by Greg Milner | Feb 22, 2010 | Blog
Beauty Salon Gift Certificate Template: Less is not more. MORE is more.
I keep getting ads and other marketing material sent to me (yes, even from IC members who should know better) that demonstrate only a bare minimum of effort rather than Maximum Effort that’s required to cut through the ‘clutter’ of marketing messages bombarding everybody today.
It shows clearly that most people in the salon business regard the ‘job’ of marketing as a mere chore, to be grudgingly endured rather than embraced as the most important task in any commercial operation.
(And don’t imagine that this is restricted only to ‘small’ businesses. The Big End of town is just as guilty. Most big companies have Marketing Departments, as sure a sign as any that they too, mistakenly regard ‘marketing’ as some kind of 
separate, compartmentalized component of business. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Marketing IS the business. Every part of every business should have its ears cocked and eyes open to marketing and sales opportunities.)
If you put a gun at my head and said I could only use one regular method of marketing to my clients and prospects, it would without doubt be a monthly hard copy newsletter. Yet if they do it at all, most salon owners do the very bare minimum, 
throwing a few ‘specials’ into a haphazard single sheet document and calling it a ‘newsletter’.
Thankfully, there are some salon owners who ‘get’ it. Inner Circle member Louise Adkins of Lavish Life in the little Victorian country town of Benalla is one of them. Louise doesn’t just do a ‘newsletter’ she puts enormous effort into a monthly “Lavish Life’ newspaper, sending it to clients with excellent results.
We have found it is big enough to stay around for 6 weeks, we are already working our new one. On Monday I emailed it to 50 of my clients and suppliers, and placed a cover letter on it as well, if they commented on the paper i would give them a $25 voucher. 5 clients replied and gave back some positive feedback. here are 2 of the ones and i picked up 2 raise the dead clients as well.
I also tell the clients that there is a spelling mistake and a prize for it if they can find it ! makes them read the whole paper …………We are still working on it- we are now re-promoting Valentines day to say “what did you get ?”… nothing or very little, then ‘treat yourself to our Valentines day package as a treat to yourself for missing out!
“Hi Lou, Loved the newsletter, it covers a broad range of interesting topics. Just wondering though, is VPL better than IPL. I couldn’t determine much difference from the article?”
“I love the newsletter – I seem to read it more than once just in case I miss something! I especially look out for the deals on the back page…..seeing the savings is a great excuse to book an appt. Keep the newsletter coming. J”
So far this is great ! we have had it mail box dropped to 3 different areas and clients have returned from this, we also place it on our beauty beds on a rolled up towel and give it to our clients before they get on the bed, and explain the specials to them.
It is also in our new client gift bags, and the local paper that produced it came and asked if they could showcase it at their meeting. The local business network are looking to do the same idea, and have said ‘why didn’t we think of it first?’ ! I have places for business to advertise in it and help me out with the costs.
So far to this date we have done in packages-
$99 nail packages= 6
$99 facial packages = 2
1x valentines singles package
$60 IPL vouchers = 5 plus 6 free consultations
Confronted with such a task, most business owners would rather stick their head in the sand and hope it’ll all go away….and go back to furiously cutting hair or doing massages, in the deluded belief that that’s the ‘real’ work.
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 27, 2010 | Marketing Superstars, The Smell of Success
Free Salon Price List Template Marketing Superstar of the Week – a 312% increase in sales for Inner Circle members Peter & Amanda Rickman’s Hair Salon
“Hi Greg, what a year we’ve had at Making Waves Hair Design.
Thanks to you & your team’s ideas, the continued support and the information within the Inner Circle membership that we can access, we took massive action, coupled with staff teamwork and a whole new aspect on how we should run and work on building a profitable salon business.
Between Dec ’08 & Dec ’09 we have had a massive 312% increase in profit, all because we took action by joining WSM and getting our Essential Salon Owner’s Marketing Toolkit® in Oct 08, listening & learning to what has been successful to others in the circle.
As for “what a month”, this past December has been extraordinary! Gone from $13,500 in ’08 to $21,799 in ’09. The voucher sales in 08 = $0, in ’09 = $2500 which was mainly due to our Dec newsletter and great work & salesmanship of our dedicated staff.
Not only that, the New Year has started off with a BANG, already we have a 21% increase in revenue from the same period last year, and this increase does not include the $3500 worth of vouchers & gift cards redeemed by our clients so far.
We are looking forward to a MAMMOTH year and especially the upcoming academy events.
Looking forward to more success…
Peter & Amanda
Making Waves Hair Design”
by Greg Milner | Jan 25, 2010 | New Zealand
Hair Salon Website Template Free For NZ Salon Superstar of the Week – Lynda Moodley of Lynnel’s Hair Studio, Manukau
This week I got a very excited phone call from one of our Inner Circle members, Lynda Moodley of Lynnel’s Hair Studio in Manukau. Lynda placed an advertorial in her local Manukau Courier and the phone has been ringing red hot ever since!
Prior to being an Inner Circle member Lynda was your typical salon owner, chasing a dream to have a salon bustling with customers and money flooding out of the till, whereas in reality her dream was dragging her down and the only thing flooding in, were bills, bills and more bills.
And as I say to new inner circle members, joining the program doesn’t instantly qualify you for a salon full of customers and bags and bags of cash. No, you still actually have to put the work in to make that happen, which is exactly what Lynda has been doing day after day, week after week, month after month. And it is this MASSIVE ACTION that has seen her salon grow consistently each month, employ her first staff members and become the leading retailer in South Auckland for her product range.
Lynda Moodley Owner of Lynnel’s Hair Studio, Manukau
Since joining the Inner Circle program in 2009 she has seen her rate of new clients increase each month. In October she had 35 new clients, in November she had 46 new clients and in December she had 47 new clients. And I think it is fair to say that with her advertorial in January she will be breaking some more records this month….
Editorials and adverts (advertorials) are a fantastic way to promote your salon and more often than not will result in a much higher response rate than just an advert alone. It is a way to tell people a bit more about your salon and make them feel like they already know and trust you before they walk through your doors or call you.
If you are thinking about advertising in your local paper it pays to ask them (especially if you are a new advertiser) if you can have some editorial with your advert. Sometimes they will give you this for free in the hope of you advertising more with them in the future. Alternatively some papers will want you to lock in to a contract for x amount of adverts before they give you editorial space.
Lynda ran a 10 week advertising campaign with the paper. The first 9 adverts did not include editorial and the response rate was 2 – 3 bookings per ad. The advertorial in week 10 generated 27 phone enquiries, 15 bookings (12 of which were new clients) and an immediate income of $896.
Each new client would be worth on average $1000 per annum to Lynda, so the advertorial has potentially increased her annual turnover by $12,000.
Needless to say Lynda has found out what works best for her salon and will continue to run an advertorial column each month.
Members, click here to see Lynda’s editorial
And here’s what Lynda has to say about being an Inner Circle member…
“On many occasions I would sit in my quiet salon and think what on earth am I doing chasing a dream but there’s so much stress. I needed to be able to talk to others that are in my industry and understand exactly where I’m coming from and yes the inner circle program provides just that and definitely much much more.
Being a member of the inner circle program has decreased the stress level in my life in terms of marketing, gone are those days of sitting hours and hours in front of the computer screen and trying to figure out where to start with an advert. By being a member of the program we as a salon on average are doing 20-25 new clients in a month. October this year we did a record of 35 new clients and we have just broken that record again with 46 new clients in November.
My coaching calls are definitely my favourite. I am always excited to talk to Chris because I know even if I have had a low month he’s always there to encourage me and get me motivated. The other aspect of the program that I enjoy is the fact that everything is done for me all I have to do is just change my details and off goes the marketing.
Our most successful campaign that seems to work for us is the Hollywood Woman’s Hair Package. Every month we put out at least 2000 flyers and on average we get a return of 15-20 new clients taking up this offer and definitely topping that with retail sales.
According to my supplier Lynnels retails more products that any other salon that they supply in South Auckland
I spend at least 5-7 hours if not more on marketing each week. Just about every chance I get I’m in front of my computer going through the kit and getting an advert sorted.”
And all of Lynda’s hard work hasn’t gone un-noticed by her husband too….
“Well, my precious husband sees all hard work I have been putting into my business as well as still being a mummy and a wife so he decided to honour me and buy me my dream car. I drive it very proudly with my salon magnets on both sides of my car which includes a $99 offer and frequently I notice people at the lights or round abouts reading my magnet.
Check out Lynda’s new BMW!!!
My goal is to be DEBT FREE, to be full time off the floor and definitely expansion in terms of employing staff. We have just employed another hairdresser because I cannot carry the work load on my own.
And my advice to people who are thinking about joining the Inner Circle program is ‘DON’T HESITATE. You have nothing to lose. If you are looking at closing the doors to your business don’t do it the inner circle program has the answers you are looking for and the mentors are amazing. If you shut the doors to your business you probably will lose the very thing that can catapult you right into your financial freedom. Give the program a try, you have everything to gain.”
Well done Lynda, you really deserve these fantastic results from all the hard work you are putting in….keep it up!!
It shows clearly that most people in the salon business regard the ‘job’ of marketing as a mere chore, to be grudgingly endured rather than embraced as the most important task in any commercial operation.
