an increase in her marketing strategies. Since joining WSM we have further increased our sales by at least another 25% by following your most recent ideas etc.
When we first purchased the business there were 2 additional full time staff (plus the owner) who had been there for a total of 9 years. They both left within 6 months, one opening up at home and taking about a quarter of the clients. (She left when Cherie returned from her honeymoon). Soon after this, with the help of the marketing templates in the Toolkit, birthday vouchers and fabulous offers, seen many of those clients return.
“We now also have someone on reception as inspired by WSM so we do not miss any calls, walk-ins etc (this is a must). The ex-employee is now working in a bar down the road (bitter sweet!). Because of this increase in sales we have put on an additional full time beauty therapist and Cherie has been able to start a family without any hesitation and will now predominantly work from home. Your stuff works and without it I may not have been blessed with a beautiful grandaughter!”
by Greg Milner | May 13, 2010 | Ads that Have Worked, Marketing Superstars, New Zealand, The Right Mindset
Hair Salon Template: NZ Salon Marketing Superstar, Toni Cunningham’s Autumn Mailbox Drop Reaps Fantastic Rewards!
If there is a common theme amongst our successful My Social Salon members it’s that they ALL take massive action to get the results they want for their business. And Toni Cunningham of Decadence Salon in Palmerston North, New Zealand is one of those MASSIVE ACTION taking salon owners.
Toni Cunningham, Owner of Decadence Salon in Palmerston North, NZ
Toni joined the program back in December 2009 and has seen her salon’s weekly turnover increase by significant 20% in that time. And the great thing about Toni is that she doesn’t get deflated or defeated when she does a campaign and doesn’t quite get the results she wanted, because she has so many other successful salon marketing campaigns on the go that she is always getting great results from different areas.
When I get calls from ‘non inner circle members’ telling me that their marketing isn’t working, I normally ask them what marketing they have done, to which the response is something like,
“Well I delivered 37 flyers into mailboxes 8 weeks ago and I haven’t heard back from anyone yet…”
It is simply not enough, and the results will show that.
Many Salon owners have been slaves to their business and staff, not paying themselves a wage for 1, 2, 10 even 20 years and most of these people have the perception that marketing is a waste of time and has to be expensive, but it isn’t. There are so many low cost strategies if not FREE ways you can market your salon.
Read on below to see how a low cost mailbox drop brought in $4158 for Toni Cunningham in the month of April…
“Hi Chris
Just wanted to let you know that April was our best month (even bet Christmas) it’s fantastic to see the salon growing continuously every month. I have to say couldn’t have done it without WSM.
I have to say it’s really rewarding after my husband and I have dropped 500 flyers to go into the salon and see 10 messages on the phone and then the calendar just fills up, its great.
The team gets such a kick out of seeing the calendar fill quite rapidly.
I have only been in the program since December and have seen some great results, have made a part timer full time ,and we are in the process of hiring another stylist.
If this is what we have achieved in the last 6 months I say bring on the next 6 months.
Last month we took massive action, we did our monthly newsletter, Kids Free Hair Cuts Flyer (in school holidays), Autumn Flyer, along with all the New client letters, birthday letters, Raise the dead letters.
By far the Autumn package was the most successful, we are dropping 500 every week and getting amazing results. It cost $45 for flyers and envelopes and we booked 42 packages at $99 and what is even better, is 34 were new clients.”
And from chatting with Toni recently she dropped another 500 flyers around the neighbourhood in the first week of May and got another 9 bookings (49 in total so far). And of course these results do not include all the new and existing clients she got from her other marketing campaigns.
So Let’s break things down.
500 Flyers plus envelopes cost Toni $45.
She delivered 2000 flyers over 4 weeks in April, so the total cost for the flyers and envelopes was $180.
Each of those 42 clients spent $99, so an immediate income of $4158 (this does not include any retail sold).
Let’s say on average each new client is worth $1000 per year to Toni and that half of the 34 new clients became regular clients. That would be an increase in annual turnover of $17,000.
Not a bad return for a $180 investment.
Well done Toni and keep up the excellent work!
by Greg Milner | May 4, 2010 | Marketing Superstars, The Smell of Success
Inner Circle Premium member Sarkis Akle of Hair by Phd – dramatic increase in sales and new clients since upgrading from Lite
Salon Appointment Book Template Hair Salon Marketer of the Month: Check out these brilliant results
Sarkis Akle, owner of Hair by Phd in Parramatta, Sydney, only upgraded to the Premium program from Lite in February this year. The effects on his salon’s sales has been dramatic.
It’s a testament to the power of good salon marketing copy… and implementation.
Here’s what Sarkis says:
Got some figures that I would like to share with you guys.
These are based on a comparison between April 09 and April 10, keeping in mind in 09 we had record turnover for our business and we are not working off a small base.
1. Turn over up 16.5% from $62,926 to $73,346
2. Rebooking up 19.5%
3. New clients up 104%v – 95 new clients this April.
4. Total clients up 11.9%
5. Retail up 8%
6. My personal takings are down. All the growth has been with the staff.
7. Avg client sale is only up by $3.50, however with the amount of free services we have done it’s still pretty good.
8. We sold 25 of the $99 Mother’s day packages last week, just through in salon promotion.
Thanks to you guys, I am so pumped about my business. My dream is to pay all my debts off and finally be able to buy a home for my family.
Thanks Guys!
Hearing from salon owners like Sarkis is what makes my job the best in the world – giving people the tools, and the knowledge, to make more money for themselves.
Congratulations Sarkis. You’ve won a special WSM prize, it’s in the mail!
by Greg Milner | Mar 25, 2010 | Marketing Superstars, New Zealand
Free Hair Salon Business Plan Template: NZ Salon Superstar, Terra Evans – The Membership Campaign that created a Storm!
If I said to you that every dollar you spent on marketing would give you $2 back, you would probably be very happy. Well Inner Circle member Terra Evans of Skin Deep Face and Body in the little seaside town of Browns Bay on Auckland’s North Shore recently launched her Mini Memberships program and made an astounding return for every $1 she spent on marketing these memberships….WOW!
But before I let Terra explain to you how she did it, I want to tell you some of the benefits of having memberships in your salon….
Memberships are a great way to get a huge chunk of cash up front from your clients or regular cash flow depending on the membership type. If cash flow is a bit tight and you have a GST bill coming up then memberships give you that much need boost. Or perhaps you want to go on a holiday or buy a new car then memberships give you more financial freedom so you don’t have to go grovelling to the bank for a loan!
Memberships are also a great way to guarantee your clients stay loyal to your salon for a long time and if a staff member leaves and starts working at a salon down the road it also stops clients going with that person.
You will often find that people on memberships will try out other services that they have never had before which opens up more opportunities to sell lots of product. Remember these people have paid their money upfront, so they are going to feel like they have got money to burn when they come in for their treatments….so SELL, SELL, SELL like crazy!
But enough from me, here is what Terra has to say about memberships and being a part of the Inner Circle Program…..
Terra Evans, Owner of Skin Deep Face & Body, Auckland
“I have been a member of the Inner Circle program for 2 months now. I decided to join because even though my salon is already doing well I knew it wasn’t working it to its full potential. So when I saw the ad for a free DVD on how to make more $ and do fab marketing it intrigued me and I phoned Chris to find out more. The first thing I felt when I spoke to Chris was that I wasn’t being sold to, I was just being told the facts and I could also see how genuine and enthusiastic Chris was about the whole thing. I asked Chris to give me some people to ring who are already members which he did and everyone gave rave reviews so I asked him if he could ring me in 2 months, when I felt I would be ready and I would give it a go, I really didn’t have anything to lose as there is the free trial period and I told Chris that if it didn’t work for me within that time I wouldn’t continue, but he was very confident that that would not be the case and that I would love it, and he was right!
I have implemented lots of new ideas but also things like new client letters which I knew I needed to do before I joined but didn’t know where to start. Well not anymore, with all the templates and ideas that are in the manuals I finally feel like I am taking control of my business! So far I have done New client letters 1,2 and 3, birthday letters, raise the dead letters, Queen of referrals, Valentines day specials, newsletters (mail and email), changed my messages, implemented the Happy form and testimonial form, cross over promotions, top client rewards, about to send out a school holiday special, ordered a new A frame for the sidewalk, increased my prices and am now using the Staff finder service to look for a new therapist so we have more spaces to fill so I can do some more marketing.
The Best success I have had so far is with the Mini Memberships. I did like the Manual said (why try and fight it) and offered $350 worth of treatments for $200 I had 20 up for grabs and they had a 6 month expiry. .I sent out 672 texts @ 22 cents each = $147.84 and 252 emails @ 5 cents = $12.60 total cost $160.44 all to my existing clients. The response from the texts was amazing within 24 hours of sending the message we had sold all 20 and had many more on a waiting list for next time. So all up it cost me $160.44 to market and I had a Membershiop campaign that created a STORM! Oh what a feeling!
What was interesting about the whole thing is that it actually has encouraged the mini members to try different treatments that they have been thinking about trying, already I have 2 clients starting a course of IPL (which of course will end up costing them more than $350) another client is going to use hers towards microdermabrasion course (again more than $350) and 3 of the members have only visited us a few times so after they have used up there credit I am sure they will be addicted! The rest of the members I am going to test and measure at the end of the 6 months and see how many different treatments they have tried and how much extra retail they have purchased.
So if you are nervous about trying mini memberships don’t be they work!! You can always try selling 10 and then when you see how well it works give it another go. Oh and by the way the clients love it and love you for it. It creates such a buzz and good energy which I feel is so important for true success.
Thanks so much Chris, I look forward to our next meeting and getting started on more great ideas!”
As you can see from what Terra has written she is a HUGELY motivated person that takes massive action. The memberships are just one of many strategies, systems and promotions that she has implemented since joining the Inner Circle program in January. Great results Terra, well done and I am so happy for you!
by Greg Milner | Mar 3, 2010 | Marketing Superstars, The Right Mindset, The Smell of Success
Inner Circle member Lisa Zwart of Honey Body in Manly, Sydney.
Salon Web Template: From Struggle Street to Stardom – Lisa’s Story
South African-born Lisa Zwart was like most salon owners; struggling to keep the business afloat while she was drowning in the pressure of work. Lisa bought her Honey Body Salon in the northern Sydney beachside suburb of Manly 15 months ago. But it wasn’t until she attended a Worldwide Salon Marketing seminar in September 2009 that the ‘lights went on’ – and her life took a dramatic turn for the better.
Two months later, she was standing in front of 700 guests to receive the local Manly Business Achievers award!
“This is my first business I’ve been running by myself and I bought it and obviously it was a growing concern. It wasn’t doing really well, which is why I had to go get clients, and I’ve just literally had to build it up. I felt like I was building it up from scratch and I think we’ve just done really well. I’ve put in a lot of time and a lot of effort and now I’m putting in a lot more smart time…So, yeah, this is my success story.
Lisa and her team, picking up their freshly-minted Business Award
I never used to give myself time to market the salon business, until I went to my Worldwide Salon Marketing seminar. On my first coaching call, my coach told me just to shut the door. You get told to shut the door and literally sit down and do your budgeting and marketing plans. Because I really wasn’t making any time before that. So, now I’m more conscious of the time, forced now to leave my business to have good marketing strategies in place.
I’ve taken a lot of the guidelines that have kind of been given to us, like the ad guidelines, how to set about doing an ad, and what not to do in an ad, and what to do in an ad, and how to make things eye-catching. Obviously, taking tips from other people. If something didn’t work for them, I can say, “Okay, well it didn’t work for them”. They’re about the same as me. I’m not going to try anything like that. I’ll try something which has worked for them, or I like to see what everyone else is kind of doing and pick up ideas. Not necessarily copying them, but definitely taking ideas off what they’ve done and trying to use the guidelines that have been shown to us.
Also, I’ve been reading a lot about the hiring staff and I’ve taken that onboard. Because that was one of my biggest issues before I just wasn’t getting quality staff. Now I’m at a really good point where I’ve got great staff and I think it’s thanks to looking at those guidelines. Also, retailing and all of the tips and guidelines. There’s just so much information in that kit. I can pick it up today and I will read something that I didn’t read two months ago.
Lisa’s hard work has obviously been working.
“I took my whole family on safari to South Africa in December!”
by Greg Milner | Feb 1, 2010 | Marketing Superstars
IC member Tracey Maryska’s small salon turned into a multi-salon chain
Beauty Salon Price List Template:Tracey Maryska’s Remarkable Story – from Struggling Start Up to Owner of Multiple Salons
Inner Circle Member of the Week Tracey Maryska was skeptical when she joined the Inner Circle Premium program and got her Essential Salon owner’s Marketing Toolkit® in August 2008.
“…but we have never looked back,” she writes this week as she tells the story of how she bought her first small salon business after having her first baby – and turned it into a multi-salon chain.
“I purchased my first small salon in 2003 just after having my first child. This was a very run down little salon at Umina that I managed to grow into a busy little salon.
In 2004 I purchased another little salon at Chittaway Bay which I also grew, after having another baby in 2005.
In June 2006 I took the biggest gamble by opening a salon in a large regional shopping centre at Woy Woy with a really upmarket look that included beauty and spray tanning rooms along with 16 work stations and 5 basins. In April 2006 I sold my Chittaway salon to finance my Woy Woy salon and in 2007 I then had an opportunity to open a salon in another regional shopping centre at Kincumber – this opened in Dec 2007 and in March 2008 I sold my strip shop salon at Umina to focus on the 2 bigger hair and beauty salons.
In April 2009 I went on to open a large 150 sqm hair and beauty salon in a brand new shopping centre at Belmont Central – just out of Newcastle and in October 2009 another opportunity to open in another shopping centre at West Gosford became available…
I joined the Inner Circle program and got my Toolkit in August 2008 and to be honest was not sure about your marketing techniques – but we have taken them on board and never looked back, what makes it even greater is I have shared the knowledge with my Teams and they understand the concept behind all the marketing and are thinking about ideas all the time. I believe my salons have thrived and survived through the harder times with your marketing and my constant Passion to be the Best.
In October 2009 I was nominated for sole trader business women of the year – by Business Women Connect on the NSW Central Coast/Hunter Region. I am very proud of Winning my award and it has given me an even bigger boost to continue to grow my businesses with lots of marketing and promotions to ensure we have constant Cash flow and New clients.
Thank you
Tracey Maryska
Passion hair & beauty
Congratulations Tracey – another shining example for Inner Circle members – and salons around the world.
