platinum
Thinking Outside the Bottle
By Lisa Parsons
I knew that title would get your attention! Those bottles, the ones behind your front counters, up on the shelves that are sold and replaced on a regular basis( If that’ s how your club is, congrats!) or sit there as if they are a trophy that never gets touched: Those are tanning lotions. Today we are going to talk about the“ why’ s and what’ s” of this sometimes difficult add-on sale.
Throughout my extensive traveling career, I have had the opportunity and pleasure to visit, work with and train hundreds of Planet Fitness ® franchisee locations. When we initially started this journey of educating the staff within the clubs on how to sell our products, I started with the same approach I did with our tanning salon partners. I quickly learned the training style I used in tanning salons that see about 150 people a day can’ t compare to the high-volume, fast-paced traffic flow of a Planet Fitness club seeing 1,000 people a day.
Over the course of visiting many different clubs, in lots of different markets and working closely with our franchise partners, I have learned it’ s not entirely about teaching the staff how to sell our products, but more about educating the staff as to why we even use tanning lotion, understanding the different types of lotions and how to begin a conversation with a Black Card member about the critical importance of using lotion. If your staff believes in the importance of products, they will pass along that belief and enthusiasm to your clients.
Tanning lotion is a great source of extra income for your clubs, but making sure your staff is capitalizing on education and sales opportunities is the main difference between dust collectors on your shelves and your staff’ s favorite Black Card add-on sale.
Why use lotion? In the easiest terms I can explain this in: Dry skin reflects UV light, ergo, the skin needs moisture in order to tan. Tanning lotion hydrates the skin so UV light can be absorbed and the skin can tan quicker. Also professional tanning products contain an active ingredient called tyrosine – this ingredient speeds up melanin activity for enhanced pigmentation of the skin.
An easy phrase to train your staff to use when starting a conversation about the importance of lotion is,“ If you go into the tanning bed without tanning lotion, your skin can take up to the first 5-7 minutes to start the tanning process. By using a professional indoor tanning lotion, your skin will start tanning in the first 30-60 seconds, therefore saving you time and money.” Educating your staff on these important facts and stressing the importance of using lotion while tanning will help your clients’ overall experience.
What is the difference between an accelerator and a bronzer? These days, tanning lotion bottles say many different things:“ Triple Bronzer,”“ 50X Bronzer,”“ 80 Dimension Bronzer,”“ Maximizer,” and“ Optimizer” – just to name a few. When looking at your lotion shelves, your staff can easily become overwhelmed with trying to differentiate what all of this means.
• Pure Accelerator – A pure accelerator is any product that blends tyrosine and moisturizer to accelerate the tanning process without the use of bronzers. These can go by many different names, but they all use the same principal – no added coloring agent. When educating our clients on the importance of lotion, it’ s key to focus on the positives of a product. When it comes to pure accelerators the positives are: no streaking; no staining; no after tan smell; good for all skin types; they can be used inside and outside; they are great for tanners just starting out or anyone looking for a very natural color.
• Bronzers – There are only three types of bronzers – DHA, natural and cosmetic. DHA bronzers are the first, most commonly used self-tanning ingredients on the market. Although DHA is clear and
you can’ t see it in the lotion, when these products are applied to the skin they take about four to eight hours to develop and last about 2-7 days. DHA bronzers are great for clients looking for a jump-start in their results, someone looking to maintain their color, a client who is tanning for a particular event or those just looking for quick results. In the Devoted Creation’ s line, we have made it very simple for you to know if there is DHA in the product; if there is DHA in the lotion, we have printed the word“ bronzer” on the front of the bottle.
• Natural & Cosmetic Bronzers – These bronzers work just like the name implies, one is natural and one is makeup. Natural bronzers utilize natural ingredients that can tint the skin, for example, black walnut seed or caramel extract, whereas cosmetic bronzers are just the color of the lotion. If you squeeze out the lotion and it’ s white, it has no cosmetic bronzer. If you squeeze it out and it is brown, it has cosmetic bronzer. There are many positives in using these bronzers, such as no streaking, no staining, bronzing results for all skin types, quicker color, etc. Within our line, if a product has the wording“ DHA Free Bronzer” or“ Streak Free / Stain Free bronzer” on the front of the bottle, it contains only natural and cosmetic bronzers. Understanding what products your clients need to achieve and maintain optimal color is important, but ensuring your staff is comfortable talking to your clients on the“ what’ s and why’ s” of lotion is imperative to increase your club’ s added revenue. Maybe it’ s time to take a closer look at your lotion selection and staffs overall understanding of your products. Take a moment and think outside the bottle. G
Lisa Parsons is the International Sales and Education Manager at Devoted Creations. Devoted Creations is a platinum partner member of the PFIFA. You can reach Parsons at lisa @ devotedcreations. com.
GearedUp | 2016 Issue 2
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