ETS Tanning Bed Blog

By Doug Fleener One of the differences between good and extraordinary retail associates is that extraordinary associates use assumptive language. Extraordinary retail associates know that their store is full of wonderful products and that a customer who walks in the door is likely there to shop, not just kill a few minutes. They're not cocky or obnoxious or out to unload products on people who don't need them, they're confident.

Another difference between good and extraordinary is the ability to help the customer visualize owning the product. Visualizing helps the customer to make a purchase, which is one of our primary responsibilities. And last but not least, assumptive language increases their conversion rate. Here are some examples of how to use assumptive language.

On their second of four vacations to Las Vegas last year, Kevin and Shannon Fleming noticed that for such a large city with a huge population, it was odd that no tanning salons were open around the clock.

Back home in Texas, the couple had a membership to a 24-hour gym that had two tanning beds in the back. Due to her work schedule, some days Shannon Fleming couldn’t get to the gym or tan until late at night. “That was such a convenience,” Shannon Fleming said. “We love Las Vegas and knew we wanted to move here, so we put our heads together to develop a good business plan and here we are today.”

Open nearly three weeks, Super Star 24-Hour Tanning is a 1,750-square-foot salon located about four miles off the Vegas strip. Its customer base has grown substantially week by week due to several factors, including special pricing packages offered on Facebook and its uniqueness in offering tanning 24 hours a day. But the biggest lure that has drawn new clients to Super Star 24-Hour Tanning has been the new tanning technology offered inside.

The salon offers 10 new-to-market tanning beds by ETS Tan, the world’s largest manufacturer of tanning beds and tanning equipment. The new e3™ line of beds feature the latest in energy-saving science, ergonomic design principles and eco-friendly lamp configurations. No other salon in Las Vegas offers the new e3 line of tanning beds.

Uvalux this month in its June newsletter highlights the importance of spa products and services, including massage and teeth-whitening systems, to increasing revenue streams and salon owners' bottom lines. The marketing minute focuses entirely on tips for offering spa products and services, including "try it before you buy it." There are some important upcoming events in our indoor tanning industry as well. Check out Uvalux's June 2010 newsletter at http://tinyurl.com/2aut2vg.

DENVER — It’s prime season for tanning beds, when proms and spring beach vacations prompt young women to pack indoor salons in search of bronze skin to go with their new bikinis. But business is slow this spring. Health warnings about the skin cancer risks of tanning beds, combined with consumers forgoing nonessentials in this recession, have the nation’s estimated 18,000 tanning salons on hard times. Now they’re bracing for another hit: A 10 percent tax on tanning bed use starts nationwide this July, part of the federal health care overhaul.

“Will I be here next year? I don’t know,” said Kristi Alpers, owner of Cherry Creek Tans in Denver.

The tax will add 90 cents to a few dollars for a single tanning session, depending on the machine. It’s a fee she thinks will bankrupt her.

Many tanning salon owners have been confused about how the tax will be implemented.

It’s not yet clear how tanning booth revenue must be reported to the Internal Revenue Service or how the law will affect combination packages, which salons use to provide a range of services — including tanning bed use — for a flat fee.

Whether or not the law will affect gyms and spas that provide the option of using tanning beds as part of their membership fees is also uncertain.

On Friday, a tax attorney for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP finally reached the attorney at the U.S. Treasury responsible for drafting regulations concerning the tan tax. Below is the most recent information on implementation of the tan tax.

The Treasury official basically said that she was not able to say much because the guidance was still moving through the system, which implies that recommendations on the major policy decisions have been made by staff but that the ultimate decision makers have not yet reached a final decision. She said that the treasury department plans to issue temporary and proposed regulations in the near future, which means the guidance will be effective immediately upon issuance.

The Treasury official was not willing to estimate the time until the guidance would be issued but that is when she said that treasury department definitely understands that the delay is having an adverse affect on business in the indoor tanning industry.

On Christmas Eve, the Senate passed the latest version of its health-care reform bill, which is predicted to cost approximately $871 billion in the course of the first 10 years. The bill includes the “11th hour” addition of a 10 percent tax on indoor tanning services. The approval process took just 15 minutes, resulting in a “yes” vote of 60-39.
The House passed its $1.05 trillion version of the bill back in November. The next step is for the Senate and House versions to go to conference committee so the major differences can be reconciled. Besides the tanning tax discrepancy, there are also conflicts regarding the consequences of not participating, the costs – both overall and to the public, the level of government involvement, the funding of abortions, and coverage for illegal immigrants.

It’s estimated that the parties will work through the process in January, then sending the agreed-upon version to the president to sign in February. However, based on the conflicting views seen largely between Republicans and Democrats concerning the legislation, there’s no guarantee that the process will occur quickly or smoothly.

For information on how to make your voice heard in Washington, visit the article below; or for more information regarding the Senate bill, stop by the source links.

Sources:

Article source: Looking Fit

NowPublic: U.S. Senate Vote On Health Care Reform: New Health Bill Passed

Los Angeles Times: About the Senate's healthcare vote

Fox News: RAW DATA: House and Senate Health Care Bills Contain Vast Differences