RING, RING, RING!~

EARRINGS OH YAH!~ LOVE THEM TOO!~

OH YEAH ~BRACELETS NEED I SAY MORE!~ LOVE

YOUR OWN LINE OF SHINE WHOLESALE JEWELLERY

WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS STAND OUT

WHAT IS YOUR UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION?

http://www.interactivemarketinginc.com/unique-selling-proposition.html

Be it your great staff, your awesome decor that everyone loves, in all reality so does your competition have all that... so make yourself unique to you!~ and show your personality of your salon, spa, home decor shop or boutique by having your very own line of jewellery that will be hand picked for your clients.... all you have to do is think of your clients and shopppp!~

In all the sales and Marketing seminars that I have attended they all have one common thread... we are going crazzzy with social media, which is great, but make your business stand out with your PERSONAL SERVICE!~ And our jewels are a fun, fab way to do this...

THE BENEFITS

* our jewels are always changing with the trends, so your clients will be unique to your shop
* the clients wear the peices out and get compliemented on them and they send them back to you      (statement peices for this are a must)
* you get to shop in the comfort of your shop with one of our reps, and we give the down home small business service you deserve...
* call it a jewellery bar and encourage your clients to take a stop there before clearing up their bill you know they will love something cause they already love what their stylist was wearing!~
* the jewellery is on your label and you can brag that you picked it out for them
* you can request pictures and send them out to all your clients on your email list to make them stop in for a first look at all the new arrivals.... oh and maybe a salon or spa service while they are there... BOOK THEM!~
* have a draw at your location ( let the stylists do it at their stations) to grow your email customer list
* have a launch party with SHINE to promote your location and sell fab jewels!~

There are tons more reasons but that is enough for now, the investment is minimal and the results will be huge...



How to Grow a Salon Or Spa

How to Grow a Salon Or Spa in a Challenging Economic Environment




Making your salon or spa stand out above and beyond your competition has to be your number one priority as an entrepreneur, and small business owner. You must be diligent and relentless in this pursuit. With every new day more, and more hair, and nail salons, are labeling themselves spas. So, you will need to be bigger, better and different. No matter how well-designed your location (salon or spa) website, or sales presentation, without proper budgeting, you will more than likely, run out of money, or energy and fail. My motto in business is: "Anyone can get lucky. Not everyone can get smart." This article is to help you with your smart business thinking.


First the facts.


Seventy percent of all small businesses close their doors within the first two years of operation. What's really scary is that ninety-one percent of all salons and spas, are owned and operated by small business owners. This means that only thirty percent of these entrepreneurs, who open a spa or salon will still be in business after two years of operation. The single, biggest reason for this is under-capitalization. In laymen's terms; they simply run out of money.


Sometimes this,(under-capitalization)can be attributed to lack of education; other times, just plain-old wishful thinking. But I digress. When I speak of education, I am not just referring to an individuals formal education, in obtaining their Business Management, International Business, Business Marketing, or any of the other specialized Business Degrees. But most importantly, to salon operating experience. Don't take me wrong, getting a degree certainly helps, but is not a fundamental prerequisite of being a successful entrepreneur; The education model in which I refer is operational management, and an individuals ability to manage, and hire a great staff.

You may be asking yourself what exactly does operational management, and professional's ability to manage a staff have to do with under-capitalization. The answer is everything.

A common (major) mistake when writing a business plan(assuming you have a business plan), is slanting plan numbers to make our dreams become a reality. This often results in under budgeting (under capitalization), based on best case scenarios. If you can't make your worse case scenario numbers fit your plan, stop and re-evaluate. My advice is to save a little longer, and get into a stronger financial picture, to save yourself a lot grief, stress, and heart ache later.

I have many friends who have opened ultra-chic, hip, swank, spas and salons. And, I am sorry to say, that many had no idea of what it takes to stay competitive. I would guess a majority of salons, and or spas usually have same, or similar visions of what's cool. So, if all you have is a pretty location. You will lose your market share when the next (nice, pretty, swank, hip)location opens, or remodels.

So, I think it all comes down to this. It's easy to see our dreams. It's difficult to plan our dreams into reality. I think my friends, and associates visualized themselves working in a beautiful location, and knew what tools, they need to make that happen. They themselves already possessed the skills needed, to get started, but generally what they lacked, was knowledge. The knowledge to keeping going, and grow, and still love what they do. (Yeah... you can work, and hate what you do. But, then what's the point of being a entrepreneur, if you hate the job stress.) It takes a lot more than talent, to maintain a sustainable business.

The truth, in a nutshell is this. In today's salon and spa environment you can't do it all yourself and grow. You will need a few things. First and foremost, you will need a unique selling proposition(what makes you stand out from the crowd), and team that supports your visions and core beliefs. To build an amazing team you need capital. Having a great team will set you apart from you competition.

Employee investment, is as important as an investment if not bigger, as having a knockout (pretty) location. Think about this. Have you ever been to a cool-looking business whether it be, a clothing store, or restaurant, and the service sucks. How did you feel? You probably hated it, and swore never to go back. I bet, you definitely won't be recommending it to a friend any time soon. As a spa, or salon owner you are in the people service business, and referral business is a big part of it.

So, one of the keys of maintaining your S.C.A (Salon Competitive Advantage) means you need to allocate enough money to retain the best quality people at your location. If you have ever lost someone who was great employee, to another salon based on a few bucks; even a thousand bucks, in the grand scheme of things, you deserve a (firm) finger waving, shame on you! Every employee you hire, and train is an investment in your future success. You spend money, time, and emotional energy, in training employees; and every time you lose one, you have not only thrown money away, but you spent your money, training another salon/spas employees.

I would like to end by telling potential entrepreneurs to follow, and visualize your dreams. If your dream is worth following, write a solid action plan, so all your dreams can be realized. Dream big, and think smart.


This article was provided by Wayne Henderson on behalf of Sweetface Beauty Source, Canada's exclusive Entity Beauty provider a professional nail and spa product distributor.

Wayne talks of a a unique selling proposition which could be a private line of SHINE!~

HOW TO DELIVER GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE

Caring for Customers
1. Great Customer Service Begins With You
Simply put, the most inspiring leadership is by example. If you show indifference to your customers, your employees will mimic it. If you are enthusiastic and courteous, your troops are more likely to be so as well.

2. A Culture of Customer Service Must Be Codified
Start by hanging on the wall a set of core values, 10 or fewer principles that include customer service ideals, suggests Susan McCartney, Maggiotto's colleague at the Buffalo SBDC. "Share them during the training, have employees sign them, and evaluate employees based on the values," she says. "But don't call them rules."

Employee training on customer service precepts should be intensive: written materials, verbal instruction, mentors, and on-the-job demonstrations all ought to be part of the coursework, says McCartney.

3. Employees Are Customers, Too
Companies renowned for their customer service -- the online shoe retailer Zappos, for example -- treat employees as they would have their employees treat their customers. "Employees take on more responsibility because they know they are appreciated and an important part of the team," says the University of Missouri's Proffer. "People who don't feel like they're part of the bigger picture, who feel like a small cog in a big machine, are not willing to go the extra mile."

Not every business can afford to shower staff with generous pay and benefits, but not every business has to. Small companies, says McCartney, can show "intense interest" in employees, in their welfare, their families, and their future -- what McCartney calls the family model. It's also important to recognize an employee -- publicly -- for a job well done. Some companies also offer incentives for exceptional customer service, but if you can't spare the cash, you might throw an office party or offer another token of appreciation. When he was a manager at cable provider Tele-Communications Inc., for instance, Proffer personally washed the cars of notable employees.

4. Emphasize the Long Term
Short-term sales incentives can sometimes undermine long-term customer satisfaction. Prevent that by building short-term programs atop an ongoing program that rewards broader improvements, says Paula Godar, brands strategy director for Maritz, a sales and marketing consulting firm based in St. Louis. Moreover, winner-take-all incentives "can drive a lot of unhealthy competition and disengage the rest of the sales force," says Godar. "We've improved sales performance by much greater percentages when we've improved the performance of the large group in the middle of the bell curve."

5. Build Trust
Use your customer's name whenever you can. And sometimes you have to give to get. In his book The Knack, Inc. columnist Norm Brodsky relates how he won a sale against long odds by venturing his time and expertise to help a prospect cut costs. "I was showing him not only that we could help him save money but that we cared about saving him money," writes Brodsky.

6. Listen
"The best salespeople spend 80 percent of their time listening, not talking," says Marc Willson, a retail and restaurant consultant for the Virginia SBDC network. Ask open-ended questions to elicit a customer's needs and wants. "Once they've identified what they're looking for, use their words throughout the process," suggests Proffer. "That way, they've sold it for you."

If the prospect is "just looking," don't press further. But be discreetly nearby. "Straighten the racks, or dust something," says Willson. "You need to be within earshot or eyeshot, because every retail sale involves a re-approach."


7. Sometimes It's the Little Things That Matter
Small gestures that anticipate customers' needs or attend to their comforts -- such as offering a cold glass of water on a hot day or a children's area with toys -- go a long way toward winning them over.

8. If You Can't Help a Customer, Point to an Establishment That Can
And saying "You might try Smith's, on Main Street" won't make nearly as strong an impression as confirming that Smith's has the item in question and giving directions to Main Street. "This is the ultimate in customer service," says Tom Maydew, regional director of the SBDC in Pocatello, Idaho. "That customer will be back."

9. Show Your Appreciation
One important element of retaining customers is communication. Willson suggests a personalized thank-you note after a deal or sale -- "If Nordstrom's can do it, everybody can do it" -- and even a follow-up phone call a month or so later. In a retail business, loyalty programs or rewards cards drive repeat business (as well as help you collect information about what your customers are buying). Many businesses send out birthday and holiday cards; Proffer prefers marking the anniversary of a client's or customer's first purchase.

10. Treat Your Best Customers Better
If your company relies on a relatively small number of clients to provide a disproportionately large share of revenue, it makes sense to devote a disproportionate amount of time and energy to serving them. (Think of airlines and the escalating benefits in their frequent-flier programs.)

Some luxury retailers and services practice "clienteling," by which all of the activity around every customer -- every conversation, every visit, every transaction -- is logged with contact management software. Most businesses need not go that far, but it's well worth keeping your best customers informed. You might, for example, keep track of their preferences and let them know when new merchandise arrives that they are likely to be interested in. You might also organize appreciation days just for those clients, or invite them to private pre-sales in advance of the public.

written by the staff at inc.com

5 SPRING TRENDS TO TRY NOW !~

5 SPRING TRENDS TO TRY NOW~! FOR 2011

1. Big Mixed Cabochon-Style Stones—The last few seasons have been like jewelry on steroids. Not that we'll ever say no to a great statement necklace. But this spring, the Big idea that caught our eye was the use of giant Cabochon-style stones, à la Proenza Schouler and Bottega Veneta. Organic and elegant.

2. Tassels & Fringe—Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Dior all seemed to have an Art Deco-meets-'70s moment with the re-imagining of huge, gorgeous tassel earrings and fringe necklaces. We like, and this is one we'll be wearing.

3. Clean & Architectural—Perhaps as a back-lash to all the mixed piled-on pearls, chains, and stones that continue to fill boutiques, Pamela Love, Giles & Brother, and other designers opted for super spare, clean, and almost architectural pieces. And for the OCD or easily distracted, the simplicity is nothing short of refreshing.

4. Plastics & Perspex—The trend toward really childlike, whimsical jewels with a '60s feel always has a place in our wardrobes. So, for spring, we were doubly excited when designers like Karen Walker and Marni turned out fun plastic-fantastic necklaces and wide perspex-like colored cuff bracelets.

5. Rose-Gold—In fashion, it's always a guessing game each season as to who in the metals will prevail: silver or gold? Well, for spring, the more exotic rose-gold is stealing center-stage, with a striking necklace by Eddie Borgo and a surprisingly sophisticated Michael Kors watch taking top honors on our spring/summer wish-list.

By: Christene Barberich & Piera Gelardi