Thursday, June 30, 2011

To IPhone Or To IPad, That Is The Question

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2011 Dawn Carey



Not that long ago, mobile phones were introduced into our lifestyle. The hand helds were quite large, and were often referred to as bricks. I remember owning one, and feeling quite safe walking alone at night, knowing I had this lethal weapon in my hand. The manufacturers were constantly making the phones smaller and smaller, till they were so tiny, that a flap had to be attached just so the microphone would reach our mouth.

But as the digital age set in and our requirements became more complex, the role of the mobile phone grew. Smart phones hit the market. Now we could carry with us our schedules, address book, calculator, note pads, send and receive faxes, which developed to emails, and play games. The trend reversed. Now importance was placed on the size of the screen. It needed to be bigger and better, so as to serve these new roles. The initial smart phones were not very efficient, but we had to settle for what was available.

When Apple first released the iPhone, it was a revolution. At last there was a product that could surf the web well. The screen was responsive and intuitive. There was an almost endless choice of apps. The first iPhone lacked many of the latest features, but it overcame the problems that haunted the smart phones of the day.

Alongside the growth of the smart phone, there was also the growth of the laptop computer. Sure, it was great to be able to surf the net on your phone, but its companion was the laptop, where we would store our photos and do the real web surfing, and where we could read and write our emails with ease. This combination seemed to accommodate most people.

But then Apple came out with the iPad. At first, some people were amused. Jokes were made. It was even labeled an iPhone on steroids. Was there a market for this? Did the niche exist? Will Apple have to introduce the iPants? (http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/187962-ipants_original.jpg - courtesy of PC World)

There are many ways we have been using our phones and laptops, and some of these methods can now be more comfortable. As with many new products, sometimes it takes a while for us to realize the benefits. To clarify, the iPad was never created to be better than the laptop. It was created to be cheaper. But it has also created a niche that sits somewhere between the laptop and the smart phone.

Lounging on the sofa may not have been the ideal place to surf the net. When in the passenger seat of a car, your lap may not have been the most comfortable place to plonk your laptop. Those things can get hot. However, with the iPad, these are a breeze. You would not use your iPad to do your office administrative work, but to view your photos, watch movies and surf the net, it is ideal. The ability to zoom in web pages can make surfing more enjoyable than on a laptop. And the built in e reader, as well as the huge range of ebooks that can be purchased, can provide countless hours of reading pleasure on the big, clear screen. Also, the games created for the iPad look just amazing.

The iPad could never replace the smart phone, for obvious reasons. If you were to attach a strap to its back for holding on to, and you walked around holding the iPad to your head while talking into it, well that would be just plain silly.

The iPhone has many uses, and it performs them well. The laptop has most capabilities of a full desktop computer, and you can take it with you. But when a laptop is too cumbersome, and the iPhone is just a little too small, that's where the iPad shines. It has created its own niche, and has made that niche very desirable. Now Steve, about those iPants…




About the Author:
If you would like to know how to get your hands on a Free iPad 2, you can visit this website: http://freegizmos.info/


Read more of Dawn Carey's articles.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Clients Want to Visit Spas and Salons Where People Know Their Name!

Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2011 DJ Richoux



I may be aging myself by telling you this story. In the 1980s there was a 30 minute TV comedy called Cheers that was about a bar with a colorful cast of regulars. The main characters were Sam Malone, the owner of the bar and a retired baseball player; Dr. Frasier - the "resident psychiatrist" who frequents the bar and could often use a little analysis himself; Norm - a semi-professional beer drinker and Cliff - a thirty something mailman who still lives with his mother. To get away from their "hum-drum" lives, they all come to the bar where "Everybody Knows Your Name".

The theme song written by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo is a great marketing lesson. Here are the lyrics:

Makin' your way in the world today takes everything you've got.
Takin' a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot.
Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you want to go, where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same,
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.

You wanna go where people know, people are all the same,
You wanna go where everybody knows your name.

Everybody wants to hear and read their name. Personalization is a powerful tactic when used properly in direct mail or postcards that can significantly increase your sales by attracting more clients to come to your spa or salon.

I don't usually quote studies. I felt this was important enough to give you an overview on a study done by Frank Romano (http://print.rit.edu/people/profile.php?page=24) of the Rochester Institute of Technology. The study comprised of separate mailings to both business and consumer audiences - each testing the value added by colour, basic personalization and use of database information. All materials were professionally designed and produced using digital printing, and the static and personalized pieces were as similar as possible. There were two methods of response: a toll-free number, or postage-paid reply card, with a total of 36 mailings each of 4000 pieces.

The Results were AMAZING!

Using just black and white text and photos, the response rate was a little less than a half of one percent (.5%). The next mailing, using black and white and the recipients name raised the response rate by 44% over the first mailing. The third mailing was a static document in full colour, which came in slightly ahead of the second mailing at 45% increase in response rates. When the two options were combined, however, full colour and recipient information, the response rate jumped up to 135% over static black and white. In the final mailing, the piece was produced in full color using database information to customize the offer. Response rates topped 500% of the first offer. That translates into a 15-20% response on the total mailing.

Here is the bottom line: Personalization Works!

  • Using the Recipients name (personalization) in the actual copy of the mailing 45% more people responded to the mailing.

  • Adding Full color and using the recipient's name (personalization) 135% more people responded to the mailing.

  • With the above plus a customized offer using database information up to 500% more people have responded to some mailings.

  • If and when you are doing a mailing to your clients don't forget the power of personalization. It is well worth the extra investment in personalizing each mail piece. You will enjoy an extra windfall in profits as your cash register keeps ringing!




    About the Author:
    DJ Richoux is an entrepreneur and marketing coach who has over 19 years of practical hands on "street-smart" marketing and customer service experience. For the last decade he has specialized in developing step-by-step systems that enable business owners to realize more profit, more freedom and more satisfaction from their businesses. Now as a salon marketing expert, DJ is revolutionizing the way salon owners do business delivering them more freedom, more profit and more fun. Visit DJ at: http://www.salonbusinessexpert.com/


    Read more Articles written by DJ Richoux.

    Sunday, June 26, 2011

    5 TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2011 Paul Barton



    Want more effective communication skills? Here are five effective communication skills tips to remember:

    (1) Apply ALL the tools of communication -- not just the words. Your image and the way you are seen by others, your attitude, posture and tone of voice all combine to communicate for you. Some studies show these factors convey more real meaning than the actual words you use. Effective communication skills require using these tools.

    (2) Understand the critical role that "human needs" play in the effectiveness of your communication. Your success will depend, in large part, on the degree to which your communication agrees with or threatens those needs -- things like the "basics" of food, shelter and clothing, as well as safety, belonging, ego-status and self-actualization -- all terms many of us learned in Psychology 101, but might have long forgotten. Failing to take them into account can severely hamper effective communication skills.

    (3) Plan your communication. It doesn't matter whether you're talking to 1 person or 100. If your communication is important, then it is worth thinking it through and doing it right. Consider both what you want to accomplish and the needs and interests of the others.

    LEVERAGE YOUR COMMUNICATION RESOURCES/REPEAT/LIMIT

    (4) Send your message in a way that leverages your verbal and non-verbal resources -- such as clear enunciation, message-punctuating hand gestures and facial expressions. Again, these additional communication tools can add real meaning to and understanding of what you are saying. One of the most effective tools for effective communication is repetition. The "three tells" approach is a powerful way to accomplish this: (1) Tell them what you're going to tell them. (2) Tell them. (3) Tell them what you told them. Don't try to make one communication do too much. One major "take away" message and two or three support points is a good rule of thumb.

    (5) Explain and encourage in order to persuade. If you are seeking action or an attitude change on the part of the other person, be sure to explain and back up what you are saying. Think of ways to make it easy for the other person to agree to do what you want.


    About the Author:
    Paul Barton, former Director of Corporate Advertising Programs at IBM and author of several books and articles about communication, is a consultant and coach of effective communication skills. http://www.effectivecommunicationsskills.com


    Wednesday, June 22, 2011

    How Wealthy Salon/Spa Owners Develop The Wealth Mindset

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2011 DJ Richoux



    Unfortunately for many of you like me we have come to believe some unhealthy ideas and concepts about money. We started gathering these ideas as kids and they have stuck to us like glue throughout our lives.

    What you don't realize is that many of these ideas may be holding you back from being a wealthy salon/spa owner.

    When I was young money was scarce. My parents emigrated from a small town in Belgium to Vancouver, Canada in April, 1966 with four young mouths (my brother and two sisters) to feed. With two wooden chests of their worldly possessions and just under a $100 in their pocket we embarked on our new life.

    My father had what you would call an "immigrant work ethic". He basically did whatever it took to feed his family. Like most immigrants the way to get ahead was to save as much money as possible so one day you could create a better life. As my father earned money we as a family saved money.

    From a very young age the "value of money" was instilled in me. Money was important. You didn't take risks, you saved your money and you worked hard for every dollar.

    When I was young teen I had a paper route delivering our daily newspaper called The Vancouver Sun. On an average day I delivered 58 papers through rain sleet and snow. On a good day it took me about a 1 hour and 20 minutes to do my paper route. On a bad day like a snow day it could take 2 hours or more. Lucky for me it rained a lot more then it snowed. It was my responsibility to deliver those papers so 6 days a week I went out alone and delivered those papers.

    The money story I learnt from walking in the rain for an hour and 20 minutes trying to keep newspapers dry was that earning money was hard physical work. You had to be willing to get cold and wet and face hardship to earn a dollar. Every dollar was precious so you better save it.

    When you're young and impressionable like I was experiences like these have a profound effect on you. There are a whole set of money stories that you absorbed as a child around the dinner table, when we visited our uncles and aunts, or at school or at friend's place. These stories grow with you through your youth.

    We all have and heard money stories growing up.

    Here are some examples of common money stories:

  • Money doesn't grow on trees.

  • Money is the root of all evil

  • Do you think we are made of money?

  • Rich people got that way because they are dishonest

  • We may not be rich but we're happy.

  • Making money too easily is wrong.

  • Money causes good people to go bad

  • Having too much money will alienate you from family and friends.

  • Rich people are unhappy, so having a lot of money will make you unhappy.

  • Which of these money stories do you hear growing up?

  • When you hear the same story often enough it starts to grow and take a life of its own. Eventually what started as a story becomes a myth and in this case a money myth.

    After while these myths become unconscious for you and begin to shape the way you view money and the world. They way you think about money communicate about money and make decisions about money.

    The reality is that these "money myths" become your money beliefs and your beliefs are always with you. Beliefs are not things you consciously think about. Your beliefs determine your reality and your beliefs run all the time at an unconscious level. It is like having bad programming that you are unaware of.

    Do you see how some of the money beliefs are holding you back from being a wealthy salon/spa owner?

    Let me give you a couple of examples.

    If you heard the story that "Money causes good people to go bad" enough times growing up, that eventually it becomes your money belief. When you consider becoming a rich and wealthy salon/spa owner part of you will automatically have an unconscious thought: "money will cause me to go bad".

    If you grew up in a home where there was a lot of fighting, stress and conflict about money, then money would become linked at an unconscious level to conflict. Your money belief would become "money equals fighting." And every time you think about money at some level you'd feel anxiety - the same feeling you had when your parents fought about money.

    To be a wealthy salon/spa owner you need to be comfortable about money and making a healthy profit. If money was scarce like it was for me when I was kids then you need to overcome what is known as a scarcity mentality and move towards an abundance mentality. Abundance is one of the most powerful money beliefs.

    Wealthy salon/spa owners have an abundance money belief. They know they are no true shortages that there is plenty to go around. They know their success as a wealthy salon/spa owner doesn't block a struggling salon/spa owner from becoming wealthy.

    Wealthy salon/spa owners understand that there is a whole lot of money moving around in the economy in good times and bad times. They understand there a lot of affluent people spending a lot of money in salons and spas so why shouldn't they spend that money in their salon.

    These same wealthy salon/spa owners understand there are also a lot of non-affluent people that want to treat and pamper themselves in a nice salon and spa. They know the secret that people find a way to buy what they decide they want..

    One of the common traits struggling salon/spa owners have is a lot of guilt both conscious and unconscious about money and wealth. Guilt repels money and wealth.

    To become a wealthy salon/spa owner you are going to have free yourself from the guilt of making money and a healthy profit.

    You are always going to be a struggling salon/spa owner with no freedom if you carry around all this guilt, fear and scarcity about money.

    Start thinking and acting like wealthy salon/spa owner who is comfortable and relaxed around money.

    Live in Freedom!


    About the Author:
    DJ Richoux is an entrepreneur and marketing coach who has over 19 years of practical hands on "street-smart" marketing and customer service experience. For the last decade he has specialized in developing step-by-step systems that enable business owners to realize more profit, more freedom and more satisfaction from their businesses. Now as a salon marketing expert, DJ is revolutionizing the way salon owners do business delivering them more freedom, more profit and more fun. Visit DJ at: http://www.salonbusinessexpert.com/


    Read more of DJ Richoux's articles.

    Monday, June 20, 2011

    Wealthy Salon/Spa Owners Focus on What They Want!

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2011 Dan Lok



    I have talked to a lot of successful salon/spa owners or well as other successful business owners. There is a common thread in all their stories. Success leaves clues.

    I heard this story of a successful salon owner in Houston, Texas. As the story goes a water heater in a closet had overheated. When one of the staff opened the closet door flames erupted into the salon. (I am sure that doesn't happen in the salon. We have had a flood though that is a story for another day). Luck or fate had it that there was a fireman in the salon at the time and he grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire. The fire was out but what a mess. There was a white powdery substance all over the salon. The damage was done.

    The salon was in a mall. Bill the mall manager called the owner of salon telling him about the fire. The owner came to the mall to access the damage. The mall manager met the owner David at his salon in the later afternoon to discuss the situation. Bill had already viewed the damage and figured it would take David two weeks to a month to do the repairs and reopen. There was a lot of damage the carpet might be ruined, the walls were scorched, wiring need to be repaired there was smoke damage and there also might be some hidden damage. This fire would be the talk of the mall for a while. Everyone is thankful that no one got hurt.

    When David heard Bill say it would take him a month to reopen his salon he said "Not a chance, I'll be open for business at 10 am tomorrow. You might want to stop by for a haircut."

    See David focused on what he wanted. He immediately called his brother-in-law who was a tradesman. He told him grab everyone you can, painters, electrician, carpenters etc and get them to over to salon tonight. The sooner the better! Tell them I will bonus each one of them $200 but they've got to work all night.

    An army of workers showed up, rolled up their sleeves and got to work. They replaced the damage material, repaired the wiring and plumbing, plastered and painted and cleaned every inch of the salon removing the layer of white powdery substance from every nook and cranny in the salon. An exhausted though happy crew left the salon at 8 am the next morning.

    Sure enough, at 10 am that morning Bill the mall manager was there to see him open his doors for business.

    David the wealthy salon owner could have felt sorry for himself, talked about the bad luck, blame others and wallow in his pain and struggle. He could have easily been miserable for a day or two, who would blame him.

    David knew that if he focused on the pain of the situation and thought about nothing but the pain he wouldn't get anywhere. He understood that he had to accept the pain for what it was and then focus completely on what he wanted. The more you focus on what you want, the less the pain matters.

    Wealthy salon/spa owners know they need to take over a challenging situation, reinvent the situation by focusing on what do they want to create form this situation. Struggling salon/spa owners get stuck focusing on the struggle and don't take the first step towards creating what they want. They focus on their fear instead of what they want.

    The next time you face a challenge in your salon or spa focus on what you want.




    About the Author:
    Dan Lok was a college dropout working as a grocery bagger in a local supermarket for minimum wage when he set out to make something of himself. A true immigrant success story - Dan came to North America as a teenager with little knowledge of English and no contacts. He became a self-made millionaire by the age of twenty-seven. Dan wrote about his experience of opening a successful salon in his book Lies Salon Owners Believe And The Truth That Sets Them Free. Visit Dan at: http://www.salonbusinessexpert.com/


    Read more of Dan Lok's articles.

    Wealthy Salon/Spa Owners Build Their Yes Muscle!

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2011 Dan Lok



    Struggling salon/spa owners are like a garden hose. They seem to be in chaos all the time with a hundred things going on all at once. They have no direction therefore no discipline. They spray their thoughts everywhere like a garden hose with the nozzle turned to mist. Their thoughts and actions have no focus or power as they vaporize into thin air.

    I was like this at one time, thinking a hundred different things. My emotions controlled me. Every time a feeling came up that is where I went. I was spread so thin, so distracted you could see right through me.

    I was ruining my life thinking about hundreds of different things a day. I had no discipline. It was like taking a thousand dollars and depositing a single dollar into a thousand different banks. Living this way is a form of being undisciplined; anything can pull your attention away. You have no power to say no to anything.

    When I talk and coach struggling salon/spa owners I hear about their scattered lives. It is as if they are dying from a hundred little distractions, bleeding from a hundred little cuts. They tell me about being constantly drained by their staff, vendor's, relatives, friends and client requests. They have never learned to say no.

    Creating the life you want depends on developing what one of my mentors called your "No Muscle". You have to build this muscle over time. If you don't build your "No Muscle" and you are in a tough situation your "No Muscle" will be too weak to say no.

    The secret to developing your "No Muscle" is to first develop your "Yes Muscle". You first have to start saying yes to what is important to you then saying no to what is not important to you will get easier for you.

    When you make appointments with yourself and more importantly keep the appointment this is a form of saying yes. For example, if you say you are going to go to an aerobics class at 6 pm and you do go to the class. In other words your list of goals and priorities is a form of saying yes.

    When you build the habit of setting specific time aside to do specific tasks or activities it is easier to say no to distractions and people that may cut into your time.

    I suggest you start building this habit first with activities that you love so you can build your yes muscle slowly. I love ballroom dancing. Once I book a time to go to a ballroom dance class I am there. When I book a class a week in advance it is easy for me to say no someone who wants to have a meeting at the time of the class. I just say I have a commitment or already have an appointment at that time and people understand.

    I wouldn't miss that class so it is easy to say no to other people, activities or distractions that they may try to get in the way. As one of my dance teachers says, "Life is a dance. Don't skip the dance."

    The challenge starts when you have no plans, commitments or goals allowing people you may not even care about are taking all your time. You can't say no to others because you haven't said yes to anything.

    The greatest value of planning is that it gives you your own life to live. It puts you in charge of your own plan. It allows you to focus on what's important to you.

    Start asking yourself some of these questions: What do I really want to accomplish? How much time I am willing to commit to accomplish this? Which people are most important to me? How much time do I want to give them?

    We start to become what we focus our thoughts on. Change starts with a plan. The planning itself is your most important priority. Block out 15 to 20 minutes a day for just thinking and planning. It may feel weird at first, maybe like you are not doing anything.

    Just remember you are doing something planning and creating your life. Soon you will start reaping benefits that will amaze you. You can't imagine ahead of time what you will discover from open creative planning time.

    One reason many people don't do it is the fear of the unknown. You will discover that the unknown is on your side and will work for you. You and I know if you don't change something you will keep getting the same. Take a small risk, a chance think about the new freedom and fun you can create in your life.

    Wealthy salon/spa owners use their "no muscle by first building their "yes muscle". They also block out time to plan and create their week including their priorities. Isn't it time you blocked out some time to build your "yes muscle" and to take the time to plan out your priorities and goals for the week?


    About the Author:
    Dan Lok was a college dropout working as a grocery bagger in a local supermarket for minimum wage when he set out to make something of himself. A true immigrant success story - Dan came to North America as a teenager with little knowledge of English and no contacts. He became a self-made millionaire by the age of twenty-seven. Dan wrote about his experience of opening a successful salon in his book Lies Salon Owners Believe And The Truth That Sets Them Free. Visit Dan at: http://www.salonbusinessexpert.com/


    Thursday, June 16, 2011

    What Can Salon/Spa Owners Learn From an Italian Deli?

    Article Presented by:
    Copyright © 2011 Dan Lok



    Recently a friend told me about an Italian Deli called Spolumbos and all the right things they do to attract customers.

    You are wondering what can I learn from an Italian deli on how to run my salon or spa?

    You can learn a lot from these three guys. See wealthy salon owners understand the same secret these three deli owners understand. That secret being they are not in deli business they are actually in the relationship business.

  • Struggling salon/spa owners think they are in the beauty business.

  • "You are in the relationship business, not the beauty business." ~ Dan Lok

  • Once you know you are in the relationship business you operate your business differently.

  • You ask how? Here are some of the ways Tom, Tony and Mike promote their deli business building relationship with clients and their community.

    1) They use whatever they got. In their case they use their personality and celebrity status (all three partners played in the CFL - the Canadian version of the NFL). They have memorabilia-old photos, helmets jerseys and stuff all on display in the deli for all to see.

    Use whatever you got. Use your personality, find a spokesperson, and create a story about your salon or spa.

    2) They educate their clients on how they their Italian sausage and other products. They show everyone their passion for good food, good friends and family. They make you part of their family.

    Do you treat your customers like family so they feel welcomed and want to do business with you? Do you educate your clients?

    3) They love giving to charities - and the media loves covering them. You will see these Tom, Tony and Mike at all the big sporting events - cooking up a storm. They are always helping charities giving food, toys or a helping hand.

    Of course the media LOVES them. You see them everywhere - in the papers, on the radio, on television... they are everywhere.

    How can you help a local charity? It can be a win for everyone. You help out those that need help! Make sure your local media knows what you are doing. Phone them, write them, take photos for them.

    Keep reminding yourself and your team that you are in the relationship business. Put a signs up in your staff area that say...

    "We are in the relationship business, not the beauty business."

    Have a team meeting to discuss and brainstorm how you can make your customers feel more welcome, be part of your business family. Discuss ideas and strategies on how you can educate your customers better on your services and products.

    Wealthy salon/spa owners understand they are in the relationship business. Struggling salon/spa owners think they are in the beauty or glamour business. What business are you in?


    About the Author:
    Dan Lok was a college dropout working as a grocery bagger in a local supermarket for minimum wage when he set out to make something of himself. A true immigrant success story - Dan came to North America as a teenager with little knowledge of English and no contacts. He became a self-made millionaire by the age of twenty-seven. Dan wrote about his experience of opening a successful salon in his book Lies Salon Owners Believe And The Truth That Sets Them Free. Visit Dan at: http://www.salonbusinessexpert.com/


    Read more of Dan Lok's articles.