By Jackie Gruber, Caribbean Beach Tanning

In the summer months we create a BINGO card for the staff, but we call it TANGO. We have 25 spots on the card that are a mix of things to sell, such as tanning packages, lotion bottles, packets, VIP sign-ups, accessories and more. We run TANGO for one week at a time then clear the card for the next week. We simply laminate the cards so we can reuse them each week. We can make these spots specific if we are trying to motivate a sale, but once the employee gets a TANGO, they get a reward. Rewards have changed from year to year, but we have done cash, gift cards and products mostly. This will keep the staff focused and in charge of their progress to keep discussing things with customers when we are slower.

TANGO works well to get the staff excited to sell. The new staff are excited because it is so different than what they are used to. I think having something tangible in their hands that they are in control of during their shifts helps them reach personal goals. The performance is great by the staff members when we’re running TANGO. We have seen 40 to 70 percent of our staff earn rewards every week. We have some full-time and some part-time employees so each one can attempt a TANGO during the week they work. Here is an example of how to pay out rewards: If each TANGO equals $2 cash, then five TANGOs earns an employee $10 that week. We have given rewards by gift cards before. If the employee earns $10, then they could choose a gift card for anywhere in town worth $10.

We can track all sales per employee during TANGO time easily on our POS Program. This will help management and staff track TANGOs each week and possibly find things an employee may have forgotten they sold.

How do we decide what is on the TANGO card? Well, it is a mixture of typical daily sales and challenges. During summer months in our area, we see a decline in UV tanners, but an increase in spray tans. So, we can place spray tan upgrades on the card. Or simply accessories, such as, chap stick, scrunchies, soaps, teeth whiteners and more. This is where staff must work at suggestive sales. As we hand out the TANGO cards, we will go over what is expected, then sometimes we see they raise their eyebrows on some challenging spots. This is a great opportunity to give more training in areas they seem to have weaknesses in. Other options are New Text Club Members, VIP Upgrades or a dollar amount to reach. We like to change the TANGO card each month, sometimes by rotating the spots, removing or adding other options that aligns with the month’s salon goals.

We have noticed to effectively suggest a sale, employees may have to think outside the box. So, this gives the employees an opportunity to be creative. Once they see the success of this each week, it is now part of their day-to-day tasks and they will build on their success during their career with us.