Salon and Spa Ideas for the REBOOT of 2020

2020 REBOOT is HERE! We are starting the Half New Year! Don't think New Year's Resolutionsor ReOpening Resolutions, think New Half Year's EVOLUTION Resolutions don't work. The average person keeps them for less than 2 weeks (remember the gym membership, fruit diet, juicer machine etc…). So the wheels will fall off the Resolution train............. Why don't resolutions work? Because it is our human behavior. It is our habit. It is easy. It might even be satisfying. So instead of trying to change behavior why not change the environment, the process, or the system and the behavior will change. So instead let's EVOLVE! Let's look at every system and process in our business and figure out how we can make it simpler, faster, better for staff and clients, and of course more profitable. A few examples: The front desk is an area of on-going frustration. Turn over of staff, poor client service, down time is not used to clean, organize, do confirmations, and retail and rebooking is not a priority. So do we resolve to put as much time into the front desk as needed to change these things? Do we clean house and hire new receptionists? Is that our Resolution, to have a Revolution? Ready to go all Tabitha on the desk? Or the idea from MIKAL.... How about activating EMBA so the future appointment is booked before the client even comes up to the front desk to check out? The Employee Mobil Booking App lets your staff book the client's next appointment on their smart phone with the client at the end of the service! How about embedding the Surveymonkey surveys into the automatic new client and reminder emails and texts MIKAL sends out for you for immediate feedback and ideas on what needs to change to improve the client experience? How about putting in message on hold and call queue option on the phone to auto hold calls if not answered in 2 rings so the front desk can finish sales, rebook, and close retail without interruptions on putting people on hold? - Support system involves giving the upsell offers in your message on hold. - Education needs to happen so staff knows how to handle the call queue option. How about giving a bonus when the receptionist rebooks a client, upsells a service, converts a price call to a booking, and sells NEW retail items to a client? The desk would be rewarded to do the things you want them to do. Sales would increase, retention would go up, and the bonus would increase wages so they would not leave over a fifty cent pay increase from a company down the street. - Support system involves setting spiffs for rebooks, upsells, add on sales in MIKAL. - Education needs to have scripting in place to deliver the offers. - Support system needs to give clients loyalty points for rebooking automatically. How about setting up the receptionist goals so every week they get a report on how they are doing compared to your expectations? If the present desk staff can't embrace these positive steps how about hiring people that are going to embrace your systems? So we Evolve with changes to the systems and the process allowing the people to change their behavior. You can manage the process instead of the people. Why not do this for other areas? Retailing - what can be changed to make retail easy? Professional inventory- what can be put in place to track and fine tune inventory? Stylist behaviors - what can be put in place to reward positive behaviors? Social marketing - what can be put in place to make it automatic and effective? Let's think through these areas and enhance the process and systems. Come to Camp MIKAL Cincinnati Jan. 19-21 and brainstorm these areas - make a plan - make the changes..... There are 5 "slots" left for the seminar. Call and register now 513-528-5100 MIKAL Salon Software

2020 is half over so Salons and Spas lets get going and make some money!

So 2020 is half over. Can you believe it? Wow – business is restarting. Investment is happening. Everyone is back to work and making money. Most important the Frugality Fatigue has kicked in the people are spending. Are they spending with you? Are you enjoying the expansion? Are your profits up? Are sales on the rise? Are you increasing staff and working on productivity? Have you raised your prices in the last 6 months? If the boom has not caught up with you here are some sure fire ways to get on track and make sure you get your slice of the profit pie: First look at your numbers – your Shop performance report should show an increasing trend in average ticket for the last 2 months and 2 quarters. Look at each product class and see where you are having an increase and where you need to concentrate on an increase. Example: if haircuts are trending up but color is not so get the Xris-Xross feature going in the system to cross market the color services to your cut clients. Set up 3 Xris-Xross campaigns to get more business going with your present client base. Now look at staff – your Employee ranking report and especially the Management pages option. Who has the lowest average ticket, the lowest retail numbers and the lowest request rates? Do these employees still have the “we are in a recession” mind set? You need to get them out of it. Do they low performers all cluster in one area of the salon/spa? Relocate them to be next to the top performers. Let them and their clients hear and see what your best performers are up to. Look at each person’s individual sales. Where can you help them with average ticket, or add on services, or better rebooking scripting? Don’t forget that your MIKAL system can also help with these things. Set up MIKAL to offer the pop-up upsells when rebooking, make sure the reminder autopilot marketing is happening to get the clients back in, activate EMBA so staff can rebook clients right at their stations and take some of the pressure off the front desk, Set retail goals and run retail specials to get clients engaged in buying product from you/your staff again. The year is half over – and there is still a half a year to go. Let’s make 2018 a great year. How about your expenses? Have some costs been creeping up? Have you shopped insurance lately? Many business policies have had cost reductions. Are you paying for magazine subscriptions? All you clients surf their smart phones while waiting. Are your distributors giving you their BEST price on products and do you take advantage of the free shipping most offer with minimum orders? Are you carrying products that are not selling? Run your MIKAL Inventory Ranking report and eliminate the slow movers. Have a BIG summer sale! Call MIKAL 513-528-5100 for more money saving and income producing tips and ideas. We can help. Come to Camp MIKAL Vegas at the end of this month July 29-31. Get your business on track. Share, learn, network. Plus it is VEGAS! Call MIKAL for a reservation. There are a few spaces left. Book your $69 room at the Tuscany Casino Resort www.tuscanyLV.com.

MIKAL 7 released at Camp MIKAL

This coming Camp MIKAL Vegas! Mikal salon and spa clients will be treated to the release of MIKAL 7 software. MIKAL 7 in the seventh major upgrade to the software system since it's creation in 1982. Java based with cloud and multi-platform capabilities the new salon and spa software is a leap forward in technology for the beauty industry. Attendees to the 32nd annual salon and spa software customer meeting, Camp MIKAL, will be amazed and excited about the new capabilities and look of MIKAL 7 software. The new JAVA based product is just in the release phase for hundreds of salons and day spas around the United States. Bob Iles, head programmer for Mikal, stated that “the new version has been in development for over four years and represents thousands of hours of programming time and input from our salon client base”. Reactions from the clients attending Camp Mikal were positive and salon owners were eager to get on the upgrade list. John Fong of La Luna Salon in Toledo said “Mikal has a winner with 7” and Jacob Brickman of Rene Delyn Salon in Dover Delaware said his staff “will love the new graphics and fast reporting abilities of 7”. MIKAL 7 is a complete point of sale and booking system for salons and spas and includes interfaces to QuickBooks, ZeeZor, WebAppCloud, Demandforce and other industry software partners. See more details at the Mikal web site and read the blog at www.mikal.com . Contact MIKAL at 513-528-5100 or sales@mikal.com.

Make $67,000 using ideas from Camp MIKAL!

Are you ready to make an extra $69,750.00 from what you will learn at Camp MIKAL this July? Maybe you are satisfied with your sales and growth this year. If you are then Camp MIKAL may not be for you (except to fine tune systems and procedures). But if you would like to find out how other salons and spas are using their MIKAL system to make some serious money this is the year to come to Camp! A few examples: Are you using the autopilot automatic unattended e-marketing system to send thank you,reminder, appointment confirms, and birthday e-mails every week? If MIKAL could get just 3 more clients in a week for a $40 service with this easy to set up and self running system you would make an extra $6000 this year. Are you using the pop-up upsell system in the appointment book? If you could do one up-sell or add on a day at $15 you would make an extra $3750 this year. Are you doing Just In Time appointment e-mail blasts to fill cancellations in the book? If you did this and filled one cancelled appointment a day you would make an extra $10,000 this year. Do you use the Daily Activity Report to meet with your best clients each day to present them with a Friend of a friend gift certificate package? If your top 100 clients could get 100 best friends to become regulars spending an average of $500 a year you would make an extra $50,000 this year. Just these ideas would generate an extra 69,7500.00 this year. Plus there is more……………… Call MIKAL at 513-528-5100 for a phone reservation - plus get up to speed on the all new MIKAL SEVEN!

Camp MIKAL - All New SEVEN Software and more!

Camp MIKAL 2018 Saturday July 28 registration and classes July 29-31 Join your MIKAL team for the 32nd Annual Camp! Camp MIKAL starts with advanced registration at 5pm Saturday July 28. You can dial into your salon/spa system during the class and check/update your information in real time. Many attendees say they learned more and really tailored the system to their needs during this class. Sunday officially starts Camp MIKAL with registration and a quick group breakfast at 8am and Camp Kick-Off at 9am. In the Kick-off we will cover the new SEVEN software and all new Marketing and E-Marketing strategies that will increase sales and build retention. Classes will continue from 9am to 1pm on Inventory control, Staffing with goal setting and payroll set up, Front Desk operations, and much more. Two classrooms will be running for your choice of topics. At 1pm you are FREE to do Vegas, network poolside, meet with MIKAL vendor partners or see the CosmoProf show that is in Vegas. Monday and Tuesady starts with a group continental breakfast and more classes and breakout sessions from 9am to 1pm. Then more VEGAS! NEW LOCATION Tuscany Suites and Casino resort - 23 acres, $69 a night *** king or double*** Sun-Thur. In room frig, WIFI, safe, coffee maker, free parking /pool /exercise room MIKAL room block rate Fly from Denver, San Francisco, Orlando, Phoenix, NYC, Philly round trip for about $200. Bangkok to Vegas only $828 BOOK TODAY! REGISTER TODAY!Only $285 per attendee.

Salons and DaySpas get your Beauty Bowl going for Super Bowl weekend!

Beauty Bowl Party - "throw" it together for some xtra $$$$ Are you taking advantage of the opportunity to service clients who are not Football fans and don't give a hoot about the Super Bowl? Also the clients who are fans and want to spend Sunday afternoon getting their game face and game hair on for the BIG Super Bowl game? Don't "fumble" around with this great idea! The Super Bowl #51 is on Sunday February 4, 2018. Act TODAY! Have a Super Bowl Sunday BEAUTY BOWL at your salon. -Do an e-mail blast, tweet, and facebook post telling your clients that you will be open for a pre-game beauty bowl at your salon/spa. -Offer retail specials, do football nail art, have a make-up contest for the best game face, have a jersey or costume contest, and have hair service deals good Super Bowl Sunday only. - It is the 52nd Super Bowl so are there any 52% off deals you can do for the Beauty Bowl? Are there any $52 service or Giftcard deals you can offer? -Have the staff dress for game day. -Go to the Dollar Tree Store and buy the paper plates, napkins, football shaped dishes etc.. for your pre-game treats. Order your items from Oriental Trading on-line for great prices. Be sure to blast out the treats you will be serving. Have a "bring your own snack for a 20% discount on retail deal" and the clients will help provide the treats! -Bring in a few flat screens and have the pregame on. Run the past games from YouTube videos. -Start the pregame Beauty Bowl Sunday at 11am or noon and wrap up by 5pm so everyone can be home for the game. Or just keep your party going! How about starting the party on Saturday before the game for more fun and coverage! Turn a non-income day or a day you are closed into a MONEY MAKER! But you have to start the "ball rolling" today. - E-mail blasts every day this week - Sign at the front desk and at the stations - Decorate asap - Tweet and post everyday to facebook - Have the staff also use their social media MAKE SOME MONEY AND HAVE SOME FUN! Tell us how your Beauty Bowl goes! From Fred at MIKAL - superior software for salons since 1982 www.mikal-salon-software.com fredd@mikal.com 513-528-5100