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 Salonmembers it’s that they ALL take massive action to get the results they want for their business. And Toni Cunningham of Decadence Salonin 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.
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!”
Nail Salon Website Template From South Africa, a Salon Business That Defied the Odds…
“Thank you for your BRILLIANT BRILLIANT marketing!!!”
Aw, shucks… I never get tired of hearing that. But all the more so when it comes from an Inner Circle member who began with the considerable handicap of being born in one of the most troubled countries on the planet. A third-world currency, constant civil and racial upheaval, drugs, violence, you name it. South Africa was at the back of the queue when the Big Guy was passing around the Lucky Dip bucket.
South Africa’s Fairoza Tippens (middle) and staff – an amazing story of success against the odds
Fairoza Tippens hardly looks like a toughened, battle-hardened entrepreneur. But toughness is a mental thing. 18 months ago she left her country’s troubles behind her, flying 20 hours from Cape Town to Sydney just so she could attend one of our seminars – she was that desperate to get her hands on the Essential Salon Owner’s Marketing Toolkit® and join the Inner Circle program, even her country’s basket-case economy wasn’t going to stand in her way.
Last week came this amazing story of grit, determination and hard-won success in her salon business as a result of that do-or-die flight half way across the world…
Hi Greg,
Yes I know, I was supposed to call you last year already, but I was terribly busy with my new money-making Spa. (Firstly, let me apologize for the Susan Boyle comment, your article was hilarious and I couldn’t resist!!!!)
As you know I have moved my Salon into a Spa and into an upmarket area (targeting the least and last affected by a bad economy) and I’ve been on a roller-coaster all the way…
Greg, you will be pleased to know, since opening on the 30 October 2009 (I’ve been with the Inner Circle since September 2008), I was approached by (one of South Africa’s biggest companies) to put Spa-Bella in all 4 of their Wellness centers.
Brilliant, I thought…. I had two weeks to find staff, get organised and BREATHE as the launch was on the January 27… Within 2 1/2 months I have 5 (FIVE) Spas, little old me……
I could do NO pre-launch marketing and I needed to stand out from the other Beauty Service Provider ( who has been in the Centers for 6 years) on the day of the launch… but I knew she’d be doing the normal kind of ‘pretty’ marketing and clearly not Inner Circle-style stuff…. There were rules about colours to be used ( ‘NORMAL’ AGAIN), dress code and all the usual crap that goes with narrow minded marketing.
I have higher- end clients at my main Spa in Willowbridge and therefore attract beautiful , sophisticated higher- end therapists (and no, I do not employ them purely on their looks).
SSSOOOO …. I had asked a few of them to come ‘dressed to kill’ in black but still professional, got my staff of Spa-Bella at Blu (the company’s Wellness Centres are called BLU) to wear their designer suits, all wore skirts to diffrentiate between Spa-Bella Willowbridge and Spa-Bella Blu.
I obviously wore a blue cocktail dress!!!!! I got my product’s reps to give free Spray Tan, Waxing, massage etc to everyone that gave us their details, made bookings or met with Blu’s Therapists… the unsuspecting clients had to go through my medley of Healthy, Intelligent, Good-Looking, Sexy Therapists who gave out red Ferroro Roche® chocolates.
Our ” Grand Opening” offer was for R199 (199 Rand – about $US26) and as much verbal info the therapists could dish out…. Suffice to say, whoever walked into the exhibit saw my stand FIRST!!!!!
There was a problem, the other beauty spa was not impressed, as they looked and did the ‘normal’ and I felt there was a complaint on the horizon and thought maybe my Spa was going to be put out of the Centers. After a sleeplesss night , got a call from the Centre saying they needed to see me urgenly.. GRRR, I got there, with no make- up thinking they not impressed anyway, only to be told, they are so THRILLED to have me on board, all their staff are raving, and asking who or what we are, some men were itimidated but definately going to try us out…. The BIG boss himself sent word that he likes my ideas and hoped I stick around and be patient with them, they are trying !!!(hmmm… I need to twist their arm about me doing my own ‘Toolkit-style” marketing though)
As for Spa-Bella Willowbridge, I started implementing most of the marketing ( got challenged by staff but that didn’t deter me)…and in November and December we sold 479 packages @ R199. Xmas vouchers I still have to re-check but was over 100 sold (the R199 was more attractive)… this is besides other treatments booked and products sold….. In my two months at Willowbridge I’ve brought in just under R 200,000 ( still not enough but okay:-)
We have over 700 contact details and growing. Next week my Valentines Ad’s heading is ” Beauty Spa promises that their products contain no sexual stimulants” lol.
I know I am supposed to call you regarding the Academy ( I REALLY WANT TO ATTEND), but can’t be definite yet as I’m still sourcing the RIGHT staff and trying to get everything implemented (I let go of my Receptionist the 1st week of December- don’t have time for S#@t… SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT). I know, I know take action now….
I have been doing all different sorts of marketing and can truly see that doing everything at once really pans out, I just have to keep my head above water and AWAKE at all times!!!!
I read a forum once where an Inner Circle member said she’s aiming to be a “Michael Curtis” and I thought, I am aiming to be a ” Greg Milner”…. no disrespect to Michael of course!!!!
Thank you for your BRILLIANT BRILLIANT marketing!!!
Fairoza Tippens
Spa-Owner
p.s. I am COMPLETELY off the tools and go dressed to kill everyday to work!!!
When she got her Toolkit 18 months ago, Fairoza Tippens was in the same position as most salon owners – desperate, barely able to keep the doors open. But oh, what a difference Action combined with the right Tools makes.
Fairoza, I take my hat off to you. And if anybody ever says to me “my business is in a poor area/the economy’s to blame/I can’t afford it” yada yada yada… I’ll send them your details and say “well, if SHE can do it….”
Salon Price List Template Free – Turning A Disadvantage Into A Raging Advantage
I’ll often hear salon & spa business owners saying “my salon has no passing traffic so it’s harder for me”, or “we’re in a poor area, I can’t raise my prices”, or “…there are roadworks outside my salon, and my business is dying…”.
If you spend enough time thinking about it, you can write a long list of reasons why others are successful and you’re not, why others seem to have an ‘easier’ time in business than you do, why the competition appears to be doing better than you are.
In fact, it’s deceptively easy to find reasons for failure, but they are, in the main, mere excuses. Barring cataclysmic events – like an earthquake in Haiti – there are almost no circumstances where not even a sliver of silver lining can be found in the cloud.
(Even in Haiti, I’ll bet there are some enterprising souls capitalizing on the devastation, and I don’t mean pure looting. In the West Australian goldrush of the 1890s around Kalgoorlie, the people who made the big money weren’t the prospectors, they were the people selling water and beer TO the prospectors.)
All of which is a round-a-bout way of introducing Cheryl Bown, one of our Inner Circle Premium members from a salon called Imagine in Tea Tree Gully, South Australia.
Inner Circle member Cheryl Bown of Imagine in South Australia – ‘outside the box’ thinking produced a brilliant result
During a recent heatwave, where the temperature topped 40C (about 105F in the old money) for days on end, Cheryl was faced with a real business challenge.
Her salon’s air conditioning died.
Many would simply use it as excuse to give up, close the doors, go home and wait for the repair man. Not Cheryl. Typically, she found a brilliant, innovative and simple way to turn disadvantage into advantage.
Here’s what Cheryl wrote to me this week.
“I now only work 3 days a week, amazingly the turnover has not dropped, we have had 317 new clients join us since beginning of July’09, and a consistent TO of $6,110 a week for the past 20 weeks.
“In the last 6 months of the business growing, I also sold my house and moved. I was presented at the North East Business Awards with an AWARD for ” BEST NEW ENTERPRISE” – I couldn’t believe it. I was so excited, on the way back it was a stop at the liquor store and back to the salon where the girls were still working, to celebrate with the team and clients.
“I have just introduced Birthday Letters, and the very next day we had 3 clients in delighted with their Birthday Gift. I have only touched the surface with a lot of the opportunities that are available to me, I started to delegate work, eg. I have now hired an ironing lady and house cleaner, I’m so proud of myself:-) I’m on the road to my 6 series convertible BMW. I used to aim small, not any more.”
So, what would YOU do if faced with a heatwave of epic proportions, no air-conditioning, an unbearably hot salon, terrified clients would take one step inside and bolt?
A couple of examples this week that show how dangerous it can be to lose sight of the fact that it’s what the customers think that matters in your business, not what you think. This story is about the pizza company and the music critic.
Confused? Stay with me. It matters to your business.
In my morning paper today, a music critic resentfully acknowledging that the buying public doesn’t give a toss what he and his sniffy, elitist colleagues decide is ‘good’ music. The spark for this admission is frumpy, middle-aged, bushy-browed Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle.
In the US, Boyle’s album I Dreamed a Dream sold 2.5 million units in the lead-up to Christmas. In Australia, a proportionately even larger 600,000 sales. Here’s a reminder:
But this ‘critic’ and his colleagues around the world decided almost unanimously that New York band Animal Collective’s album Merriweather Post Pavilion was the ‘best’ album of 2009. Call me a neanderthal, but Animal Collective isn’t a name in my household, nor, I suspect, in many households around the world. (And I checked with our in-house music nerd. He’s never heard of them either.)
Here’s what’s instructive:
The music critics are focused on the product. That’s why they’ll always be the written-word equivalent of the starving artist living in a garret. But the companies who back shows like Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol are concerned (rightly) with what sells.
It’s never about the product. It’s about the marketing of the product. Susan Boyle sold because she had a story to sell. People buy on emotion, not logic. And inspiration is emotional. ‘Look at her…she’s dumpy, ugly, never even been kissed. If she can do that…’
Susan Boyle is a triumph of packaging over content.
(Even so, the Britain’s Got Talent judges – critics – still got it wrong. Susan Boyle was runner up. Anybody remember who won?)
There’s an old saying, you can’t polish a turd, but you can roll it in sparkles. History is littered with examples of mediocre, ordinary – even inferior – products becoming sales powerhouses thanks to inspired, hard-nosed marketing.
In the 70s, Sony’s Betamax domestic videotape system was technically far superior to rival JVC’s VHS format. But JVC’s marketing put the Sony product out of business.
There are plenty of smart-phones and MP3 players that outperform Apple’s iPhone and iPod. But who owns the music hardware market? Apple’s marketing rolled the competitors.
But don’t think that just because you’re a humble salon or spa owner that you’re somehow not as smart as the marketing geniuses at the Big End of Town.
Just look at Dominos Pizza.
Fifty years after founder Tom Monaghan built an empire on the basis of a single, powerful Unique Selling Proposition – “Fresh Hot Pizza delivered in 30 Minutes – Guaranteed” the company’s inheritors have just embarked on a complete re-vamp of the giant’s entire marketing campaign.
Dumbly, in my view, they’re focusing on the product, dumping half a century’s worth of the most powerful USP ever developed. Not content with that, the marketing geniuses at Dominos are betting the whole farm on a campaign that admits, in excruciating detail, that for decades their product has actually been crap. (Did their customers even care? They never wanted good pizza, they just wanted it fast, and hot.)
Take a look at their latest commercial:
The lessons are clear: If you obstinately stick your head in the sand, stubbornly declare that ‘we’re really good, so customers should simply recognize that and come’ then you’re as dumb as Dominos, as blind and elitist as a music critic.
It’s better to be different than it is to be better.
Husband-and-wife team Tim & Kanna Reilly’s Body Solutions Laser & Skin in Scottsdale, Arizona, grew 63% in 2009 – after a massive 500% increase in 2008 – thanks to the marketing and ‘sales thinking’ tools in the Inner Circle marketing & mentoring program…
Hair Salon WordPress Template: The Beauty Business that Grew 63% in 2009
Economically speaking, was 2009 the worst year since the great depression or was it a year of salon business growth and prosperity?
Well, it depends on who you ask. For us it was a great year, better than 2008 in fact. For many small business owners in our industry it was a year filled with financial stress and for a large number of salon owners – complete financial meltdown.
Thanks to the tools and strategies that we learned from the Worldwide Salon Marketing Inner Circle program we were able to turn our failing medspa into a highly successful and profitable business. For us, 2008 was a great year; we grew more than 500% over 2007.
At the end of 2008 we sat down to establish our goals for 2009. Could we possibly expect to have a better year in 2009 than 2008? Expect may not be the right word, but we certainly planned on having a better year.
Planning may certainly be the key. An old college professor of mine used to love saying, “Plan your work and work your plan, if you fail to plan you can plan to fail.” Those words have meant more to me now as a business owner than they did as a student.
It’s all about planning. Success doesn’t come knocking – looking for you. It won’t break down your door and insist on coming in. You have to go after it; hunt it down and claim it for yourself.
Plan your marketing for an entire year. Inner Circle members should have received a big full page calendar for 2010.
This allows you to look at the whole year in one glance. Commit to marketing consistently every week. You might not know exactly what your marketing offer will be on April 5th yet, but just know that on April 5th you WILL have something ready to go. That kind of marketing commitment done on a regular basis will create momentum, and momentum, like a wave, will pick you up and carry you towards your goal.
Thinking about marketing without taking any action steps to put those ideas in motion is a waste of time.
You must act on your ideas and then track your response. If the response was good, then do it again. If your response was bad, you need some new ideas. What, you don’t have a ton of fresh new ideas just waiting to burst forth from your brain??
Hmmm…reminds me of a high school English teacher I had. He used to say, “Smart people learn from a dumb person’s mistakes, but wise people learn from a smart person’s mistakes!” So be wise, don’t be smart. Use tools, strategies and ideas that have already been proven to work. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel. You can grow your business in record time IF you have the right tools and IF you take action to implement those tools.
We did and that’s why our 2009 was 63% higher than 2008; it was our best year yet!! You’ll have to excuse me now, I have to go set our 2010 business goals!
