J.A.S.O.N. is the time tanning salon owners have to keep as many people enrolled in their EFT programs as possible! It can dramatically save profitability through the off-season. So, how do we keep our EFT retention as high as possible? It’s not always easy. You have to get creative for people to have a reason to give you money every month, especially if they are not planning on visiting you during this time. Here is a list of tips to keep your EFT enrollment as high as possible in your tanning salon(s):
Ditch the Contracts
Some salons use a contract with their EFT program. Some of my clients found the contracts hard to sell to their clients. Even larger companies such as Sprint are no longer using contracts with their customers. If you have one in place and it works for you, that’s great. Since my clients offer a month-to-month commitment, they’ve created a loyalty program that stays active on their EFT program with a contract that ends December 31st.
Here’s one example: For their basic EFT, if tanners keep their EFT active through the end of the year, they receive $75 in Bonus Bucks (used a dollars) that can be used for any service or product they wish. There are three tiers: $75, $100, and $125, depending on the EFT they commit to through the end of the year. My clients typically offer this program from May 15th (after they run the draft) and end it in July. This program works in so many ways, such as allowing clients to use better products or equipment, and offering up-sell opportunities.
Freeze Options
Always offer a freeze option. This should not be limited to the client. Let them freeze as long as they wish and as often as they’d like. When the client unfreezes, you can return all those freeze fees as bonus bucks that can be used for the purchase of products or services. They are not allowed to use them for their EFT fees. Collecting even $5 a month from a client is better than not collecting anything. Again, do the math, promote the savings, and make a big deal about the program.
Workday Tanning
Train your staff to talk about workdays. We will hear a lot of clients talking about going to the lake, going to the pool, or just getting some natural sun. While this is great, what about those work days? How do tanners maintain their results during the workweek when they can’t always be outdoors? Or when they want to even out their tan lines? When you call attention to the fact that your clients won’t have enough vacation days this summer to maintain the perfect tan, they’ll likely think twice about quitting their memberships at your tanning salon.
Here’s one way to keep tanners during the summer: Drop your EFT membership to your most basic program and allow tanners to purchase upgrades as needed. For example, instead of paying $79.99 per month to tan three to four times per week, let them join the $19.99/month program. This allows them to still be a member and get preferred pricing on upgrades. What if that person now just tans four times a month? Sell them some upgrades to keep them active on your EFT program throughout J.A.S.O.N.
Value-Added Incentives
Many tanning salon owners worry that they give too much away, but now is the time to build that loyalty with your tanners. None of your bonus bucks programs (freeze or loyalty program) can be combined with any other offers, combination sales, discounts, or bundles. Anything that’s purchased with your bonus bucks is at full price, and no other freebies or extras are given. But the client perceives all these programs as building value. In today’s market, the more value you can create, the more loyal they become because they feel appreciated and valued.
Train, Train, Train!
No matter how many programs you have to retain your EFT clients, you have to train your tanning salon staff to sell it. They must know how to properly educate tanners in the savings and benefits associated with freezing instead of withdrawing. To prepare your team, role play and constantly check your freeze rate. Ideally, you want to keep your cancel/freeze ratio at 50 percent or better. By training your associates, calculating their results, and knowing how each one performs, you’ll have a much better success rate in retaining EFTs during J.A.S.O.N.
Here are some additional training tips for tanning salon owners and managers:
- Train your staff to stop using the word “cancel” when selling an EFT program. Teach your associates to use the terms “freeze” and “hold.” Plant the seed about the freeze option in the beginning, especially if you’re using enrollment fees.
- Train your staff to offer three to five free upgrade tans to clients who freeze rather than cancel. This is a great opportunity to keep tanners coming in during the off-season.
- Create an incentive program for your associates. They should earn commission on loyalty programs sold as well as some type of small incentive on each freeze option they activate. Reward your associates for taking the time to focus on your EFT retention right now and it will pay you back ten-fold with a high EFT enrollment through November.
Good Luck During J.A.S.O.N.
If you ask your tanners to choose between cheap or the best value, they will always choose the best value. This is the secret to retaining your EFT memberships and increasing your revenue during J.A.S.O.N. It’s all about creating more value for your tanners, the kind that keeps them coming back during these slower months. As tanning salon owners, we always have to be unique, be memorable, and be the best… even during J.A.S.O.N.
