From the Big End of town to the tiny end, there are plenty of reports indicating that the “recession” is patchy, uneven at best, certainly NOT a uniform slide into economic oblivion.

McDonald’s is reporting a massive 80% increase in net profit in 2008 over 2007. Spooked by the relentless reports of Armageddon on the TV news, it seems folks are hitting the fast food joints to save money on meals (and no doubt pile on some fat to carry them through the economic winter!)

Maccas made $4.3 billion in ’08, compared with $2.3 billion in ’07.

In our little world of entrepreneurial salon & spa owners, it’s a similar story, all over the world.

In Scottsdale, Arizona, Body Solutions Laser & Skin owners Dr Tim & Kanna Reilly report a staggering 500% increase in sales in 2008 over 2007, using a simple system of done-for-you direct response marketing tools and ‘sales thinking’ strategies they bought from Worldwide Salon Marketing in August 2007.

“It was a revelation,” says Dr Reilly, whose chiropractic clinic morphed into a skin care clinic over several years but had always bled them white. They were on the verge of giving up and closing their doors, until they ‘got it’ just in time and joined the WSM Inner Circle marketing & mentoring program.Â

IC member Rechelle Watt with her business award...a 40% increase in salon sales in 2008

Then there’s Inner Circle member Rechelle Watt, of Lamonde Hair Face & Body in New South Wales, Australia. While the majority of salon owners whine about how tough things are, Rechelle and hundreds of other Inner Circle members is going from strength to strength.

In ’08, a 40% increase in sales over ’07, according to an email from Rechelle this week.

“WOW!!!….. it’s AMAZING how my business has changed,” says Rechelle, echoing the sentiments of her fellow IC Members. Click here to read Rechelle’s full story.

(Members Only: want to copy what Rechelle’s done? Log into the Members Only section and navigate to ‘Getting New Clients – Hair’ and you’ll find the newspaper ads and the text messages Rechelle used to generate an extra $109,509 in sales in 2008)

And they do it using simple, hard-nosed, “ugly” copy-intensive emotional direct-response marketing, contained in the Essential Salon Owner’s Marketing Toolkit and the coaching they get as Inner Circle members – not the unaccountable, ‘imagey’ expensive branding-style-lets-hope-some-of-it-sticks marketing typically rolled out by big dumb companies using other people’s (eg shareholders’) money.

Big companies in the beauty business are as guilty of pouring useless advertising dollars down the ‘branding’ toilet as anybody else at the top end of town.

Take the giant Regis Corporation, owner of such brands as Cost Cutters, Super Cuts and Hair Club for Men and Women, Regis spend gazillions last year in an up-market makeover of its newly-purchased 635-store Trade Secret chain of salons, attempting to ‘European-ize’ them as a means of selling more bottles of beauty glop.

It was clearly money down the drain. This week Regis folded its Trade Secrets tent, announcing it was ‘selling’ the brand to Premier Salons Beauty Inc.

The word ‘selling’ is a euphemism for actually giving it away. Regis will get precisely zero, nada, zilch for the ‘sale’, instead picking up some tax credits on all the money it’s flushed down the drain on its worthless branding exercise.

All of which just goes to show, dear salon owner, that the ‘geniuses’ running these billion dollar product suppliers and salon chain owners are certainly no brighter, and in many cases a lot dumber, than you the small independent salon owner.

So take heart. If hundreds of our small-time independent salon Inner Circle members can actually increase sales in this deep recession, so can you.

If, of course, you’re equipped with the same marketing & sales tools and coaching.

Which is why you need to apply right now, before you suffer any more hardship, for Inner Circle membership and get that Toolkit in your hands.

Note to US and Canadian salon owners: successful IC members Dr Tim & Kanna Reilly of Body Solutions in Scottsdale, AZ are Worldwide Salon Marketing’s first USA franchise, and are handling all coaching for new North American members as of January 2009.

Take the heads of the Big Three auto makers GM, Ford and Chrysler, for example. These Masters of the Universe spend years making cars people don’t want to buy, run their companies into the ground, waste billions of dollars of shareholders’ money, then – on the brink of bankruptcy – fly to Washington to beg the taxpayer for billions more to bail them out.

That wouldn’t be so bad in itself. You think you’re no good at marketing? These idiots are so bad, so clueless about how to sell anything - let alone their arguments for taxpayer funds – that they turn up begging for money, in their private company jets!!

If you missed it on the TV news, here’s a reminder of how the Three Musketeers got publicly humiliated:

Here’s the lesson: when you’re feeling down about you’re own business ability, remember these guys – they’re paid gazillions, and they don’t know how to run a profitable company either. But you have a big advantage over these Big Dumb companies and their even dumber CEOs: you can act faster, make big changes overnight, change direction on a whim…and don’t have anybody to blame but yourself when things don’t work out.Which is why I love the attitude of Inner Circle members like the prolific, energetic and enthusiastic Lisa Conway of Marinelli’s Hair in Gisborne, Victoria.

This week Lisa sent in a draft of a brochure she plans to use to get new clients into the salon. (Inner Circle members get to have their marketing material reviewed and critiqued by us BEFORE they make costly mistakes.) Here’s what I sent back to Lisa:

“Hi Lisa, a few points re your flyer:

Testimonials – they need to be more emotional eg “I felt so glamorous after my visit – my friends were envious, and men wolf-whistled me!” Put the testimonials in quotes….and tell us the suburb they’re from, their occupation.

The new client offer – what about values on the individual items?

Lisa – where is your photo???

And your guarantee should go under your photo eg “My guarantee …” etc

Where is your web address? If people don’t call off the brochure, you need to tell them to visit the website and enter their name and address to download a free $20 Gift Voucher….that gives you their contact details, and you can call them and invite them in to use the voucher.

The column with the tea and coffeee….needs a headline like “Four Great Reasons to Visit Marinell Hair…”

The clocks: weak line. Better: If we keep you waiting any more than 5 minutes after your appointment time, it’s FREE

That should give you a few things to do:-)

Regards, Greg”

And here is what Lisa wrote back (with the subject line ‘on fire’):

Inner Circle member Lisa Conway – simple direct response marketing has increased her business by over 50% in less than 6 months.

“Thanks Greg that is perfect just what I need clear and to the point guidance, I love the NO BULL just tell it like it is policy from you guys. We have been doing so well with everything I have used in the kit so far from $5000to$6000 a week to $8000 and $9000 and above  and now after a clearing of dud staff I am working with the best bunch of passionate hairdressers 4 of them only18years old. It is proof that you should employ on passion and teach skill. I could talk for ever on how that took kit and World Wide saved my sorry ass.

Yesterday I rang Jill in a coaching call feeling flat the appointment book was looking very quiet so Jill helped me with a TAKE ACTION sms  .I walked in to the salon got my shortcuts help desk on the line drafted an SMS to 136 clients from my data base (@20cents a send (math is 136 x.20 cents =$27.20 ) The list were due for a color had not been in to our salon the last four weeks. I sent a half price color and cut deal for the first 7 callers and in minutes the phone rang  and rang and rang until I booked 13 colors in for the next 3 quiet days. Salon is booked up now and staff are ready to TELL we don’t sell we tell, we share our knowledge and that leads to sales. It is that easy.

Then today a cancellation of a huge color late in the day for tonight so again I used my data base dialed up 58 men (math is 58 x.20cents =$11.60) who had not had a cut in the last 4 weeks and offered 4 places (NO discount) but a bottle of wine for the first 2 callers to take home to the wife. Not only did they ring for tonight and filled the spots they rang for Friday and Saturday as well.!!!!

So there is energy in our little salon that as they say is  PRICELESS. Lisa Conway”

Now, I should say here that not EVERYBODY who joins the Inner Circle program is like Lisa. In fact, some actually resign from the program and send their kits back for a refund, within a few weeks of joining. Many tell us ‘the kit’ doesn’t work. Well, if that were true, we wouldn’t have literally hundreds of salons and spas around the world enrolled in the program, the vast majority of them at least as successful as Lisa, many of them reporting even better results. (Here’s proof)

Here’s the thing: there is overwhelming evidence that systems like the Essential Salon Owner’s Marketing Toolkit™ DO work. It’s not the system that doesn’t work, it’s YOU.

Our Marketing Coach Answers a Common Query

“How do I increase my rebooking rate?”

A Coaching Insight by Annette GomezMarketing & Sales Coach at Worldwide Salon Marketing

Annette previously owned a medical business, and after a journey of personal growth, her mission (thanks in part to Anthony Robbins) is to teach and share her knowledge with other small business owners. Inner Circle Members can book a 30 minute coaching call with Annette by calling (+61)8 9381 6621.

I’m the new coach at Worldwide Salon Marketing and I am absolutely loving it. At the moment it seems that REBOOKINGS are a very big issue for lots of salon owners. Today a salon owner asked me this question:

“All the Worldwide Salon Marketing strategies are working wonderfully, and I’m getting lots of new clients. But why aren’t these clients rebooking?”

In my coaching calls I simply ask a few key questions to figure out what is going on behind the scenes! You see I am the perfect unloyal client and I rarely rebook more than once at a beauty salon and twice at a hair salon, so I can really help you address this. I can be put off by something as little (but important) as a dirty water glass, or having a stylist or therapist talk to me about something I feel is inappropriate.

These are the questions you would need to answer:

1.What are you doing to find out if your clients are happy with you?

2.How do you train and manage staff?

3.What systems do you have in place to ensure that clients are asked to rebook?

4.Why would the client re-book with you, instead of going to the salon down the road?

Depending on your answers I can then direct you to the strategies and templates you need to implement, to make it really easy to achieve your goals. For example the first thing you should do is read the chapter on ‘Rebooking’ in Selling Like Crazy, and implement the ‘Happy Form’ to get client feedback. I’ll also share real-life examples of what’s currently working for other salon owners like you.

Why do salon owners find coaching useful?

- We help you plan the steps you need to take to reach your goals

- We give you great motivation for your ‘down’ times, as I know these really can be the most important times that a coach can get you back on track

- We share marketing and sales strategies, and guide you to ready-to-use templates in the Marketing Made Easy manual and Selling Like Crazy manual.

- We critique your marketing, so you aren’t wasting money

- We analyse your results and help you increase profits

- We help you to ‘step back’ and take a better look at your business

Lawyers and rats aside, what will you do, how far will you go, to give yourself a better chance of success?

A couple of years ago, I flew half way around the world to attend a single seminar. At that event, I listened to a man who had many ideas I could use, but one that was pure gold. I diligently wrote it down, and flew all the way home again.

That one idea, and the action I took to implement it, was responsible for no less than a tripling of my business over the next two years. If I hadn’t taken that trip, made that effort, invested that time (and a considerable amount of money), I’d still be in business…but held back by ignorance.

Most salon & spa owners will suffer this ignorance for their entire business lives, simply refusing to do the things that successful salon owners have proven time and again to be profitable.

We all know that we have to educate ourselves – and then implement that education – to be successful. Yet most of us just don’t do it. Wierd.

For those who DO take the action, the rewards are often instant. Like our very first South African IC member, Fairoza Tippens of Bella Rosa H&S Clinic in Cape Town. Like hundreds of South Africa salon owners, Fairoza’s desire to be a part of the Inner Circle program had been hampered for years by their country’s lousy exchange rate. The South African Rand ain’t exactly a world currency powerhouse, which means that when converted into dollars, IC membership is pretty pricey.

But that didn’t stop Fairoza. She bit the bullet, took a 12 hour flight to Sydney for the recent Road to Riches Super Conference, joined the Inner Circle program, and flew all the way home again. Fortune favors the brave. Fairoza got home and took immediate action. Here’s how she writes of the experience:

Fairoza Tippens flew all the way from Cape Town to Sydney to attend the Road to Riches Superconference and enrol in the Inner Circle program.

"Hi Greg,
 
The seminar was far better and "hit home" more than any other I have attended or books I’ve read. Thanks.  
As soon as I got email with my Inner circle membership password i immediately logged on. For months I’ve been reading (the Success Strategy newsletter) and often closed in frustration as I could not enter the Inner Circle area. So you can imagine my delight when I went through most Inner Circle links.  I received the Toolkit Friday morning on my way to work, opened it and took out the Fast Start Audio CD and played in my car. It was storming and I new some clients would cancel on me due to the bad weather - which the 3 out of 4 cliets booked did.
"As I sat all alone in my salon, frustrated, I remembered the interview you had with Dan Kennedy (yes i read it, twice in one week).  Took out my diary and wrote: ‘Target/ Advertise to those who are least and last affected by a bad economy’. 

" I new I wasn’t busy the next day, although being Saturday, so  I thought I had nothing to lose by being bold. So, I used the cheapest and fastest way to get in clients quickly - SMS. I sent the sms  to about 12 wax clients and 7 facial clients. 

"I wanted the wax clients to start doing facials and using products and I wanted facial clients to do more waxing other than the usual lip, brow and under arm.  I got 2 bookings within seconds of sending the message, then my phoned died. Without my charger I finally put my car to good use and rushed home in the storm. Put my phone on charge and had received a further 3 replies.

"5 clients =   R1000.00 on my day off. I know, not much of a reply but at least I have 5 facial clients next Saturday and no one cancelled on me due to bad weather.  After a long day, I finally sat with the Toolkit and was surprised to see the example used (in the Toolkit) were similar to mine. And, by just going through your Inner Circle links (in the Members Only area) I’m amazed, I finally get it.

"Imagine what I’m going to do when coached. I know my text message can be improved but for the first time since opening my salon a year and half ago I feel optimistic!!! It couldn’t have come at a better time.
 
Regards, Fairoza."

That’s the kind of action that gets results, time and time again.

At that same conference, we spoke with many, many Inner Circle members getting even better results…. here’s just a few of them:

Niki and Jane only joined the Inner Circle program three weeks ago at our Melbourne conference, and they’re already swamped with new customers.

“Well the letters (the Hollywood Woman sales letter from the Toolkit) were finally sent out last night. This morning the phone has been ringing off the hook!!! I’ve had clients who have been coming here for 3 to 4 years and have never called up to book!!! We have already booked in 13 packages since 10am its now almost 3!!! Just thought we’d let you know…”

And from Robyne Squires in Queensland:

“Just had to share this with you, came in this morning and Sarah only had 1 client!!! So I tweaked the current beauty offer to incorporate nails, I sent 271 text messages at 10.15am (today Wednesday)  – well,  the phone started ringing before all the texts had gone out, I answered the phone and while on the phone had a client run in and say ‘I just got a text I’ll have one of whatever it is!’, handing me $70. I had 5 calls and bookings in the first 15mins, and another 20 calls in the next 2 hours,  booking 15 for nails, 2 for the facial special as they already had nails, and 1 to call me back, plus 2 I have  been playing phone tag with.
What was interesting,  2 of the 1st 5 that booked had text/emailed their friend (who are not clients) and told them of the offer.. of course they booked ..now I have 2 new clients. UNBELIEVEABLE! Thanks, Robyne.”

Actually, not all that unbelievable Robyne. Same story every time: If you put the right message, out to the right market, at the right time, it’s pretty much a foolproof formula for success.

Sure does help though, to have all those marketing messages already done for you, in the Inner Circle toolkit.

”Little Hinges Swing BIG Doors.’

Inner Circle member Emma Grossman of Escape Day Spa in Sydney discovered the profound truth of that just last week… and took action which turned a dismal week into a blockbuster at her day spa…

Here’s how Emma (left) explains it – and, for Inner Circle members only, the actual text message Emma used to such devastating effect….

“Last week (Tues – Fri) was our quietest week ever, we were only about 20% booked and I was going to tell some of my girls to take time off. Last Wednesday I decided to text to just 800 clients (we have 12,000 on our database so 800 to me is very small) with a special offer – and all I can say is WOW! We are now 120% booked out, I had to bring another therapist in and we have so many people on a waiting list.

It (the text message) cost us $120 and brought in 26 more bookings valued at $2,859 in facials only (not including retail and additional services).

“Next week we’re sending out a similar offer to 5,000 clients!”

“..we are 120% booked…”

Note for Inner Circle members: the actual text message Emma used can be found in a separate email with the subject line ‘Emma’s text message’.