Selling tanning upgrades, lotion and memberships

Start with a question

“What are you getting ready for?” or “How’s your colour been lately?” tells staff what the client actually wants — a holiday, an event, keeping a base — and every offer after that is an answer to what they said, not a pitch.

Upgrades: offer the next level, once

Offer one step up from what the client asked for, and say what is different about it in a sentence — the bed, the session length, the price difference. Not every level, and not every visit to the same regular. A client who hears the same upgrade offer every day stops listening.

Lotion: explain it at the right time

The best moment is before the first session or when a client mentions their colour isn’t lasting. Keep it practical: what the lotion is designed for, how to use it, and how long a bottle lasts at their visit frequency. Let them try a sample before buying a full bottle. Stay away from health claims — talk about the product, not medical benefits.

Memberships: show the maths

Clients buy memberships when the numbers are obvious. With single sessions at $15 and an unlimited membership at $39.99 a month, the membership is cheaper from the third visit. Put that comparison on a card at the counter so staff can point to it, and offer it to anyone who has visited two or three times in a month.

Use your own prices; the shape is the same. Be clear about the billing terms and how to cancel — a member who feels misled cancels and tells people why.

Reward the three sales

Staff put effort where the pay plan points. The plans that work for tanning pay on exactly these three:

• Memberships — a flat amount per sign-up, or a monthly pool shared by rank. See paying commission on EFT memberships.
• Lotion — a bonus for passing a share of product sales, so it rewards recommending to every client.
• Upgrades — a per-tan average or a small bonus per upgrade.

More ideas in tanning salon employee incentives.

Let them see it working

An incentive only works if staff can see how close they are to it. CommissionBoard syncs with Helios and shows each employee their product share, membership pool standing and pay on their phone through the day — see how it works for tanning salons.