Mel Skific, Club Soleil

When Mel Skific fell in love with tanning, it wasn’t just the sunbed that brightened his day – it was the environment. His visits to his friend’s salon were always cheerful, full of laughter and fun. When the salon later went up for sale, he was eager to create a charismatic atmosphere of his own. Through the years, Mel has created a plethora of deals for customers to choose from. In this Smart Tan exclusive interview, Mel discusses a few of the specials his salon offers:

We are constantly running specials. When I saw Bob Megan speak at a Smart Tan convention, he discussed the importance of rewarding loyal customers; he went through all of these different ideas you can do. Following Bob’s idea, I came home and started a frequent buyer program: On the customer’s punch card, if they make six purchases, we give them 10 percent back to use on anything in the store. This special was an instant success and it still is today.

To encourage customers to purchase pricier lotions, we run a special called 50/50. If you buy any product over $50, we’ll give you 50 minutes in the super bed. This not only encourages customers to try out high end lotions, it also lets them sample what an upgraded bed feels like; if they like it, they may try it again.

During the evening hours of our busy season, a lot of clients were unable to wait for the bed of their choice – they had to get home to their families after working all day. Therefore, we started an early bird special to encourage people to start coming in the mornings. A lot of people started coming early, so more evening slots opened up for those who could only tan at night.

We have two new specials we’ll be starting soon. The first will be called ‘Seeing 20/20.’ If a member refers a friend to Club Soleil, they’ll get a $20 credit and so will their friend. This $20 credit can be used on anything in the store. On the back of our business cards it describes our referral program. This gives customers a reminder that if they refer a friend, they can receive this deal. 

The other change we’ve decided to make is changing our 20 percent off special. Instead of the last day of every month, we are going to run it on each statutory holiday. People usually have more free time on holidays, so we think this will instigate them to come in on their days off; people are more relaxed on holidays and may want to extend that relaxation with a tan. Everyone’s favorite radio station is WIIFM – what’s in it for me? I think you always have to keep that in mind; always view your business through your client’s eyes.