The Secrets of A Successful Tanning Salon

Ask any salon owner and they’ll tell you that running a successful tanning business is no piece of cake. It takes hard work, dedication and a lot of hustle to keep both your clients and staff coming back to your business day after day, and to be constantly acquiring new ones. While a solid business plan, clean salon and general management know-how will keep you afloat, here are the top tips from Australian salon owners to help you boom.

Great Product

Customers judge your salon by the company you keep. That is, the product company you carry. “We offer and use the best quality tanning products, which keeps our customers consistently happy and returning to us,” says Emily Roberts of Victoria salon, 7 Deadly Sins. Choose trusted brands that you know your customers are going to want to experience and maintain adequate stock levels at all times to ensure they can always continue that experience at home.

Amazing Customer Service

You’re only as good as your last tan, and every one has to be perfect. “Providing professional home care advice and excellent customer service is why our clients return on a regular basis,” says Annelie Ellwood, of Cameo Skin Fitness.

Consistency is the key here. All staff need to be trained up on the procedure of not just giving the best possible spray tan, but before and after care, as well. “Make sure that you are everyone in the team are making all of the clients feel comfortable at all times – since the are getting down to barely nothing most of the time!” says Reegyn McElligott of Mt Isa’s Natural Beauty and Spray Tanning. “Give clients advice on what to expect, what to do, what to wear and advise on how to look after and maintain their perfect tan,” she says.

While every tanning experience should be uniformed, your clients, however, are not. “We spend time with each individual client to reach complete satisfaction,” says Roberts. “We do this by having a consultation to match the tan type and color to the client’s skin tone.”

Flawless Experience and Results

Above all, this is what guarantees a repeat booking. Ensure a great customer service experience by ensuring a smooth process from start to finish, including incentives to revisit. “Our clients love buying a ‘tanning pass’ where they buy a series of tans for a discount. You can always bet they’ll be regular,” says McElligott.

For a good salon owner, success just comes down to a few simple things: “our salon provides a positive and energetic vibe, and all of our staff are well trained, friendly and approachable,” says Roberts. Lock down these key fundamentals and the customers will come.