Develop These Five Critical Traits… And Marketing Success Will Surely Follow.
Being general business sales and marketing consultants for several years (with our main niche and expertise being within the the salon & spa industries) allows us the opportunity to encounter almost every business situation imaginable. We regularly consult at least 15 businesses a month from over 160 different industries.
These businesses vary from start-ups to turnarounds to already highly profitable businesses.
We deal with people who are sharp as tacks and with people who ought to be banned for life from business for their foolishness. We’ve designed and implemented marketing programs for dentists, chiropractors, retail of all kinds, internet marketers, realtors, day spas, hair salons, beauty salons, medical spas, personal development coaches, massage practices, manufactures, private colleges and anything else you can think of. In one year alone we looked at, consulted with or implemented marketing for no fewer than 210 different organizations.
Which makes me laugh when I get asked the inevitable question: “you’re a fairly young guy, yet you can walk into my business that you’ve never seen before and figure out a detailed strategy in just 9 minutes. How in the world do you do this?”
The answer is simple: The marketing function for every single business or organization – plus or minus 5% - is exactly the same.
My company is not so smart. We just know how to do a few key things anyone can do with a minimal amount of training. That’s why it was relatively easy for us to put together a “specific” marketing program designed for day spas, hair salons, medical spas, beauty salons, massage practices and even Chiropractors. (Or for any type of spa/salon facility for that matter)
Here are the six traits to mastering marketing revealed for the first time ever. (Don’t be disappointed that you’ve heard everything here before. I already told you that we’re not smart. This stuff is Eeeeeeeeee-Z.)
Trait #1: Notice Your Own Buying Strategies: Pay closer attention to what everyone else in the world is doing to try to sell you something.
You’ll find there are already lots of good ideas out there you don’t have to invent again. I don’t watch TV for the programs; I channel surf for commercials. I turn the station if music comes on the radio. I get on every mailing list I can to see what kind of “junk” will show up in my mailbox. I interview those annoying telemarketers that interrupt my dinner to see how well their pitch is working with other prospects. I love junk fax. I read all billboards. I subscribe online to newsletters and offers. I go shopping just to see how the sales clerks treat me. I read the paper and magazines for advertisements and then if I have time, I read the articles. I read the yellow pages for fun (even though 99.99% of the ads stink). I respond to every “free” offer under the sun. Then I check to see how well the company follows up.
“But you’re a marketing consultant! I would expect you to behave this way! I just run a Day Spa, Salon, Medical Spa or Beauty Salon… what does all that have to do with me?”
My business is about making money. Period. What’s yours? If you ask me, it’s also about making money. I don’t care what you do.
You are in the business of marketing something in an effort to make money.
If you will constantly monitor what turns you on, what ads keep appearing week after week, what makes you like something or hate something, you will start to find things you can incorporate into your business/ day spa/ salon/ beauty salon or massage practice. Then we can talk about Trait #2…
Trait #2: The Ability To Cross-Pollinate Ideas: This isn’t a botany lesson. To cross-pollinate an idea means to take an idea that works well in one industry and use it in another. If you get a chance, go to the shoe store called Just For Feet. See if you notice anything that could be adapted to an upscale day spa catering to affluent business individuals.
Sound like a tough assignment? Basketball shoes and expensive spa treatments just don’t match, do they? Quit using your brain to worry about all the details and start to use it to look at things in more general terms. When you walk into Just for Feet, you’ll immediately notice the music is very loud and geared toward young people. There’s a huge video screen that either has music videos or live sporting events. There’s an indoor basketball court that always has at least a half a dozen people waiting to play. They have a snack bar and free popcorn. It is a FUN place to be.
So what can you, as an expert marketer, take out of Just for Feet and inject into the high-end day spa catering to affluent individuals? Just for Feet made their stores a place where their target market (young people) wanted to be. They added elements of FUN none of their competitors have. They are killing their competition. The high-end day spa needs to make their facility THE PLACE to be for affluent people. How? By asking affluent business people what they want.
This was a real situation. Here’s what one day spa did:
Put in a cappuccino machine, fruit drinks, and healthy snacks the individuals can have for free without having to ask.Provided a nice conference room for individuals to entertain important clients, delegates, or for business functions.Provided free and discounted rates for related services such as image consulting and concierge services.Provided limousine pickup and drop off services.This stuff all sounds simple, but there is one fact you might not realize: Not all spas (and businesses) will implement this stuff.
Borrow ideas from everywhere. Sell grand pianos the way most car dealers sell cars… by giving away a huge package of free stuff with every purchase. We sell foundation repair and plumbing the way
a realtor sells houses… with a metal sign in a yard with a “take one” tube on top. We sell small business loans the same way we sell cellular phones… by advertising via SMS. Get yourself out of your paradigm of “what you do” and realize that as long as it’s legal, moral, ethical and a given idea makes money, it’s worth pursuing.
Trait #3: Be Specific: I don’t want to go into my entire discourse about how people in general are lazy communicators. Just suffice it to say, 99% of what’s said in marketing and advertising is useless, non-compelling, non-specific, non-definitive, amorphous FLUFF. You probably say things like highest quality, multiple locations, luxurious spa treatments, professional stylists, best service, relax, rejuvenate and pamper yourself. But think about the impact of these types of statements on your prospects.
Your prospects fully expect you to claim you’re great. Who ever heard of a promotion that said, “Our prices are high, our service is terrible, and our quality is marginal at best!” To set yourself apart from the competition, you must quantify all claims made in specific, compelling terms.
Instead of saying largest selection, say “15,400 square feet divided into 5 showrooms, with over 5,220 items from 327 manufacturers, in 2,022 styles and 460 colours, in price ranges from $.99 to $27,000.” Which do you believe?
Instead of saying professional staff, say “Most day spa facilities have one or two certified massage therapists. We have 11 certified therapists on staff with an average of 16 years experience… including 3 registered massage therapists who have more than 2000 hours of continuing education and two who are educators for the College of Massage Therapies Relaxation/Spa Technician Program.” Where would you rather go for spa services and treatments?
Traits #4 & #5: Innovation & Systematization: Unfortunately, we’re almost out of space. But we’ll touch briefly on these before we quit. Innovation is simply creating a business that offers the customer “THE BEST DEAL.” It’s about creating a business so perfect that the client knows he’d be a fool if he/ she shopped anywhere else.
Systematization is the process of making decisions about your marketing in advance so you’re always doing what you need to be doing – as opposed to trying to create everything as you go. Or flying by the seat of your pants. Or wondering what to do next…
For more information on our Day Spa & Salon Marketing programs and service visit our starter-pack website at: SpaMarketingTools.com
Fulfilling Dreams with Smarter Marketing…
John Uhrig
Monochrome Marketing Solutions!
P.S. Why not visit our starter-pack site for our unique marketing strategies for your business? SpaMarketingTools.com
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