by Greg Milner | Feb 18, 2010 | Advertising Tips
A Salon Client Card Template For Advertising – is this the world’s WORST ad?
If you own a salon business or a day spa business, you’ve probably put at least some effort into crafting an ad that might pull some response. Unless you’re equipped with the Essential Salon Owner’s Marketing Toolkit® (or even equipped with the very basics contained in the new Lite program) you’re probably doing it blindfolded with one arm tied behind your back, but I give most salon owners credit for at least having a crack at it.
But this salon deserves to have the earth open up and swallow it whole, never to re-appear. This ad was sent in by long-term Inner Circle member Rebecca Skehan of Gaia Hair in Queensland. Like most Members who’ve been ‘converted’ and educated in the kind of Direct Response marketing we do (the kind that puts so many noses out of joint in the beauty industry), Rebecca has developed a keen eye for the wasteful, nonsensical, slap-dash crap that passes for ‘creativity’.
In fact it’s a burden that many of us carry. Many times, I’ve been taken aside by a member at one of our salon owner conferences, and told
“Greg, your system has ruined my life. Everywhere I go, I see small business advertising that’s so pathetic I’m constantly having to stop myself from going into that business and ‘saving’ them…”
Well folks, suck it up. Knowledge IS a burden. I can never go anywhere and simply switch off. I can’t stop myself looking at an ad, a billboard, a letter, without instantly and consciously analyzing it, wondering what’s it supposed be achieving, critiquing it, mentally re-writing it. But you can’t save people who won’t lift a finger to save themselves.
Whoever ‘wrote’ this ad is clearly desperate, like a cornered animal. But obviously not desperate enough to bother taking the time or putting in the little energy required to find out even a little information on what works in advertising.
And it’s not difficult. Fifteen years ago, you’d have had to get in your car, drive to the library, take out a couple of books, drive home again, and spend hours studying. Now, there’s Google. There’s NO excuse.
Try this yourself: Google ‘direct response advertising’. There’s page after page of people trying to sell you stuff, written by some of the best marketing copywriters on the planet. It’s a veritable university on your desk. If ALL you ever did was study what these guys have written, the structure of the piece, the way it leads the reader down a slippery slope to the Most Wanted Response… and applied even some of it to your own marketing, you’d be that far in front of most of your competition you’d be outta sight.
This particular ad is barely worth spending any time on. Certainly, I doubt any prospective customer did. But a couple of points worth mentioning.
One, it’s clear ‘distress selling’. May as well hire a megaphone, stand on your salon’s roof and shout “Hey, we’re starving, there’s really nothing going for us at all, but we’re really cheap!”
Second, the most important thing about any print ad is it’s headline. If the best you can come up with is the name of your salon, go flush your marketing money down the toilet.
Lastly, this ad begs for cheap clients, who’ll only ever want to spend five bucks. It has absolutely zero redeeming features. If I owned a salon nearby, I’d have a big sign out front that says
“We Fix $5 Haircuts”
Good grief. People like this don’t deserve the luxury of having customers.
FOOTNOTE: Even among our own Inner Circle members, there are always a few who are not long for this world. One, who joined the program recently, moaned and whined during a coaching call today that “no, I haven’t even opened the Toolkit, I haven’t been on the Members Only site, and anyway my business is different, this kind of stuff won’t work for me, and in any case I don’t want to do any of this marketing stuff, I want it all done for me…”
Sometimes, losers manage to weasel their way through a crack in our usually well-tuned Loser Filter.
by Greg Milner | Feb 2, 2010 | The Right Mindset
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….”
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.
by Greg Milner | Jan 28, 2010 | The Right Mindset, The Smell of Success
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?
by Greg Milner | Jan 14, 2010 | The Smell of Success
Hair Salon Flyers Template And The Salon Business – it’s not ALL about making money
I absolutely LOVE doing deals and creating value. Value = making money. After all, there’s zero point to being in business and making no profit. And I’ll happily admit that financially, this business has been very lucrative.
I often wake early, and lie there for a few minutes, thinking about business and all the wonderful benefits it’s brought me. A substantial income, for sure. Equity in an increasingly-valuable business asset, no doubt. And within the constraints of the law, almost complete freedom to do as I please, when I please. And – as far as I can ascertain – a reputation for decent human values, honesty in business, and being a straight-shooter.
Sure, there’s been grief along the way. Snot-‘n-tears here and there. Frustration, yes. (I’ve never been known for unlimited patience.) By and large though, getting into business after 25 years of mostly working for other people has been the best decision I’ve ever made. Even if I was well past 40 when I finally made it.
But I often lie there in the small hours, convinced that the very BIGGEST benefit I enjoy as a result of success is… the frequent, unsolicited, heartfelt ‘THANKS’ from salon & spa business owners all over the world.
They come from surprising places. We have salon & spa members of the Inner Circle program in all sorts of places…. the backblocks of the USA, outback Australia, little towns in Ireland, windswept southern New Zealand, and BIG cities like Tokyo, Sydney, London and New York.
But…Samoa? From this tiny speck in the Pacific Ocean, a delightful email this week from Inner Circle member Hellen Lavale, owner of Nezian Hair Design:
Samoan salon owner Hellen Levale reveals how ‘my’ style of marketing works just the same on a tiny Pacific Island as it does in London, Sydney or New York.
“Hi Greg,
Hellen here in Samoa.
Well, I have started on the Toolkit (Essential Salon Owner’s Marketing Toolkit®) and it is exciting…I had to go away during the first week of Xmas to Sydney and had 2 new staff members start who had been away in other countries on training. The salon HAD TO MAKE MONEY while I was away and it did.. So I took massive action and ran a TV ad, a radio ad and sent flyers to 50 random selected PO BOX numbers (in Samoa there are no physical letter boxes…this little exercise cost 2463. tala ( approx $AUD1200).
We had awesome response with staff working 10-12 hours per day, and sold 50 packages at 99.00 tala for services worth 250.00. The best part of this was it created confidence on my part that my salon could generate cash while I was away. I have stopped them but the whole exercise has given the salon name a great exposure. Clients have been given the Happy Form (from the kit) also and our membership form which is free right now…..Staff members have been given excellent with every tick …..great for me knowing clients are happy…..
This week I have had a floor manager start our email listing so that we can send out our newsletter and our monthly offers and our birthday gift vouchers. We also start the New Clients re booking letter system as well this week.
We did a $16,400 month in December 2008 and December 2009 was almost $20,000!”
From time to time, doubters question me on whether ‘my kind of salon marketing’ would ‘work in my town/city/country’…. well, I can’t tell you. But it works in…Samoa!
