MIKAL Salon & Spa Software

2022 has had some challenges -  But we are starting the New Year!

Don't think New Year's Resolutions, think about your 2023 EVOLUTION

Resolutions don't work. The average person keeps them for less than 2 weeks (remember the gym membership, fruit diet, juicer machine etc…;). So the wheels will fall off the Resolution train.............

Why don't resolutions work? Because it is our human behavior. It is our habit. It is easy. It might even be satisfying. So instead of trying to change behavior why not change the environment, the process, or the system and the behavior will change.

So instead let's EVOLVE!

Let's look at every system and process in our business and figure out how we can make it simpler, faster, better for staff and clients, and of course more profitable.

A few examples:

The front desk is an area of on-going frustration. Turn over of staff, poor client service, down time is not used to clean, organize, do confirmations, and retail and rebooking is not a priority.

So do we resolve to put as much time into the front desk as needed to change these things? Do we clean house and hire new receptionists? Is that our Resolution, to have a Revolution?

Ready to go all Tabitha on the desk?

Or the idea from MIKAL....

How about activating EMBA so the future appointment is booked before the client even comes up to the front desk to check out? The Employee Mobil Booking App lets your staff book the client's next appointment on their smart phone with the client at the end of the service!

How about embedding the Surveymonkey surveys into the automatic new client and reminder emails and texts MIKAL sends out for you for immediate feedback and ideas on what needs to change to improve the client experience?

How about putting in message on hold and call queue option on the phone to auto hold calls if not answered in 2 rings so the front desk can finish sales, rebook, and close retail without interruptions on putting people on hold?

- Support system involves giving the upsell offers in your message on hold.

- Education needs to happen so staff knows how to handle the call queue option.

How about giving a bonus when the receptionist rebooks a client, upsells a service, converts a price call to a booking, and sells NEW retail items to a client? The desk would be rewarded to do the things you want them to do. Sales would increase, retention would go up, and the bonus would increase wages so they would not leave over a fifty cent pay increase from a company down the street.

- Support system involves setting spiffs for rebooks, upsells, add on sales in MIKAL.

- Education needs to have scripting in place to deliver the offers.

- Support system needs to give clients loyalty points for rebooking automatically.

How about setting up the receptionist goals so every week they get a report on how they are doing compared to your expectations?

If the present desk staff can't embrace these positive steps how about hiring people that are going to embrace your systems?

So we Evolve with changes to the systems and the process allowing the people to change their behavior. You can manage the process instead of the people.

Why not do this for other areas?

Retailing - what can be changed to make retail easy?

Professional inventory- what can be put in place to track and fine tune inventory?

Stylist behaviors - what can be put in place to reward positive behaviors?

Social marketing - what can be put in place to make it automatic and effective?

Let's think through these areas and enhance the process and systems.

MIKAL Salon Software             

That's right sell giftcards in the SUMMER!

How?

Be creative

- Do a corporate gift card special call for example flyers. Companies are looking for easy feel good benefits for their employees and you have the perfect solution. Get a client that is in sales and out of work and get them to canvas local businesses with the flyers. Give them 10% on the cards they sell! Use our giftcard option to track this.

 - Do DOUBLE POINTS on Mon-Wed to keep the business going through the summer. Do an e-mail to all clients who have been in on a discount reason code and offer them a DISCOUNT during non-prime times and with staff that needs to build! Use our LOYALTY POINTS PROGRAM to manage this.

 - Sell Memberships for Massage, Manicures, Pedicures, or Facials for the summer ONLY - 3 months, 6 services, prepay for a discount or sign up and track with the MIKAL Membership tracking in Accounts Receivalbe with automatic billing to client credit cards.

- Get your On-Line MIKAL GiftCard system set up NOW for the Fall and Holiday SeasonBe proactive – June is HERE!

Book Camp MIKAL NOW and use the $100 software option coupon NOW to get Membership Billing or Gift Card tracking!

Call us 513-528-5100 [email protected]                    Have you upgraded to SEVEN? Java based, GUI, Elegant, Easy, Fast...call for a 

QUICK! Let's get you started on:

Xris-Xross Marketing: set up MIKAL to send a special e-mail/text only to clients not getting specific services from you now. It is automatic and will cross market your business to your clients!  “Mikal salons say it is worth up to $20,000 a year!”

JITA Genie: set up MIKAL to offer Just In Time Appointment opportunities to specific targeted clients and specific stylists! Fill the book and fight last minute cancellations.  “MIKAL Salons say JITA adds 10 appointments a week!”           

Don’t just WISH for a full book!

GET EMBA going: the Employee Mobil App is so hot……

Stylists can book clients using their smart phone at their station increasing pre-books and reducing checkout time at the front desk. Plus staff can book clients and even add new clients while they are out and about!

“MIKAL Salons say EMBA has increased pre-books up to 30% and added a new booking option for the staff!”

Sell MIKAL On-line Gift Cards that integrate rught into your system - no work - just sales - call us 513-528-5100

Success Club Ideas 2020

WOW was the MIKAL Salon and Spa Owner Success Club meeting great.

See the ideas below and you can’t beat Florida for the weather and activities.

 Staffing:

Interview groups for the first cut. Use a team of staff to do it. Cut half the applicants after a few group questions. Then get serious.

 Test your best team members with Meyer Briggs and then test applicants. Hire the ones like your best team members. Don’t hire people the test like you!

 Use a little stress in the interview. Have 2 people interview the applicant at one time. Ask tough questions about last job. Ask them to sell you a pen in the interview.

 Always ask about hobbies, what magazines to they read, what do they like to do on their time off. Look for people that have interests and passions about things.

 Use Craigs list for applicants. Sign up for the state Job1 or Workforce1 program so the applicant ad gets uploaded to Monster free!

Do interview off site and always state in ad it is a confidential interview. The first phone call to the applicant needs to be an interview. Ask questions allowing them to sell themselves in the interview.

Have an interview presentation kit. See the MIKAL PDF for ideas.

Always list the job benefits and the critical requirements.

If a staff member leaves do not give out their new location. Say “they have not authorized us to give out that information” when a client asks.

Use the 4 step MIKAL client retrieval mailing and emailing to keep clients when a stylist leaves.

Set up Advanced goals in the MIKAL system. Also receptionist and managers goals. Put them in the paychecks!

Don’t let staff go to next price level until retention is at least 80% repeat request.

Salon normal new client retention is 30% - ouch! Work on welcome book, walk up script, and client exit to improve new client retention.

Marketing:

Align with a good reputation management company that has strong local track record to push good comments and improve rankings. Check their referrals locally!

Use JITA with all the filters!

Use EMBA to book right at the chair or in the room before the client goes to the front desk.

Review the Demandforce option – it may be right for you!

Get your Upsells in place in the prototypes and spiff the receptionists who deliver the upsells. Start tracking the upsells, rebooks, and cancel no rebook in the MIKAL system.

Set receptionist goals in the MIKAL system.

Activate all the autopilot offers. Subject needs to only be 3 words.

Use AIDA in your marketing:

Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

If the marketing does not create a phone call is not good marketing!

Update your Google Places and activate your Google offer TODAY!

Use surveys in salon/spa and on-line for feedback. Try the free surveys in Survey Monkey and Google Drive.

Always ask the 4 main questions relating to why clients don’t come back:

Was the salon/spa clean?

Was the receptionist nice and accommodating?

Did the service provider listen and do what you asked?

Were you taken on time?

Get the loyalty points program going now. Roll all your rewards into the points program including referral rewards, prebooking, new client points, and early week bookings. Make it about a 2% cash back on sales. Only let the client redeem 50% of a sale for points. Set this all up with your MIKAL reps.

 Get a referral contest going! Get 60 to 120 new clients.

 That’s it for now. Wow what a bunch of great ideas in 3 days.

Fred Dengler    MIKAL  www.mikal.com    [email protected]  513-528-5100

Fall Money Making Ideas

Now that Summer is over?? and here is Cincinnati it will be SIXTY degrees on Wednesday! (great isn’t it?) it’s time to get back

down to business and get into the business of Fall sales and getting ready for the Holidays - Christmas is COMING! Now is the time to crank up the business of beauty.

Here are a couple of ideas to get you back down to business:

$ Go over these ideas. See what ideas generate the most excitement and appoint people and set dates for getting the projects going! Intorduce JITA the just in time appointment feature of MIKAL to fill the book. Get EMBA and you can go CRAZY booking all over town on your smart phones.

$ Clean the salon/spa from top to bottom. Paint a few walls and make a few small changes. Move some plants and displays. Decorate for the season!

$ Get dressed up. I don’t mean formal but every summer people get a little casual. It’s time to change our look and the change should be professional and upscale. 

$ Get into the Fall colors. BROWN is the new black people! Make sure your make up is right for the season and coordinates with your new look! Get the staff together for a make up session and new fashion review.

$ Start your Referral Contest October 1st and end it on December 31st . Pick your prizes, do your precontest mailing/e-mail September 3rd, and get the signs up in the salon/spa. Call us for a free 11 page Referral Contest planning book. How would 50-100 new customers sound in the next 60-90 days?

Clean up the customer data base in the next 60 days. All of your regular customers will be in for the season. Run a list on your MIKAL system of all customers with Invalid addresses. The goal is to verify every customer’s address in the next 60 days. Check on the progress by running the Invalid Addresses report for all Last Visits in the last 7 days each week. The report should be blank every week if the front desk staff is cleaning up the list!

$ Get your Gift Cards on order NOW! Call RACO Card 866-940-4676 for a free sample kit. Order the Gift Card option is MIKAL’s SMS software and ask for our free information pack on promoting gift cards. Gift Cards will make a huge difference in your sales over the old gift certificates. NOTE: beware of companies giving you gift cards for use with their Internet or bank card systems. The costs for the processing of the card every time it is swiped become a huge expense and if a customer loses their card there is no way to cancel that card and charge the balance up on a new card. Call us at MIKAL to make an informed decision. Also revisit a switch in credit card processors. X-Charge our credit card processing partner has a $100 Gift Card waiting for you to switch!

$ Increase your Color service prices now just before the Holiday season. This will give you an additional boost to your income and the customers are coming in for that popular service during the season.

$ Sign up for the Autopilot Marketing system from MIKAL. The business can get hectic. Don’t let your marketing fall by the wayside. Put it on autopilot, and make sure you stay busy when Winter months roll around!

Fred Dengler

513-528-5100 email us at [email protected] Website: www.mikal.com

Cris-Cross Marketing is one of the latest feature in MIKAL SEVEN software and one of the BIGGEST revenue builders!

Imagine having your system send directed e-mail and texts to all clients who come to you for one service but not for another. 

How many times do you hear that clients come in for haircuts but not for manicures? Or come in for spa services but not for hair services? Or get services but not retail? 

Now with Xris-Xross MIKAL will send automatic offers to these clients each month to get them to experience MORE of your services! This powerful feature can generate an extra $4000.00 per stylist this year. WOW.

Xris-Xross happens automatically.

Xris-Xross only sends the offers to the right clients.

Xris-Xross happens without any different software.

Xris-Xross happens without having to pay revenue share.

The BEST news is..........

Xris-Xross is part of the new 6.95 and SEVEN upgrade that includes 8 other amazing features.

Come to Camp MIKAL and learn how to Xris-Xross Sept 19-21 Cincinnati Airport Wingate hotel $84 single $94 double - free shuttle and wifi

Camp only $ 165 per person - WOW still half price on this web site go to Pricing - Training - Camp and sign up NOW

Imagine setting up your marketing ONE time and then letting your system manage it for you - with $$$$$ results!

 MIKAL software will do all this marketing and more.......

JITA just in time appointment opportunities e-mailing and texting out automatically to fill your book every day no extra cost, no revenue share, you keep ALL the money.

Don't let last minute cancels trash your appointment book!

 AutoPilot Marketing sending appointment confirms, thank you, Birthday, referral, and reminder e-mails and texts automatically every day at no extra cost.

Now with exclusive Xris-Xross Marketing - build your biz!

 Plus included at no extra cost:

On-line booking for your clients included no extra cost.

EMBA employee mobile app for your smart phone included!

Loyalty Points tracking and redemption module included!

Credit card processing at 1.35% - or pick your OWN vendor!

No fee gift card sales and redemptions.

Inventory and sales tax tracking.

QuickBooks, VistaPrint, Constant Contact integration.

No extra fees, costs, revenue shares - just make money!

 www.mikal-salon-software.com

 Complete business management and sales tracking.

Complete client profile with tech cards & buying history.

 Single operator version just $39 a month

5 Employee salon version just $79 a month

Call for our Large Salon/Spa version information! 800-448-5420 [email protected]

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SUMMER

Now that summer is in full swing (depressing isn’t it?) it’s time to get back down to business and get into the business of filling that book up and making some moo laaal. Now is the time to crank up the business of beauty. Here are a couple of ideas to get you and your staff back down to business:

$ Get a staff meeting together and go over these ideas. See what ideas generate the most excitement and appoint people and set dates for getting the projects going!

$ Clean the salon/spa from top to bottom. Paint a few walls and make a few small changes. Move some plants and displays. Decorate for the season!

$ Have everyone get dressed up. I don’t mean formal but every winter people get a little casual. It’s time to change our look and the change should be professional and upscale.

$ Get into the summer colors. Make sure your make up is right for the season and coordinates with your new look! Get the staff together for a make up session and new fashion review.  Do you always have to wear BLACK????

$ Start your Referral Contest July 1 and end it on October 20th. Pick your prizes, do your precontest mailing/e-mail now, and get the signs up in the salon/spa. Call us for a free 11 page Referral Contest planning book. How would 50-100 new customers sound in the next 60 days?

$ Get your front desk staff to commit to cleaning up the customer data base in the next 60 days. All of your regular customers will be in by the holidays. Run a list on your MIKAL system of all customers with Invalid addresses. The goal is to verify every customer’s address in the next 60 days. Check on the progress by running the Invalid Addresses report for all Last Visits in the last 7 days each week. The report should be blank every week if the front desk staff is cleaning up the list!

$ Get your Gift Cards ON LINE with our Gift Card Shopping Cart NOW! Order the Gift Card option is MIKAL’s SMS software and ask for our free information pack on promoting gift cards. Gift Cards will make a huge difference in your holiday sales over the old gift certificates. NOTE: beware of companies giving you gift cards for use with their Internet or bank card systems. The costs for the processing of the card every time it is swiped become a huge expense and if a customer loses their card there is no way to cancel that card and charge the balance up on a new card. Call us at MIKAL to make an informed decision.

$ Increase your color service prices now just before the holiday season. This will give you an additional boost to your income and the customers are coming in for that popular service during the holiday season.

Now is the time to move into the Summer season with a new look, new ideas, and new promotions for increased sales and profits!

Please call us for additional information on the Referral Contest, Gift Cards, Pricing ideas, or your comments. Have a great fall season.

Fred Dengler   MIKAL       513-528-5100 email us at [email protected] Website: www.mikal.com

MAXIMIZE Your Experience Marketing with MIKAL

Today’s consumer is more and more inclined to spend money on experiences than on items.

Experience purchases now win out for up to 40% of all consumers. It is over 60% of millennials would rather spend on experiences than items!

How do we take advantage of this trend?

We offer mini experiences. We set up the system and salon/spa to support the client WOW.

Packages with RICH descriptions. Services on our web site with details benefit laden descriptions. Scripts for our staff with the same…………..

What we don’t do: discount our packages and make them a commodity (think ITEM).

Sell gift cards for a cheaper rate – where is the experience part of the sale?

- Come up with a first time offer for the price check prospects for each area of the salon/spa. Tie to your Google offer, your Social media, and your referral program – is this working for you?

- Set up a pdf you can instantly e-mail for the client screen for the price inquiries – do you have?

- Set descriptions of all services for pop up that are packed with benefits – do you have set up?

- Train the staff especially the desk to use the benefits – script and role play!

- Use the Up-$ells to add on the experience services that WOW – are they being used?

- 4 Corner your front area to create the perfect client experience – see our diagram

- Time line to maximize every WOW opportunity during the client visit

- Review your USPs – do you work on these items every week?

- Use the EMBA to prebook at the chair/station – know why this is powerful?

- Video the finish or make up touchup on the client phone – do you do this now?

- Reward the client with instant rebates of the loyalty points on each visit – set up?

- Use the Thank you and New Client Thank you to follow up

- Use the Xris-Xross marketing to suggest NEW client experiences – set up and running?

- Publish the positive client experience comments – make sure it is available on Google!

- Promote the client experience options in your business – are these part of your USPs?

- Make sure you have a mini client experience option – know why this is critical?

- Put together packages, series and Events to keep the client experience fresh – important!

Now is the time to get on these programs and strategies. This trend for experiences in going to grow and if your salon/spa is not positioned for this big change in consumer buying you will miss out!

Come to MIKAL CAMP VEGAS for a full day detailing how to implement each of these ideas.

Fred Dengler

CEO – MIKAL  513-528-5100

2018 is almost half over!

Don’t think New Year’s Resolutions, think New Year’s EVOLUTION

Not where you wanted or expected to be in the business HALF way through 2018????

Resolutions don’t work. The average person keeps them for less than 2 weeks (remember the gym membership, fruit diet, juicer machine etc…;).

Why don’t resolutions work? Because it is our human behavior. It is our habit. It is easy. It might even be satisfying. So instead of trying to change behavior why not change the environment, the process, or the system and the behavior will change.

So instead let’s EVOLVE!

Let’s look at every system and process in our business and figure out how we can make it simpler, faster, better for staff and clients, and of course more profitable.

A few examples:

The front desk is an area of on-going frustration. Turn over of staff, poor client service, down time is not used to clean, organize, do confirmations, and retail and rebooking is not a priority.

So do we resolve to put as much time into the front desk as needed to change these things? Do we clean house and hire new receptionists? Is that our Resolution, to have a Revolution?

Ready to go all Tabitha on the desk?

Or…….

How about putting in message on hold and call queue option on the phone to auto hold calls if not answered in 2 rings so the front desk can finish sales, rebook, and close retail without interruptions on putting people on hold?

- Support system involves giving the upsell offers in your message on hold.

- Education needs to happen so staff knows how to handle the call queue option.

How about giving a bonus when the receptionist rebooks a client, upsells a service, converts a price call to a booking, and sells NEW retail items to a client? The desk would be rewarded to do the things you want them to do. Sales would increase, retention would go up, and the bonus would increase wages so they would not leave over a fifty cent pay increase from a company down the street.

- Support system involves setting spiffs for rebooks, upsells, add on sales in MIKAL.

- Education needs to have scripting in place to deliver the offers.

- Support system needs to give clients loyalty points for rebooking automatically.

How about setting up the receptionist goals so every week they get a report on how they are doing compared to your expectations?

If the present desk staff can’t embrace these positive steps how about hiring people that are going to embrace your systems?

So we Evolve with changes to the systems and the process allowing the people to change their behavior. You can manage the process instead of the people.

Why not do this for other areas?

Retailing – what can be changed to make retail easy?

Professional inventory- what can be put in place to track and fine tune inventory?

Stylist behaviors – what can be put in place to reward positive behaviors?

Social marketing – what can be put in place to make it automatic and effective?

Let’s think through these areas and enhance the process and systems.

Come to the Camp MIKAL VEGAS and brainstorm these areas on Total Overhaul Tuesday!

There are a few “slots” left for the seminar.

Call and register now 513-528-5100

MIKAL Salon Software