Robert Maconi is not only Vice President of Enterprise Sales for Millennium Software, he’s also been a salon owner for over 26 years.
“My mother was a salon owner for ages,” Maconi reveals. “As a wedding gift, she gave my wife and I a 3,200-square-foot salon in New Jersey, which is now called Elysium Salon & Spa. I still remember the gray and brown paneling and all the shampooset clients. It was a fantastic opportunity for a young couple, but one that required a huge overhaul in terms of decor and our target market. Thankfully, our business has thrived for many years, thanks to strong marketing efforts and business management systems provided by Millennium Software.
Some of our best marketing efforts to date:
Gift Certificates: On Black Friday [day after Thanksgiving] and throughout the weekend, clients can purchase a $100 gift certifi cate and receive a $20 gift certifi cate for themselves. Based on our average ticket price of $67, we know that when clients redeem their $20 gift certifi cates, they’ll be spending considerably more for their services.
Memberships: For a limited time during the holidays, we put our memberships on promo. Our membership concept is based on gifts that just keep on giving like Harry and David fruit baskets that arrive on a monthly or bi-monthly basis for a whole year. What you choose to include in a certain membership and how often the recipient is gifted, is up to you. Another great thing about memberships is that clients don’t pay the entire amount upfront, which makes them infinitely easier to sell. Instead, as each gift becomes available, it’s automatically charged to their credit card.
Create Your Own Basket: Inviting clients to your salon to create their own gift baskets is a great way to get people more involved in your salon and your brands. After all the products for the basket are chosen, shrink-wrap the gift and add a decorative bow. We also insert a $10 to $20 gift certifi cate— depending on the season—to attract new clients and reinforce loyalty for those who already frequent our salon.
Courier Service: People get fl ower deliveries all the time, so why not gift baskets or gift certifi cates? This service is great for last-minute gift buying, especially for men who often procrastinate when it comes to shopping. Top Spenders: Millennium has a tool that identifi es the highest spenders in the salon. We choose the top 100 clients and invite them to pre-buy all of our holiday promotions at special rates. This is done early in the game to kick off the holiday season with great cash flow.