A joint venture is where one service business works in partnership with another so they can both benefit mutually from the other’s clients. Joint Venture Marketing is one of the most powerful, effective and inexpensive ways you can use to fill your appointment book.

Here’s how it works: You want to build a bigger clientele so you look at what other businesses your clients and potential clients go to. The best kind of business to enter into a joint venture with, naturally, is going to be one that complements your own business.

For example, hairdressing clients often get their nails done professionally, have beauty treatments, visit a tanning salon, buy jewellery, get their groceries from somewhere – and on and on.

So why not do a joint promotion with one of these businesses? They have a clientele. You have a clientele. It only makes sense that cross promoting to each other’s businesses will build both client bases!

Finding a joint venture partner I’ve always found the best businesses to ‘joint venture’ with are businesses you know and you are comfortable with. Do you, your friends, your staff (or any of their friends) know anyone in these local businesses?

Generally business owners are protective of their clients, and if they don’t know you or your business, no matter how attractive you try to make the joint venture for them, they may decline your offer. Or worse, take it on, but only promote it in a half hearted manner. You need to be fussy too. You will be recommending this business to your clients, so you need to make sure you’re sending them somewhere you know they will be treated well.

What will you offer? Each business produces a card or leaflet with a special offer or other incentive on it. For example a tanning salon can do a special ‘Buy a course of 6 sessions, get 2 sessions Free’, a hairdresser can offer half price colour on a certain day when it’s quieter, the beauty salon can offer a free skin analysis – you get the picture.

You can get really creative with this. In the past we have run very successful joint venture promotions with a florist, a photographer, a make-up studio and a financial planner. If I hear any salon professional telling me they haven’t got enough clients I always recommend this one. It’s very inexpensive to do and the rewards are great.

If your salon or spa is quiet at the moment, you are probably sitting there doing nothing. Instead use this quiet time as an opportunity to put a joint venture promotion together with another business. Do this one right and you’ll be amazed at the results. Let me know how you get on!

Catherine Trebble is dedicated to teaching salon, spa, holistic, medispa and other related service providers how to inexpensively fill their appointment books to capacity with all the clients they need. Download your free ‘7 Step Guide to a Full Appointment Book’ at http://FullAppointmentBook.com

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Business Books For Salon and Spa Professionals

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC Offer by: BiggerBooks.com Price: USD 99.88 No Synopsis Available

Barron's Creative Fun: Egyptian Activity Book Creative Fun: Egyptian Activity Book ISBN: 0764134140 Offer by: MisterArt.com Price: USD 5.69 Boys and girls who open this activity book will take a fascinating step back in time as they explore an ancient civilization. The book presents maps, time lines, and fun facts about ancient Egypt, and instructs in crafts activities for kids that reflect ancient Egypt's culture and technology. Projects that require use of a craft knife are labeled with a red star, which recommends adult supervision. Color charts and illustrations adorn nearly every page. For ages 9-12. Book specifications: paperback, 24 pgs., 8 3/8 in. x 10 7/8 in. Publisher: Barron's, 2006.

Spa Business Strategies: A Plan for Success Offer by: BiggerBooks.com Price: USD 68.77 No Synopsis Available

On Air Video The Art of Block Printing -- DVD DVD Offer by: MisterArt.com Price: USD 12.11 This DVD teaches the art and techniques of creating and producing your very own block prints. The clear and informative program addresses the various aspects of block printing including: Materials Producing one color prints Producing two color prints Block cutting safety Samples of various techniques DVD runtime is 25 min.

Milady's Standard: Comprehensive Training for Estheticians Offer by: BiggerBooks.com Price: USD 135.71 No Synopsis Available

Principios Basicos del Negocio de Profesionales de Salones y Spas/ Business Fundamentals for Salon and Spa Professionals Offer by: BiggerBooks.com Price: USD 330.12 No Synopsis Available

Business Books For Salon and Spa Professionals

A+ Guide to Managing and Maintaining Your PC Offer by: BiggerBooks.com Price: USD 99.88 No Synopsis Available

Candle Making Supplies

Yaley Candle Making Accessories thermometer Offer by: MisterArt.com Price: USD 8.76 Yaley offers a variety of candle making supplies to help you get the professional look and function from your next candle project: Stearine Flakes make candles burn slower and their colors more opaque. Translucent Crystals slow the burning time of candles while making the colors more vivid. They also aid in eliminating bubbles. Wick Tabs are used to secure the wicking to the bottom of a mold while filling with wax. They come in packs of 12. Candlemaking Thermometer provides a professional edge for serious candlemakers who want perfection in their craft. The thermometer reads from 0 to 400 degrees F. Mold Sealing Clay eliminates the cracks in multipart molds for nice clean pouring. It's designed for both metal and plastic molds. Mold Release Spray enables the hardened candles to pop out of the mold with ease. The Melting Pot is perfect for melting and pouring the wax without making a mess. It's 8 in. tall and 5 1/2 in. in diameter. It's made of aluminum and features a no-heat handle. Mold Cleaner/Wax Remover is the perfect cleaning solution for after your project. It's a non-toxic and biodegradable way to clean fabrics and hard surfaces of the little wax messes that happen when making candles.

Salon marketing or day spa marketing with Twitter is the hot new trend. What is Twitter? For those who have never heard of it, Twitter is a micro blogging platform where you can update your status about ‘what you are doing now’ to your followers.

Twitter was essentially a social media designed to keep in touch with family and friends. It is built around the question ‘what are you doing right now?’ Your updates in answer to this question would help your friends and family to know you closely. However, salon and day spa marketers are using this wonderful tool to expand their reach to folks who are interested in the health, hair, and beauty segment of the market. They make their tweets to give out with all their salons latest information, advertise their hot offers, drive traffic to their salon website, interact with their clients and build a loyal customer following. Marketing on the internet should be an essential part of your overall hair salon marketing plan of your day spa business. Twitter is a hot new tool for marketing on the web. So it is essential that your day spa marketing or salon marketing plan needs to include this hot new trend.

The popularity of this trend can be determined from the fact that these days almost everyone is getting on to the Twitter bandwagon. It has grown tremendously in popularity with twitter pages from CNN and everyone of the political candidates. They are all using it as a publicity tool or to give out latest information about their businesses. Even if you do not have many followers, do not worry. Twitter search sites are popping up everywhere and this means that if you tweet with keywords that matter to your reader or market you can be found and followed. If you want to determine the popularity of a particular keyword or phrase and how often its being referred to or talked about you can go to Tweet Volume and find out. Just enter your keyword and you will have your list of results instantly.

Well known Twitter users include:

- Organizations like Tony & Guy use it to update salons worldwide on whats going on in the world of product and culture within there company

- GHD, the revolutionary hair straightening styling iron uses it to convey important information to students and salon interested in product updates and handy hair tips

- Twitter has been used as a publicity tool by various international giants like L’Oreal, Schwarzkopf, Wella, Goldwell, KMS and the list goes on!

Twitter salon marketing tips can be learned from how the high profile users use it as publicity tool. Some of the golden rules for Twitter salon marketing are:

- Offer original, useful and helpful content to your followers or clients

- Don’t waste your tweets by posting personal stuff. Give them information about what they are interested in

- You can ask questions, take surveys, use it as a sounding board and solve your client’s problems using Twitter.

- Network with other people in the same business. Follow them are learn from them. Build relationships for future business opportunities

- Keep updating your posts regularly. If you update regularly, you will keep growing your followers

- Include links back to your salon or day spas website to entice driving sales or appointments.

Francis Featherby http://www.twittersalonanddayspamarketing.com Day spa marketing http://www.twittersalonanddayspamarketing.com hair salon marketing plan

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Banking is a significant component within the varied mix of business-related topics you’ll need to address in your beauty salon or day spa business. If you’ve decided to operate under your own name as a sole trader, you can use your regular savings account to run your business. However, you’ll require a number of banking products to help you do so in the most practical and efficient manner.

Salon banking is relatively an easy component of your business responsibilities within your salon systems and thanks to online banking these days, you don’t even need a salon software to manage the task.

So, what other kinds of accounts might you need? I advise anyone intending to go into the salon or spa business to consider setting up the following, which are examined in more detail below.

o A personal account. o A business account. o Personal and business credit cards. o A taxation account. o A merchant facility, (credit card processing). o A superannuation account.

1. Business account

Unless you’ve chosen to trade under a name other than your own, this will be opened using your business name. You will need your Business Registration details from the Department of Fair Trade to open the account, along with other proof of identification. Request monthly bank statements so you can track your business success and manage your money on a regular basis. You should also have a chequebook, an internet banking facility, a merchant facility (more on this later) and direct debit capability.

NB: if you are not the most disciplined person DO NOT have a key card attached to this account. Pay yourself a weekly salary from it and don’t touch it for any purpose other than paying business-related expenses. That way, you’ll always know where you stand financially.

2. Personal account (savings)

This can be an account you already have, and will be used for all non-business-related bills and purchases.

3. Personal and business credit cards

You may want to take advantage of Frequent Flyer miles and other loyalty bonuses by using a credit card for all your business purchases. If you do, you may not require a traditional business bank account. Watch out, though, that the flexibility of the credit card doesn’t encourage you to spend on things that won’t help your business! If you do choose to use a credit card only, do as you would with the traditional accounts and have two: one for your personal and one for your business expenses.

4. Taxation account

Hopefully, your taxation bank account will be the most rewarding. Sadly, we all have to pay tax, and if you’ve got a tax bill you’ve made money. If you don’t have the money saved to pay the Tax Department, then the lifestyle you have is outside the financial parameters of your business. To ensure you always have the readies for your tax, open a bank account especially for that. Set it up so that 15 to 18 per cent of you total turnover is withdrawn direct from your business account and transferred into your tax account WEEKLY. If you’re registered for GST, add another 10%. This will prepare you for your taxation commitments and enable you to concentrate solely on making money, rather than worrying about not having enough at the end of the year. Most banks have special accounts for precisely this purpose.

If you’re a lousy saver or don’t trust yourself with money in the bank, set your tax account up in the following way.

o As a fixed-term account that must contain a designated amount before withdrawals can be made. o Have a co-signatory on the account – your partner, a parent, a best friend or someone you trust implicitly. o No key card. o Not linked to any other account. o Not linked to the internet.

You can set up the direct debiting facility from your online banking facility. That way, you can have a set amount credited to your tax account or pay precisely the right percentage each week by making a ritual payment at the end of the week as part of your business housekeeping.

Tip bit: o Keep your business and personal expenses separate, using clear and defined account and record-keeping procedures. It’s a must for a business of any size, from micro to macho. It’s the simplest way to see how your business is travelling (at a glance). If you have any questions about separating your business and personal finances, consult your accountant/ CPA or business coach.

o If you can get to the money in the account for any purpose other than paying tax you’ll rip yourself off. Don’t go into business if you want to spend your life avoiding tax. You’ll fail, if not sooner then later! Be consumed with making money, not hiding it! You won’t enjoy being self-employed if you don’t have enough funds to cover your income and GST tax obligations as they arise. Save for your tax!

o Bank as and when you collect the money, especially cheques. Make going to the bank a daily discipline.

o Whatever bank and accounts you decide to use, consult your accountant/ CPA to ensure this aspect of your business is set up correctly right from day 1.

o Have two separate filing boxes and get into the habit of sorting all your receipts in the appropriate files during and at the end of each week. Don’t get to the end of the financial year and start then – if you haven’t made good notes on each receipt you may find it too hard to remember where it should go.

Francis Featherby http://www.cleversalontools.com Beauty Salon or Day Spa Business Banking Requirements http://www.cleversalontools.com/business-plan spa salon business plan

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Life is much better when you are surrounded by people you trust. From your mechanic to your hair stylist, it is important to know that the people you rely on have the training and experience to do the job right. This is not always easy to find.

Living with a bad hair cut is one thing, but when it comes to skin care and our efforts to slow the signs of aging there are more permanent risks to be considered. Selecting the right skin care professional is not only a matter of protecting your good looks, but also preserving your health and personal safety.

The fastest growing segment of the skin care industry is the medical spa business. The ability to obtain significant cosmetic enhancements with new technologies that do not require the down-time or financial insult of traditional cosmetic surgery provides a remarkable opportunity for those individuals who do not want to go under the knife. Medical spas often offer services that include wrinkle and cellulite reduction, hair removal, skin rejuvenation and more.

It is important to remember, however, that while you can typically stop by the medical spa at the mall on your lunch break to have one of these services performed, these are still medically based procedures that need to be regarded as such. There is always the potential for serious injury if the procedures are performed inappropriately. The most common side-effects related to medical aesthetic services are burns and subsequent scarring.

So how do you select a medical spa or medical aesthetic services provider that can offer the result you are looking for and maintain your safety? The answer, of course, is training and experience.

If you choose to have a consultation with a medical aesthetics professional, ask some basic questions. Do they hold a professional license? Often laser technicians or medical aesthetics professionals will also have cosmetology, skin care, or medical licensing. In the case of Botox or other injectable procedures, is your provider a nurse, physician assistant, or physician? Did they attend a reputable laser or medical aesthetics training school? If the provider is not a physician, then ask about the qualifications and background of the supervising physician. Ask to see before and after pictures of actual clients. In the case of laser services, ask to have a test spot treatment performed so that you can become familiar with the sensation involved with the treatment. This will also help to ensure that you are not prone to hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation (lightening or darkening of the skin).

Another great way to learn more about your medical aesthetics provider is to check them out online. Look for chat rooms or web logs where other people may have commented on the level of service and results they received from the provider. When it comes to your body and your personal safety, make sure to do your homework.

Medical spas have much to offer and are becoming an integral part of the lives of millions of people each year. Having a medical spa you can trust can make all the difference.

Jason Begley is one of the original founders of the Institute for Medical Aesthetics – IMAj, which is the largest and most experienced laser and medical aesthetics training school in North America. For more information, please visit http://www.imajschool.org

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Does a Successful Spa Pay Off?

In today’s world everyone’s looking for a way to relax and get away from it all if only for just a bit. One of the ways that they are doing this is by visiting local spas. A spa offers them a chance to be pampered and feel like a queen or king even if it is only for a couple hours. They are willing to pay top dollar for this type of treatment and will always be willing to look elsewhere if they feel that they are not getting top treatment. So, how can you run a successful spa that will bring in the kind of income you are looking for? There are a few things that you must look at. The first is your laws.

Laws To Remember

As with all businesses there are laws that you as a business owner are bound to follow. Make sure that your spa is in compliance with the local zoning laws when choosing where to locate. Also make sure that you follow all state and federal regulations governing the products that your spa will be using. These laws are in place to make sure that the products and equipment are safe for you as well as your clients. By making sure that you are following federal and state guidelines concerning employees you will also help to keep your business out of trouble.

Hiring Standards

When you are hiring new employees for your spa you must consider what position you are trying to fill. Obviously, a receptionist and a nail technician are going to have totally different job skill sets. Make sure that you choose the right person for the right position. Also make sure that the person you choose either has the certifications needed for that position (for example massage technicians, etc.) or that you are willing to provide the training and certification opportunities for them. When looking for new employees consider trying several different techniques. Post your job openings in the paper, on the web, and with the local employment security office and you will get more responses than if you just stick a sign in the window.

Location is Key

One of the keys to running a spa successfully is choosing the right location. If you choose poorly you could be dooming your spa to failure within the first month or two. You want to make sure that your spa is located in a spot where it will get plenty of traffic. You should preferably locate near a high traffic public area such as a mall or near a set of office buildings. Once people spend long hours shopping or working they could walk past your shop and think, “wouldn’t that be nice?” This is a very effective subliminal advertising method as well. By locating near a large college you will attract many young clients who are ready to spend their money rather freely to get the pampering they want.

Ensure Client Satisfaction

The client comes first. The client comes first. The client comes first. This should be the mantra of every business today. So many business owners today seem to be forgetting that without the client there is no business at all. They take it for granted that the customer will come back no matter what because they are the only game in town. Nowadays there are businesses right down the street offering the same services as you and that is what you are competing with. By making your clients feel satisfied and relaxed you will ensure that they return time and time again. This repeat business is also one of the keys to the longevity of your spa business.

Paperwork Paperwork Everywhere

Why do we have so much paperwork involved in running a business? For one reason it helps to cover us when tax time rolls around. The IRS requires quite a bit of paperwork to back up business expenses when you file the tax return for your spa. The state in which your spa is located can also require a good deal of paperwork as far as employee files, certifications, business licenses and permits are concerned. Another thing you must think about is the scheduling process that you are using as well. An ineffective scheduling habit can lead to double scheduling and slow business as well. You can now schedule clients through web based applications. This will definitely help to alleviate some of the burden you may be facing when you attack the paperwork mountain.

Now that you are up and running, you’re all set. It may sound like there is a good deal of work involved in running your own spa, however there is no feeling like being your own boss. Keep the previous topics in mind and you will go far in the spa world. Running a spa can be a very lucrative career in today’s “pamper me now” society.

Work smarter, not harder, and spend your extra time generating more revenue for your business. Sam Kanakanui has been in the online software business for over 12 years. Learn more about his online appointment scheduling software here. Sam also has a variety of business resources and articles at www.netwavesolutions.com/business-resources.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

PROFIT is the most important aspect of any business. Turnover is necessary but if there is no profit or not enough profit the business is not sustainable.

photo credit: thomaswanhoff

Unfortunately most salon/spa owners focus on the turnover and the money that is brought into the business on a daily basis but very few really give attention to what the actual profitability of the business is. Without a good profit, cash flow will be the first to take strain and once your cash flow starts taking strain; well I don’t really need to keep going as I think you know what can come next.

Listed below are just 5 of the top examples of profit munchers in the spa/salon business and in fact if not kept strictly under control and monitored on a daily basis these items below could very well be the cause of your business closing down.

1. candles
2. telephone calls
3. poor bookings
4. discounting
5. product wastage

1. Candles
Candles are almost a must for the spa and salon business. They create an amazing ambiance and add to the relaxation and anti-stress aspect that consumers look for when coming to your salon. These gorgeous flickering lights are a major fire hazard, can get messy and hot. Candles are also the number one profit muncher in your business as they are a consumable that carries a huge cost but is completely necessary. Do a small exercise and calculate your total candle expenditure over the last 12 months and you will be very shocked at the figures. My suggestion here is to invest in good quality rechargeable candles. They come in different colors and flicker just like a real candle.

What’s even better is that you have a full range of votives to choose from to house your rechargeable candle. They come in sets of 6, 12 and 24 with a charger unit just like a cell phone charger unit. Initially the investment is much higher than purchasing candles however long term they work out much cheaper and safer. The worst that can happen if you leave a rechargeable candle burning is that it runs out of charge but at least your salon wont burn down over night!

2. Telephone Calls
Without a telephone your business cannot function and you are cut off from the consumer that you need to get in through your doors. Once again I am sure that when you look at your telephone bill every month you really want to cry and keep saying over and over again to your staff to try and cut the phone bill down but it never seems to decrease. Here are a few ways to cut your phone bill for sure:

a) Take out a business package from Telkom that gives you a certain amount of free minutes similar to a cell phone package.

b) Install a premi cell line. This cuts your cell phone bill by at least 40%. And I am sure that most calls are to your clients cell phones.

c) Choose only one method of booking confirmation that works for your business be it either a phone call or a sms message but don’t do both as that is an unnecessary expense.

3. Poor bookings
You are probably asking yourself right now how can you loose profit with poor bookings? After analyzing only 1 spas bookings for a week we worked out that the business was loosing approximately R50 000-00 worth of business in that week. This works out to R200 000-00 in a month! The booking/reservations element of your business is a whole department and training course on its own but let me try giving you a few pointers on effective bookings:

a) Always fill your appointments in the morning first. You must offer your client a time and not just jump at the first time slot they ask for. It’s very much like calling your doctor for an appointment, they offer you times and you pick one of them so do the same in your business and always try fill from the morning first.

b) Do NOT allow 15 minutes gap here and there as this costs you dearly at the end of a day. You must insist the client comes in at the time you have available as they can shuffle their day with 15 minutes but you lose major turnover for those few minutes and especially if there are 4 or 5 of those kind of gaps in a day.

4. Discounting
Have you ever heard of your doctor or dentist sending out a sms offering you a discount for appointments? No I did not think so and if you did receive that type of message would you not assume there was a problem? Discounting cheapens your business and almost gives the message that you need desperately to get feet in the door.

You will also begin to attract the discount hunter type of client that is not really the type of client you want to keep long term as they begin to expect discounts permanently. A very easy and simple way to offer a so-called discount to your client is to rather give added value free of charge which in essence is the same concept as discounting but instead you are ensuring to keep the client in your salon longer by giving them another service free of charge they would normally not have booked for. This also exposes them to other services in your salon and can ensure loyalty and continued bookings.

5. Product wastage
This is the most difficult profit muncher to control but it can be controlled. Remember if you don’t pay for something out of your own pocket, you don’t really feel the responsibility towards it so don’t get disheartened when you see product wastage in your business as this is very common. There are a few ways to try and reduce the amount of product wastage namely:

a) Do not stock each room with all the products. I repeat, Do Not Stock Each Room With All the Products! I cannot stress this point enough and have often had the situation where the spa/salon owner feels it too much effort to implement a stock control system and simply fully stocks each treatment room only to call me a few months down the line asking for help as their stock is either missing or depleted with only a few treatments. Keep facial kits in your store room, these are boxes which can really look gorgeous either in leather, timber or tin which contain all the products necessary for that particular treatment.

Depending on the number of treatment rooms you have is how many of each treatment box you will keep. For example a hydrating facial is very popular so you may keep 3 of these boxes but only one oily skin box. Any professional treatment that is packaged in bulk such as a 10kg bucket or 20 sachets of a particular mask in a box, this will not be kept in the treatment boxes but rather be ordered out of the stock room by the therapist. The stock room must have an in and out register and every person taking or replacing stock must sign in the register.

I would also recommend putting a CCTV camera in this room. For manicures and pedicures I would decant into small containers the exact amount required for the treatment as this prevents the therapists from using more product and also stops the client from wondering why the therapist is only using such a small amount of product not realizing the quantities required. I would also issue each and every therapist with her own tool kit and consumable kit which she will replenish weekly also keeping her on her toes as to wastage and as for the tools if they go missing the therapist has to replace the tools from her own pocket. For very expensive treatments with a very high product costing I would keep the products in the managers office and all staff performing those treatments would request the treatment box.

I would like to motivate you to really try and implement these systems listed above if you have not already done so in your business and I can assure you that it will make a difference.

Scott White Fitness Equipment and Day Spa NLP Certification

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Is your spa, health club or massage therapy business, easily found on the world wide web? Do you have a website for your business that gets lots of traffic?

photo credit: thomaswanhoff

If not, take a step in that direction by optimizing your website for the search engines. Search engine optimization is the process of organizing the content on your website and its layout to make it most friendly to the search engines for finding your site online. When they find you, they will add you to their index which means people searching for your business or the service you provide, will find your site and hopefully choose you to do business with.

Do you operate a day spa with an online presence? The Internet has truly become a potent and most effective venue to market and promote your business. Through the advent of the modern computer age, you can easily reach across a greater audience and more clients conveniently and effectively. Online operations for day spas are certainly a tried and tested formula.

When you have taken your spa business online, it is imperative that you develop, design, and build a well organized and dynamic website. You must commission the best web designers and you must strive to write and post the best and most persuasive content. Think about it. When you are searching for and reading websites, you are focused on the good, interesting, and convincing ones. Apply the concept to your own online spa business.

Because you want your online site to be effective and to reach across the target audience and readers, you need to make sure more people will find it. The Internet is an ever-expanding venue. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of websites competing with each other to grab the attention of the millions of readers all over the globe. In your own niche, there are also numerous websites and online businesses that compete with your own online site. How will you overcome and win the challenge? The answer lies in search engine optimization.

When you optimize your website, you are formatting it in such a way that major search engines can easily find it and list it in their index of web pages. Google is the primary search engine you should target, as it is the most widely used. To do so, you must adhere to the search engine’s regulations and practices when it comes to search engine results listings.

In search results, search traffic has a main influence to dictate search engine ranking. Websites that are most frequently visited are logically on top of the listing. Websites vie for the topmost listing because obviously, online users check out sites listed on the topmost of a search engine result page. To be able to come across and potentially reach more of your intended audience, you have to strive harder to land on that spot.

Search engine optimization is not as hard as people think. If you have your own website, all you have to do is make your content ideal and convincing, featuring a decent volume and number of keywords. For example, your online spa should use important and popular keywords for your niche, like ‘online day spa’ or ‘Internet spa services.’

Aside from that, make sure your title tag is very catchy and convincing. Title tags say what your website is all about. It is necessary to compose and use the most persuasive titles because title tags are the titles appearing on search engine listings.

Your Meta description is also important as that is the descriptive text that displays in the search enginge listing underneath your title. Here is where you want to “sell the click”. That is you want to put some conservative, well crafted copy that will entice the searcher to click on the link and visit your site with out being “in your face” blatantly ovbious.

Inter-linking with other websites and even blogs can also do the trick. If you will spend even at least an hour finding and establishing links with other websites, especially those in your niche, you will be amazed at how search ranking your website will enjoy. Its usually as simple as picking up the phone and asking a webmaster to exchange links with you.

If you have struggled with any of the terms in this article like Title Tag, Meta Description, Link exchange or Search Engine Optimization, I suggest you consult with a competent web desigin individual or company. Hopefully one you can get a reference on from a collegue or business associate.

Finding your business on the web is a competitive advantage for you that is key to growing and maintaining your business in rough economic times. John Ramallo has been in online software for over 12 years. His online appointment scheduling software can be found at NetwaveOnlineScheduling.com. Also look for a variety of additional resources and articles at NetwaveSolutions.com

Article Source: ArticleSpan

Change your Day Spa and ask yourself these questions so you understand how to run a day spa business.

1. Are you happy with your current business model?
2. Are you happy with your profit margins?
3. Are you happy with your turnover?
4. Are you happy with the interior design and layout of your business?

photo credit: stevendepolo

The Health and Wellness Industry is no doubt still one of the fastest growing industries in the world! With this in mind I am sure you are feeling like competition is getting stronger, the spa goer is more educated on different types of treatments and service expectations are much higher than they have ever been.

Start with the basics! Yes, analyze your business for a few hours and ensure that the basic fundamental business systems and procedures are in place before you start looking for any complicated strategies and marketing plans to make your business grow.

Check your business against some basic fundamentals listed below and implement any systems you are not currently following. I promise you that if you take them seriously and really put them into action, you will see the results and your business will change.

1. Have Weekly Staff Meetings
Start now and if you are not having weekly staff meetings where you give your staff feedback and let them know where they stand and where the business is heading. Share figures with your staff. If you keep your companies turnover figures to yourself you are not making your staff a part of the business. Your business can only grow if your staff make it grow and by making them a part of the business by not hiding what the business is doing is the first step. Share each individual staff member turnover figures with all the staff and in this way you can help praise excellent achievers and build those needing some help.

Ensure your meetings are not boring and only your voice is heard. Give different staff members different sections of the meeting to cover and then have an open forum where you go round the room and each staff member has their say over the previous week.

2. Consolidate your Product Ranges
If you are a small or medium size business and stocking more than two product lines, then its time to clean up and clear out. You cannot focus on four or five product lines, be careful also not to get into the trap of stocking bits and pieces of different product lines that you assume sell well, this does not send a clear message to the consumer and you may find they only end up buying those bits and pieces from you but their main product range from another salon.

If you have a large size business then you should not be stocking more than three full product lines. If you are, carefully consider the ranges that are not moving so fast and get them out. You will find your staff can focus better and the consumers will appreciate your clearing up the clutter.

3. Average Docket Value
This is one resolution that can dramatically change your business. If you are not checking average docket value on a monthly basis and then doing something about that average then I am not sure why you are in business.

Average docket value is about the most valuable piece of information you can have in your business. It tells you what the average spend per client is where you can then compare each individual staff member average to the business average to see how each staff member is performing in relation to the entire business.

Below is a basic table showing how average docket value is analyzed.

No of clients Total turnover Average per client Services Retail Retail %
Total 10 3500 350 3000 500 15%
Therapist A 3 600 200 550 50 8%
Therapist B 4 1500 375 850 650 43%
Therapist C 2 650 325 500 150 23%
Therapist D 1 750 750 220 530 71%

Which is your best therapist? Why?
Which is your worst therapist? Why?
Tell me about Therapist D?
Is the salon Retail % to total turnover good? Why
Is the total Salon Average Docket per client good? Why?

4. Clear Out The Negative Energy
If there is a staff member that is negative, get rid of them once and for all. Remember one rotten fruit will contaminate the whole bunch in time. Plus don’t wait and start the process immediately to clear your business out of negative energy.

5. Book Refresher Education Classes
Book every single member of staff on refresher training for the product houses you stock. Make it compulsory salon policy that they attend yearly and ensure to get feedback from them on their return. I have a form I give staff where I ask them to list 10 new things they learned at the training they attended. This gives you an idea of what made an impression in their minds and then you can build and work on it.

Please do not assume your staff are adequately trained or they have been working with a product house for 20 years so they know exactly what is going on. Don’t be fooled, technology and ingredients progress quicker than we think and you can never ever know everything!

6. Plan Your Promotions for the Year
If you plan your promotional calendar with your staff and suppliers a year in advance it makes it easier just to simply implement the promotion every month or quarter or season.

Decide whether you will offer monthly, seasonal or quarterly promotions and then make each staff member in charge of that promotion, from the ordering of the promotional stock to the printing of fliers or posters to the sms the promotion message to clients to the incentives for the staff, etc.

This takes a bit of pressure off you to always do everything and you may be surprised at the pro-activity of your staff. Always be sure to give parameters in which to work for example you can allow them to order the promotional stock but if it comes to higher than R2000 they have to get your approval.

7. Plan at least one Funtion
Plan a salon birthday cocktail function, a charity fundraiser, a 2 hour 40% sale, a bring a friend and win! Whatever, the point is do something, just one function per year where you go out of your way to do something more, different and bigger and get your clients involved and remember to give them adequate notice!

8. Purchase A Piece of Profitable Equipment
If you don’t already own a piece of equipment that generates high profit then you must seriously and carefully analyze your business. The fact is that consumers WANT machines that produce results! So act quick and invest in a non-surgical face lift machine, cellulite removal machine or even an IPL.

9. Get Online
If you salon is not computerized and you are not able to receive and send emails or go on the internet, then please sort yourself out and get with the program! Technology is power today and I can assure you that your business will benefit from a salon computer program and internet accessibility.

10. Complete Your Standard Operating Procedures Manual
This is no doubt the MOST valuable operations asset you can give your business and the sooner you get down and complete this manual the better it is for all your staff. This manual is the bible of your business and clearly outlines all service standards and clearly explains exactly what is expected of each staff member. If I can motivate you to do ONE important change in your business this year I would like you to draw up your S.O.P manual. Once it is done it will be of no value if you don’t train your staff on each procedure and implement strict evaluation systems.

I hope that you have found at least one resolution to make in your business for 2009!

Scott White Get Your Business Online and Personal Trainer Spa Consulting Services

Article Source: ArticleSpan