3. September 2010 by admin.

Text P for Pizza: Shakey’s shows you how to use text messaging to build a large contact database and spur sales during slow hours (internetretailer.com)

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3. September 2010 by admin.

Who’s buying? Women under 45 are. During the ‘recovery’ their spending is way up for gifts, children and charities. “When it comes to power-shopping our way toward economic recovery, a new report from American Express says well-heeled young women are leading the charge.”  (Mediapost.com)

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2. September 2010 by admin.

Top 12 Visual Merchandising Ideas [download the pdf] by The Retailer’s Advantage (theretailersadvantage.com) - summarized below, this is a good place to start when it comes to merchandising beyond a row of products on the shelf, and overall in appointing your salon or spa.  When it comes to merchandising, your displays should be powerful enough to draw someone in from the outside, across the room, to pick up the products — and to take them home! 

1- Take it outside
2- Identify everything
3- Set the mood with your windows
4- Embrace all the senses
5- Show them how it will look at home
6- Group like with like
7- Group by lifestyle
8- Use the spotlight
9- Change displays often!
10- Don’t be afraid of color
11- Integrate motion
12- Remember the rule of 3

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27. August 2010 by admin.

Love this:  “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 1900-1944)

What’s your plan?  So many times we let our dreams die because we can’t see what happens between points A and B.   Of all times, now is the moment to remember your real dreams.  It’s ok if you don’t know all of the steps that it will take to get to point B, but you will never get there without taking the first step.  You have to make plans in pencil anyway, because so often along the journey we find that it is not what we thought it was going to be.   Live out loud!

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26. August 2010 by admin.

I really gotta stop watching the national news.   For the last few months they’ve been asking, “is this going to be a double dip recession?” 

Hunh??  When did the dip ever come up?  It’s a recession with so far what seems to be a long, flat line dip.  There’s no double.  Now with today’s news about the housing market reaching an all time low, the real “D” word is being used:  Depression. 

When you hear bad news you’re always faced with a choice.  You can resign yourself, give up, sit and wait for things to change around you, or you can look for opportunities, get up and get on with them.  

No “D” word - whether it’s double dip, depression or diversion for that matter — should be enough to cause you to resign yourself or give up on your dreams.  And sitting around waiting for things to change is not a solution. 

Look for opportunity.  Create energy and positive motion and send your dreams and your energy out into the universe.  In the words immortalized in the movie Caddyshack:  “Be the ball!!!” 

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26. August 2010 by admin.

The 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar is officially available for sale - it will take a few days to show up on amazon.com, but can be purchased via my website at 12monthsofmarketing.net or at the link below at createspace.com - createspace for those that want to know is the publishing company owned by Amazon - and they make publishing easy!  Cheers to a happy 2011!  Now get to work!! 

Buy the [2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar] by Elizabeth Kraus, 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa (www . 12monthsofmarketing . net)

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25. August 2010 by admin.

I’m pleased to announce that the 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar will be released for sale tomorrow.   This is not a calender that you’ll hang on the wall to remember what day it is, this is a calendar that will work for you, and make you work!

Each month includes more than twenty unique concepts to craft marketing around, and for each concept, there are several ways to “make it happen.”

This new publication is great for the salon or spa professional new to the industry or for professionals at any stage of their career who want to build business, keep their customers (and keep them happy), sell more retail, keep their books full - and to have more fun doing it.   This publication is for managers and receptionists who want to build their own value while helping build business in their salon or spa.  This publication is for salon or spa owners who want to build a bigger role for their business in the lives of their clients.

It’s going to be a great year!  Elizabeth Kraus

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23. August 2010 by admin.

America’s 8 Ugliest Cities (totalbeauty.com) where salon and spa products need to work the hardest to combat the effects of stress, the environment and lifestyles!  

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21. August 2010 by admin.

When the economy gets tough, everyone tends to go into survival mode and think that they don’t have enough customers, or that they need new customers to replace the business that they lost.    But the truth is that focusing on the customers you already have is your highest value strategy when times are tough.  If you’re afraid of losing a customer or just want to keep the customers you have loyal, here are some easy, low-cost strategies that will help you keep a customer today.  [Read this article] on openforum.com

This article has some good tidbits for keeping your customers, and for keeping your most important customers happy - and several of the tips also help when it comes to referrals and word of mouth marketing.  As you read this article (and as you come across other articles online) make it a habit to write down how you would apply the tips to your particular salon or spa as an action item.   Put this idea list somewhere that you’re going to see it often so that you don’t let good ideas sit on the shelf like aging inventory! 

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19. August 2010 by admin.

According to an article on mediapost.com, giants OfficeMax and Payless understand the power of cross-marketing — do you? Work with other businesses in your area who have customers that you’d like to convert into clients of your own.  Share business cards, menus, offers, coupons - or create special offers together.   Tons of ideas like these in the book or the calendar, of course!

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18. August 2010 by admin.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Parents are shelling out for the usual school supplies during the 2010 back to school shopping season; but check out some of the other things on their lists.   45% of the parents said they will pay for cosmetic services for their kids, mostly haircuts, at an average price of $40. But 18% of those surveyed say they will pay for teeth whitening, and 9% for tattoos. 

Have you thought about expanding your retail to include temporary tattoos, or even to create partner offers with a henna artist or parlor?  How about bringing a dentist who wants to build their business in to your salon and spa once a quarter to provide clients with a teeth whitening during their appointment? 

I included ideas just like these, and hundreds more, in the book, “12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa” as well as the 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar coming out before the end of August (both also available on amazon.com and 12monthsofmarketing.net).  If you’re tired of waiting for clients to call and ready to build business, stimulate your economy, change the future of your business and have more fun, then what’s stopping you?   Build a bigger role for your business in the life of your clients! 

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16. August 2010 by admin.

This is the calendar you want before 2011 starts! 

The 2011 Salon and Spa Marketing Calendar will be available for sale on 12monthsofmarketing.net and amazon.com before the end of August.    Each month comes complete with 20+ marketing ideas, events, tactics that will help you to develop and unleash the growth mentality in your salon or spa.   Updates to come, including a table of contents and free sneak peek at one of the months in the calendar!  

It will be available for sale online, but for this one, I will also have great pricing for bulk-purchasing by wholesalers and beauty schools — contact me personally at elizabeth @ 12monthsofmarketing.net for wholesale/educational pricing for quantities beginning at 500. 

It’s going to be a great year!

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12. August 2010 by admin.

Busy writing the 2nd Volume of 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa and putting the finishing touches on another project this week.  This may not be profound, but it hit me hard:

When it comes to building customer engagement, remember, no client is going to put more into your relationship than you do! No investment in your relationships? No reward!

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8. August 2010 by admin.

Just reading the August edition of Beauty Launchpad.  On page 52 they include a great ‘how-to’ list when it comes to men’s ties that you can share with male clients.  


If your salon is located in an urban area and you have a strong male client base (or perhaps you are a men’s salon or gentlemen’s club), ties might be a great area to expand your retail. If this idea appeals to you, remember you can’t compete with the big department stores; rather than trying to stock a large selection of universally appealing ties, see if you can touch base with a local designer and sell one-of-a-kind and stylized ties.


Your retail price point can be higher, and you will be catering to those men with a sense of style who don’t want to show up to work or meetings in the same tie as anyone else.  And if you expand retail in this area, there are other items you can also consider such as tie clips, cuff links, handkerchiefs, etc.


If your client base is mainly female, you can still think about displays of one-of-a-kind or seasonal ties for gift giving around Father’s Day or the Christmas holidays. By providing something that people need, but providing it in a new way (such as a one-of-a-kind or highly stylized tie) you can pull in some of the gift giving or clothing expenditure dollars that your clients are spending somewhere else.  Plus, you’ll be meeting more of their needs so that you can expand the role that your business has in their lives and generate more referrals.  You’re giving them a new reason to visit your business, and you’re giving them a new reason to send their friends your way.

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5. August 2010 by admin.

Attempt the impossible in order to improve your work.
Bette Davis

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3. August 2010 by admin.

I told the doctor that I broke my leg in two places. He told me to stop going to those two places. (Henny Youngman).

It’s a ridiculous concept; that we would return time and time again to a place where we know we are going to get hurt, but I submit to you that in business, we do it all the time. You can spot a broken leg via x-ray (and sometimes even without one); but the injuries I’m talking about don’t show up to the naked eye, which may be why we neither treat nor work to prevent them. What am I talking about? We constantly allow individuals within our businesses to ‘injure’ or even ‘kill’ initiatives, employee morale, customer relations and more.

[Click here] to read the whole article.

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3. August 2010 by admin.

In the August newsetter, [click here] you’ll find:

• the bob, scarlett johansson style
• sleep on it: get great beach waved hair in bed  
• 5 simple lessons about marketing, strategy and life
• a less-stressful social media how-to
• the power of ‘we’ (box top moms)
• 10 steps to a successful press release 
• whose job is it to innovate?
• how rude! what’s hurting creativity and productivity in your business
• 10 engagement-building ideas for the boss
• be at one with your ‘why’
• 10 tips to boost your metabolism 

“Given the fear of failure, most people play it safe, but risk-takers are usually the ones who enjoy major success.”
Mark Evans, consultant, writing for The Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Original posts, articles and more ideas on my blog - savvystylist.net or website 12monthsofmarketing.net - or find me on Facebook.  12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa is available at 12monthsofmarketing.net and amazon.com

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7. July 2010 by admin.

Hi All!  My July Newsletter is online [click here] and features:

• Tie-Dye Nailcolor (modernsalon.com)
• Onward & upward: Rockabilly Hair is IN! (fashionising.com)
• Celeb Style a’la stylelist.com
• marketing ideas:
  • time and place for students (jaazzsalons.com)
  • makeover your heroes (makeovermyhero.com)
  • golden opportunity: sales of salon tools surging! (modernsalon.com)
• strategies for success:
  • be sure your company is built to sell
  • how to reboot your business
  • your company is not a democracy
  • 10 questions people ask about Facebook

“I’ve you’re coasting, you’re going downhill.”
(L.W. Pierson in Donald Rumsfeld, “Rumsfeld Rules”
collected while serving in the White House
Washingtonian, February 1977) 

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7. July 2010 by admin.

Life is getting in the way of work this summer. I have read one very good book, “Everything is Marketing,” by Fred Joyal. Technically written for the dental industry, it’s an appropriate, stimulating and inspirational read for anyone in any small business, not-for-profit org or similar entity that wants to grow. Don’t get hung up on the dental-ness of it, just read it.

I decided to keep create a list of 5 must-reads for the summer, and the following are either books that I’ve read or have purchased for consumption before the end of August:

Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality (Henry Cloud)
I can easily make the argument that if Dr. Cloud wrote it, you should read it. I’ve read 3 of his so far that have changed me and changed my life for the better. Changes that Heal, Boundaries, and Safe People — these books help bring me through to the other side of the most terrible time in my life not only intact, but growing and becoming the “me” that I was intended to be.

Everything is Marketing (Fred Joyal)
As I’ve mentioned already, I’ve already read this. If you work within any small business, not-for-profit, civic entity, volunteer-based organization, etc., this is a good book for you to read. Yes, it’s written for dentists and there are a lot of things that won’t apply; however, the basic premise, that everything in your organization is, in fact, marketing, is powerful. Few organizational leaders understand this, and Mr. Joyal writes in such a way that his enthusiasm and joy is contagious. It will help you to analyze “where you are” in order to reinvent your organization in a much more meaningful, impact-ful, customer or patron-oriented way, regardless of what your organization is. Oh, and you will like dentists a little bit more.

Coming via amazon.com, Built to Sell: Turn Your Business Into One You Can Sell (John Warrillow)
I have to admit that I purchased this more in order to preach to others than to myself because I realize that I have in fact built a “business” that is in reality me, and not something that I could sell. However, the author of this book reinvented his company after realizing that he had done the same thing when he started his business, so I expect that I will gain a lot of insight into how I can grow and change my company over the next 3-5 years so that I can in fact sell it (should I want to) either to move forward, or when I’m ready to retire — if such a term really applies to someone like me!

Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking
(Andy Sernovitz) also on the way from amazon.com
A title I happened on while looking for something to download to my iPod (unfortunately this title is not available on iTunes yet (hint hint, Apple!) the reviews on this title have me excited because it leaves readers inspired and unleashes their creative thinking while reading - my favorite kind of book. I look forward to incorporating the creativity and enthusiasm as I am writing my next volume for 12 Months for the salon and spa, as well as one for dentists/orthodontists (big surprise, right?)

Finally, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
(David Allen)
Another amazon find, I chose this title vs. some others in this category because of review comments. First, I am a procrastinator, and I procrastinate for a number of reasons. I do need a kick in the pants read on this as well as some kind of system to help break the trend. But also important, this book as well as some others on this topic also speak to the value of “play” and its importance in the balance of life. I often feel guilty for any time, money, or other expenditures that I view as “selfish” (meaning, anything that I do for myself). While in my mind I tell myself that I do in fact deserve and even need to spend time on, and for, myself, in my emotions I often experience guilt and often deny myself these moments. I hope to expand the balance of my mind and spirit as well as increase productivity, so that next summer, my life doesn’t take over everything else that I really want to do!

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7. June 2010 by admin.

“Double Dip Recession”
“Jobless Recovery”

These are the terms being applied to the current state of our economy, along with increasing warnings that we are, in fact, headed for a second recessional dip, rather than a recovery in the immediate future. 

The future of success in the salon and spa industry will be well-flavored by the foundation of the past, but make no mistake, those who achieve business success in the future will be running their businesses in a new way. 

What did you do to prepare for summer months?  Did you create relationships with wedding and event planners?  Do you have a booth reserved in your local street fair?  Have you contacted the offices of your local school district and area private schools and colleges with a special ‘back to school’ offer for teachers, school district staff, their families, and for students? 

June Brides, July Street Fairs, Reunions, and food-based outreach events, and August’s Back-to-School Market how-why-and-when are covered in 12 Months of Marketing for Salon and Spa. 

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