9 Ways ‘Good Enough for Vegas’ is Good Enough for your Salon or Spa

9 Ways ‘Good Enough for Vegas’ is Good Enough for your Salon or Spa

I can only take Vegas in short bursts; in this city of extremes where dress and behavior that would not be on display anywhere else is in the norm, almost anything goes. Their slogan in 2010 was “Camp Vegas” wherein they suggest that Vegas is to adults what Florida is to older teens – a spring or summer ‘break’ destination, a break from the reality of their lives, a place where adults get to act like kids. The whole concept of “camp” conjures up the idea of not having to worry about food or lodging (it’s included in the package) and the oversight of camp administration and counselors. In other words, you don’t need to worry about anything, you just need to have fun and enjoy all of the activities provided for you.

Personally, I’m not much of a gambler (I work too hard for the money to give it up without a good reason) so while my husband plays cards, I try to do a little reconnaissance in people watching, merchandising and marketing tactics. Here are a few of my “if it’s good enough for Vegas” observations along with application for use in the real world:

And then I realized…

1) They don’t want me in my room.
Do you do any traveling during the year that requires hotel stays? If so, you’ve probably enjoyed upgrades found in most hotels now; refrigerators and coffee makers in the room and other amenities. However, where I’ve stayed in Vegas these items are nowhere to be found. They don’t want me to spend time relaxing in my room. They want me down at the slots or the tables, at the shows, at the restaurants, at the spa or even pool-side—anywhere but in my room.

Real World Application: What are you doing to get your customers out of the small, quiet space of their ‘room’ and into full-on engagement with all that your business has to offer?
How do you construct your facilities and customer experience to motivate and facilitate them spending their time and money on the services and products most needed by them, and profitable to you? What do you do to turn “just browsing” into active, purposeful shopping? What incentives do you provide to customers to get them to engage in your contests, loyalty programs, and events?

2) You never have to leave… or even sleep!
The Vegas casino can be a very disorienting place. There are few doors or windows to the outside world, and they are far removed from the table and slot machine areas, and there are no clocks anywhere in sight. Convenience shops are located at every exit, so you don’t really need to leave for any reason. Apart from the quiet that inevitably descends in the wee hours of the morning due to the utter exhaustion and ultimate resignation to at least a short slumber by most guests, if you aren’t paying attention, you could completely lose track of your days and nights. They don’t want you in your room, but they don’t want you leaving the building, either!

Real World Application:  How are you working to convince your customers that they don’t need to go anywhere else?
What are you doing to fulfill more of your client’s needs?  How are you expanding your retail so that you can give customers a reason to think of you as a true gift resource? Your customers are unlikely to give shampoo and conditioner as a gift, or even to give your gift cards to others as gifts unless you go the extra mile to add packaging, greeting cards, suggestive marketing and gift baskets. How are you making your customers aware that gift cards and products do in fact make great gifts? How are you expanding services and products so that you can meet more of your clients needs in terms of skin care, makeup, nails, massage, self-tanning, etc.?

3) The difference in dealers.
Engagement, enthusiasm and attitude translates into longer play and more tips. Period. The dealers who enjoyed their jobs and entertained and engaged players at their table (even when the engagement came across in good natured ribbing) ended up with more frequent and higher dollar amount tips.

Real World Application: OBVIOUS.
Be present. Be happy. Take an interest in your clients. Your clients should believe that there is no where you would rather be and nothing you would rather be doing. You are having a bad day? They should never, ever know. Your clients are there to have a good experience, not provide you with one!

4) There are no strangers in Vegas.
There are no strangers in Vegas, everyone is an instant friend. After all, you all signed on for the same experience (more or less) and you are all there for some of the same reasons.

Real World Application: Creating events that promote introduction and social interaction among your customers enhances the feelings of inclusion (attributable to their involvement with your business) that we all crave as human beings. We all want to feel like we are “insiders” and V. I. Persons; what are you doing to make sure that each client feels like you couldn’t wait for them to arrive? What are you doing to facilitate social connection, based on shared experiences in your business, among your customers and with customers and your employees? Do you focus your conversation and attention on each and every client or do your clients feel like you’d rather be speaking to the stylist at the next station? “You are not alone” is one of the most powerful marketing messages you can send!

5) Vegas is designed to promote the buddy system.
Couples, friends, groups — there’s nothing you can do in Vegas that is not designed to promote the buddy system. Vegas doesn’t just want you to come, they want you to bring your wife, your best friends, your employees, your whole wedding party. Vegas is not something that you even want to experience alone; and if you go alone, chances are that you don’t want to spend all of your time on your own.

Real World Application: What are you doing to promote the buddy system? What are you doing to generate referrals and bring in new clients in the form of events or services that can be experienced and enjoyed by groups, friends, couples, etc.? In the salon and spa, so many services are 1:1 with the stylist, esthetician, massage therapist, etc. Have you learned to think beyond the single appointment in order to expand your reach to entice the friends and family of your current clients to become new customers?

6) Packages create irresistible options.
We bought a package that included flight and hotel for less than our friends paid for their flights, alone (they kept bragging about having a free room, but paid about $300 more in total than we did!) and we didn’t have to do any leg work in order to find the best deal – expedia did that for us. We plugged in dates and received a long list of options for flight plus hotels; it was easy for us to find what we thought was the best overall value.

Real World Application: Take the guess work out of the equation and package valuable services and products for your customers.
 Make it easy for them to purchase packages from you, and make the price point irresistible. Remember that your goal is to get the customer there, and get them more engaged with more of the services and products that you sell. Use add-ons and sampling liberally but strategically to guide the customer into a deeper relationship with your business. For instance, not every customer is going to want a manicure (I bite my nails, it just makes me feel guilty when you offer it to me!) but some clients really want one and just haven’t tried them. Some may view manicures as something to do for long, showy nails, but they don’t know the overall health and well-being benefits that good hand or foot nail and skin care can provide. Create options for different types of customers that speak to the needs they really have and address their desires (one size does not fit all!) Make sure that your clients go away bragging to their friends, co-workers and family about the incredible value and service that you provided for them in order to generate referrals; and don’t assume that they will do so based only on experience – send each client away with a service or package promotion designed to be given away to a friend, with a reward both for new client and the one referring them.

7) Dress code matters.
Employees in costume make it easy for customers to find help when they need it, whether they need to find the nearest restroom, want a recommendation, directions, are looking for some great food or drink or for any other reason. Costumes designate help and information.

Real World Application: While you don’t have to go so far as costumes, it should be obvious to anyone who walks in to your business where they can go for immediate help.
They should not have to guess which individuals are the employees and which are other customers based on behavior or appearance! Plus, having standards of dress and behavior on the floor builds confidence among your customers. If you look and behave professionally, customers perceptions about your level of education, knowledge and professionalism are enhanced; conversely, appearance or behavior that detracts from your professionalism undermines client confidence in everything from your skills and abilities to education and even intelligence.

8) Vegas is not really for kids.
Vegas is not a place I would take my under-21 children; however, while it’s not really a great place for a family vacation, they acknowledge that some people will be bringing kids there – maybe they are there to attend a wedding and didn’t have any other options, or their kids are too young to leave, or they really just wanted to come there anyway. There are in fact places in Vegas where kids can hang out (such as Circus Circus, Game Works and M’n’M land…) and many casinos even have play and game areas just for kids. Even though for many reasons you might not want to take your kids there, and it’s not a money maker for them since parents are with their kids instead of at the tables, the shows, or in the bars, Vegas doesn’t say: “Don’t bring your kids” (to your appointment!) although many salons and spas put up signage just like this. Off-putting, yes? Yes.

Real World Application: You might not want kids in your salon or spa, but sometimes, some clients cannot enjoy your services without bringing their kids with them, for whatever reason.
If you want to exclude all of these customers, ok, but why alienate them and send incredibly negative messages to all of your clients who have children by posting a message like this on your door, your point of purchase, your website, etc.? How long will it take before customers with kids (whether they bring them to appointments or not) will take ALL of their business to another salon that is more family-friendly? Massage your messaging to explain to the customers why small children need oversight. Create an area for the children of customers who must come, or at least create an emergency play kit for customers who for whatever reason had to bring children with them. There are times when you have to create policies that can be construed as negative; but how you communicate these policies and what you do to accommodate your customers is crucial!

9) Vegas is so extreme that you have to be even more extreme to get any attention at all.
People and things that would shock you in the real world don’t seem strange in Vegas. Noise? It’s everywhere. Flashing lights? Everywhere. In Vegas, you have to be louder, brighter, faster, bigger, crazier and more shocking than everyone else in order to garner the interest of by-passers or customers.

Real World Application: You are competing with thousands of other professionals in your own city just to get the attention of new clients or keep the attention of your current clients. 
You have to go over and above what is expected, in each client or prospect encounter, in some way if you want to interest them enough to try your services, buy your retail products, or refer their friends and family to you. Something about what you offer has to be truly different and extraordinary if you want to break through the clutter of the thousands of marketing messages to which they are already exposed each and every day. “If you build it they will come” does not exist – not now in a slow economy when consumers evaluate the value they receive for each and every dollar they spend!