"Business Marketing Blog of Author, Speaker, and Consultant Rebecca Kepple"

Complete online marketing course for spa, salon and clinic owners

August 21st, 2008

When I first started, no one wanted to share with me how to build a successful business. There was only the slow, painful route of trial and error…

But nowadays with far-reaching power of the Internet, there is massive opportunity for you to grow your business even faster, cheaper and easier before.

And today I’m really excited to give you a SNEAK PREVIEW of my Complete Online Marketing Course that teaches you how to drive your sales numbers through the roof using the internet.

The course consists of 5 instructional videos where I share with you everything you need to know to magnetically attract potential clients to your website and convert those enquiries into some serious INCOME in your bank account.

In each video I explain not just what you need to know and do, but also physically show you examples so that it’s really crystal clear and super-easy to implement in your business.

Now while the course is complete and ready for you to purchase, I’m still working on the sales page so please excuse any spelling mistakes you might see! I’ll get them right before I release the course to the general public but for now I just wanted to make sure you got the first look in.

So to claim your sneak preview copy, go to
http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/internetcourse.html

To your success,
Rebecca

P.S. Thank you to everyone who sent in such lovely birthday wishes. I had an absolutely fantastic weekend away at Hanbury Manor and got to see some amazing 5-star service in action in the spa and restaurant. I’ll be popping some pictures up on my blog ]and letting you know some of the great tips and tricks I saw in the next week or so make sure to look out for those.

P.P.S. The ultra-low price I’ve set The Complete Online Marketing Course at won’t stay so ridiculously low forever. I can’t tell you when I’ll decide to put it up again but I will be doing it. So for now, the offer is yours but it won’t be for long. Take it or leave it but don’t regret missing out. If you’re ready to take action and
see some real results quickly, cheaply and easily, then claim your course today.

http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/internetcourse.html

You Can Generate More Beauty, Therapy And Hair Appointments With A Great Database

August 12th, 2008

I know you’ve probably heard me say this before but the time of writing down numbers on an index card is over.

There is no way to keep track of all your business connections on a tab of paper, let alone use those contacts to your advantage when they are sitting on top of the pile of work on your desk. Databases were created as tools to organize and prioritize and the time has come for you to learn all about the business contact database.

The database program most people are familiar with is Excel. There are several Open Source programs that are free and work in the same manner as this Microsoft invention. The FREE programs, I say again, work just as well as the expensive programs, so using the excuse of not being able to afford the database program is not going to work this time.

In fact if you don’t have an industry specific program or Excel, you can get started by using the Open Source OpenOffice suite of programs. Just go to http://www.openoffice.org to get your copy.

After you have fiddled with the program a bit and learned how to create cells, delete cells and manipulate your data, you have completed the toughest part of creating your business contact database. The next stop, adding those contacts.

When you organize the business contacts in a database format, you will have quick, easy and searchable business contacts to use every day in your health, beauty or wellness business. There is no way for you to spread the word about your business if you have no idea who to contact and when they need to be contacted.

The database stretches far beyond phone numbers as well. With home phones, business phones, cell phones, emails, home addresses, business addresses and more…there is no way to keep track of everything without a clear and concise workable format. That format is the database.

What Can I Do With My Database?

Once you set up your database with all of your contact information, you will be able to use that information to generate more therapy or beauty appointments, build relationships, keep in touch with your clients, grow your spa and hair business and much more. You need to use the most effective contact database available and that one is not on the Rolodex collecting dust in your office.

Your health & beauty business is dependent upon the whos and the whens. If you have a list a mile long of contact information for all of the essential people you need to run your business effectively, you need to place all of that information in one spot.

That spot is the database. And it’s the MOST important asset in your business.

If you’ve got a database you’ve got a surefire way to develop more regular clients so take control today and make sure you are using yours.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits. To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freedownload.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter? This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

You Have A Great Salon Or Clinic: So Show Them!

August 7th, 2008

In the world of business there are those who naturally know how to market and those who find themselves learning the trade over time by trial and error. If you are in business you need make money, or you won’t still be in business 5 years from now. Which means you need to know the heart of matter inside out; the marketing!

How Does Marketing Work? - Marketing is a relatively simple concept. A product or service is created and a business aims to offer that product to the consumer. In order for the consumer to even know the product is available, that product needs to be introduced to the consumer; this is marketing.

While many people who work within the health, beauty and well-being sector of the business world believe their product is THE best one on the market, the consumer still needs to be convinced of that fact.

So while you’ve done all the therapy training, all the stylist courses, all the specialist health and well-being studies… your clients haven’t. They don’t know what you know about it all. They don’t know how your salon or clinic’s treatments, services and products can benefit them.

Bringing your product to the consumer, showing them the ways your product can better their lives or make their lives easier will convince them to choose that product and thus the sale is won.

The art of marketing is all about giving the consumer the information they need in order to trust in your salon or clinic’s product on the same level as you trust the product. They may never have the connection you have to the business, but they need to have the same, in depth information that convinced you to endorse the product.

Moving Them From the Street to You

When contemplating the marketing aspect of your business, you are essentially trying to make money. The customers you need to buy your product or service are out there, on the street, ready to hear what you have to offer. You need to go out there and get them.

Waiting in the background believing they will find you and your salon or clininc is simply not going to get you’re the success you want or the client you need in order to make your business into the money making machine it can eventually become.

Market, market, market and you will become the top-of-the-line, health, beauty and well-being product and service provider in your sector of the business world.

You can make the money and create the lifestyle you set out to have, you just have to go out there and get it!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits. To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freedownload.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter? This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

Listening To Your Clients Is Critical

July 31st, 2008

I had the rather interesting experience of buying a new telly yesterday.

The salesman was great, he let us do our browsing and then when we looked like we were ready to get serious and pick which TV we wanted, he just appeared quietly in the background so he could answer any questions we had. Fantastic… so far…

Then the salesman asked us:
… Do we need insurance? - A good question but no thank you.
… And did we have a stand to put it on? - Yes thanks, we’ll use the one we’ve got from our old telly.
… Do you have a DVD player to go with it? - No, that’s alright thanks, we just want the TV.
… Well, no TV is complete without a surround sound system? - Honestly, we’re quite happy with just the TV thanks.
… And were you requiring a games console? - No, just the TV please.

Believe it or not the conversation carried on for about 5 more questions (I had no idea how much stuff you could get to go with your telly!) until I politely said, “Thank you ever so much for your help however we just want the TV today. Are we able to pay for it now?”

The lesson in all of this is that an excellent sales process can turn sour very quickly by not listening to the client.

The first two questions were perfectly reasonable and in fact, quite helpful. If we didn’t already have home & contents insurance, we would almost certainly have purchased the TV insurance from him. And if we’d got home and realised we didn’t have a TV stand we would have had to go all the way back to the store to get one which would have been quite a pain.

So those first two questions were the mark of a great salesman who was paying attention and who clearly cared about us and our purchase. But the rest of it was him not listening and not paying attention to what we really wanted (which was just the TV).

Offering clients in your salon one or two additional items that you know they might need is really GREAT. In fact, its excellent service. But continuing to offer items that they don’t need is NOT.

Tip for this week is to take half an hour to look at what treatments or services you offer in your hair or beauty salon and think about what your clients might need or appreciate at home afterwards.

But when you come to offer them to them, LISTEN. Ask them questions to find out what they need. Listen to what they are saying and then only offer them solutions that are going to be genuinely beneficial.

Doing this will ultimately improve sales in your hair or beauty salon.  They’ll thank you for caring and will come back time and time again in the future.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits. To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freedownload.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter? This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

You Know Your Craft; But Do You Know Your Business?

July 31st, 2008

It is one thing to learn everything there is to know about the health or wellbeing career you have chosen. Attending classes on new therapy techniques, sharpening your cutting skills or picking up that knowledge needed to become a better masseuse is a fantastic idea in a world where the best make the money and the rest fall behind.

But, when it comes to running your own personal business, you need to know more than just the best techniques. You need to know the business tactics used by big companies, the marketing aims successful to the most attention grabbing salespeople and the accounting skills of the IRS. You need to be the best not only in your trade, but in business.

Business training may be the last thing on your mind when you start out to run your own therapy salon or practice. The sales and marketing aspect are not at the forefront until you begin to see a decline in business or no incline at all.

You must remember business is just that, business. People are only going to see what you have to offer if you put it out there, in their face with creative marketing and sales plans.

No matter how much of an expert you are in beauty, massage, hair or whatever your chosen specialty is, your talents WILL go unnoticed if you do not provide the consumer with a reason to choose you over the competition.

There is hope though; there are lots of training school classes available to boost your business knowledge. Some of them are even specific to the health, beauty, therapy and hair industry. Even if you have never had a knack for business, there is truly no way to get around learning the tricks of the trade.

In today’s society, it is very unfortunate that the consumer often chooses the most popular over the best. They only know what they see and while you may have the talent to make them happier, calmer and more comfortable, there is no way for them to know your treatments or services are even there if you do not tell them (and tell them often).

Now lets talk about money… money can be the reason many people who run their own therapy salon do not market more or learn more about marketing. Let’s face it, business education is expensive and then actually implementing your marketing costs even more. DO not despair. The local Chamber of Commerce and local businesses will often hold classes or courses that allow you to apprentice for a short while in order to learn the marketing tactics needed to drive that next sale, the business savvy required to push your product and the accounting education to keep track of those increased sales.

Your talent is at the heart of your business, in the specific treatments and services you offer. But without the right business knowledge you will blend in to the crowd and no one will be able to take advantage of all the hard work and dedication you have given to your field.

Shout your talent from the rooftops and they will come flocking to your door.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits.  To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freedownload.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter?  This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

Are You Using Alliances To Build Your Therapy And Health Business?

July 24th, 2008

Isn’t it amazing that it’s July already? The year is just flying by. Which means that it’s time to take stock and make sure things are heading where you want them to be.

Something pretty big to check is whether you’ve organised yourself any other businesses in your local area that you work with to send each other clients? They are called Alliances or Host Beneficiaries and can be amaaaaaazing!

Basically Alliances are other businesses that serve your ideal clientele but whose businesses aren’t competitive. So if you have a Hair Salon, you might want to work with a shoe store but you wouldn’t want to team up with a Barber. Or if you offer specialist waxing, you might want to team up with the lovely restaurant on the corner but probably not the local laser hair removal clinic.

If you can find a business that can refer to you just ONE new client a week, it could make a WORLD of difference to your revenue (and to theirs if you also refer one client a week back to them!)

Let’s do the maths… If on average your clients come in once every 4 weeks and on average they spend $50 on each visit… that means that over a period of a year, your clients are each likely to spend $600 with you.

And if your Alliance Business sends you just ONE new client like that every week, then you will add $31,200 to your revenue (52 weeks in the year x $600 average yearly value of each new client).

Let’s do another example… Lets say you do more intensive therapy and you see your clients once a week for about 12 weeks, then they are cured. Well, if that’s the case and your clients are spending lets say $70 on each visit with you, then the lifetime value of each client is $840.

And if with this scenario you had 2 Alliance businesses each sending you 2 new clients a month, then you’d be getting 48 new clients a year at a total value of $40,320.

Isn’t that crazy! Imagine if you even had 3 or 4 businesses that you worked with? You could be booked solid within a few months.

Sooo… Take a look and see whether you are working with an Alliance business in your local area yet. If yes, what can you do to help them refer clients to you (ie give them some introductory vouchers to give to their best clients as gifts). If no, make it your mission to scout the local area and then pop in and introduce yourself somewhere.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits. To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freedownload.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter? This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

Adding Alternative Home Care Products to Your Therapeutic Lines

July 20th, 2008

When practicing in therapeutics, many homeopaths, nutritionists, and holistic therapists aim to provide the best experience for their clients through the addition of alternative home care products to their therapeutic lines. These retail products can be used to support the given therapies to complete the regime of well being care. If you aren’t currently stocking alternative therapy retail products now might be time to consider how beneficial it can be for both your clients as well as the bottom line!

With the media frenzy in the world today, CDs, DVDs, eBooks and audio books in MP3 format are all fantastic possibilities as alternative therapy retail products choices.  Facial creams and shampoos needn’t be the only option for adding to your sales.  Through audio and video care, the therapy given to a patient or client can extend far beyond the office setting. Collaborative care has been shown to be the best choice for patients in a therapeutic setting and these medias will help to create a combination setting for the best possible end results.

Aromatherapy is yet another alternative to the traditional facial products most therapists stock. Selling holistic therapy products such as scented oils, candles, and home and body sprays can help to ease tension and stress.

By the way… if this isn’t something you are familiar with, aromatherapy is the art of using the 90 essential oils as a part of calming therapies. These 90 essential oils are not the same as the fragrant oils sold on the market today, so marketing a true essential oil will require a bit of research before applying the name “aromatherapy” to your product!  Once again, knowing your product is essential.

Another idea to think about is products books and printed supplements… When a therapist combines verbal therapy with printed therapy it gives the patient or client the opportunity to continue therapy at their own pace after leaving the office or practice. This form of self controlled therapy when combined with in person therapy can reap large rewards for the patient.

The books chosen can be written either by yourself or by others in the same field of care. When choosing the books to offer to your patients, it is best to choose an author that feels the same way about holistic and alternative therapies as you feel. This will boost the patient along the paths you are setting as a care giver.

The key to marketing alternative home care products is to think of angles to complete your current therapeutic choices with your patients and clients. Whole forms of therapy are idealistic in that they provide continuous support for the patient or client at a self guided pace. Books, eBooks, audio books, essential oils, candles, nutritional supplements, home sprays and body sprays are just a few of the alternative home care products available to supplement your current patient offerings.

Have a think about what you can be offering your clients that will both add to the results they see after their appointment with you and that will also benefit your business financially.  There are literally hundreds of options.  The key to success is to ensure it’s a win-win scenario.  For the highest sales whatever you stock needs to be of benefit to your clients as well as being something that you are enthusiastic about and that will add profit to your bottom line.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits.  To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freedownload.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter?  This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this resource box is included.

It’s Easier Than You Think!

July 11th, 2008

I received an article from a life coach the other day all about how we set our own limits in our minds of what we can achieve.

She talked about how whether it’s in our work lives or our personal lives, we all have pre-conceptions of what’s possible and what isn’t. And very often those limits we set ourselves aren’t the reality. They are just what we perceive to be the case.

And it’s so true. If we think that we personally can’t do something, we can’t… if we think our client’s can’t afford something, then they can’t. If we think they aren’t interested in rebooking, then they aren’t.

But on the other hand if we believe that anything is possible, it usually is. If we believe a client to be really interested in a product, they generally buy it. If we believe that getting more new clients is easy, then suddenly it is.

This was really hammered home to me last Sunday. I’d signed up ages ago to do a 10k run to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Trust (a big thank you to all of you who saw the post on my blog and sponsored me!) and Sunday was the big day.

I’d been worrying about it for weeks cause I’m not really a runner (I’ve never run 2km in my life, let alone 10!). But on the day, I turned up determined to get through it because the MS Trust means a lot to me. And you know what… I did. And not only that, I ran a major chunk of it and power-walked the rest to finish way faster than I thought I would. Plus, even though I’d built it up in my head to be this majorly difficult event, I have to admit it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be.

And that’s the same with business too. It’s all too easy when a goal means a lot to build it up in your head as being tough or difficult to achieve. But if you take the plunge and just try it, you may well find getting there is easier than you thought.

PS… That said, I have to admit my muscles were rather sore on Monday!! If you wanna have a sneak peak at a rather embarrassing photo of me and my sister just after we finished, have a nosey below…!

PPS… My Profit Soaring Secrets Home Study Course has been flying out the door like hotcakes since I announced the massive discount just for readers of my newsletter earlier in the week. If you’ve not got yours yet, there are only 50 at the discounted price available and once they are gone, that’s it. You can find out more about what it can do for your business and claim yours at www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/discountedcourse.

If you’d like to donate to the MS Trust, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/rebeccakepple. All money goes straight to the Trust. They are a really deserving organisation who do amazing things to help people with MS live full and happy lives so every little bit helps!

Knowing (And Understanding) The Products You Sell Is Critical

July 10th, 2008

If there is one constant in the world of beauty, it is that the consumer knows what they want and expects to receive just that. But, what do you do in the health and beauty business when a new product comes around and you want to market that health product to your customer base? You learn everything there is to learn about the product and you convince your customer that this home car product is the BEST product for them.

Understanding Ingredients

It is important to start with the base of the product. When learning about beauty solutions, the ingredient list will be the heart of your marketing. Clients and consumers are more educated than ever before and they know which ingredients they want to see in their facial creams, lotions and make-up. Many beauty retail products are based on these ingredients, but some offer very little of an active ingredient to keep costs low and profits high. This fact is often masked by the term “proprietary blend”.

The ingredient list can be broken down into individual ingredients with each one holding a different marketing tactic. If the main ingredient has been shown to significantly reduce wrinkles, know that fact and present it to your customer. If there are secondary benefits, like younger looking skin and reduced chance of acne, tell them that as well. Your knowledge of the product must dig deep into the formulation and ingredients used to make that product.

Taking Your Knowledge a Step Farther

On the same lines as understanding your ingredient list, you should also take things a step farther and learn about the ingredients used in your products. Where are the active ingredients processed? What is the country of origin for the product? Who is the main manufacturer of the product and what other successful products do they manufacture? These simple facts will not only impress the client or customer, but make for an easier sale and that is what makes marketing worth the effort.

Knowing what the ingredients can do is just as important as knowing what the ingredients “do” do. Many health and beauty business marketing centers on testimonials, but knowing simply how the product can work and being able to present the real benefits of using the product to your clients will increase your sales and make for more return customers. You can increase your sales and boost your profit in one easy step…LEARN the PRODUCT!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits. To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freedownload.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter? This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this ‘about the author’ section is included.

Marketing For The Health & Beauty Industry

July 4th, 2008

There is a great deal of pressure due to the media and society as a whole to look and feel your very best. One way to do so is to turn to beauty therapists who specialize in an array of procedures. You may look polished and perfect but there is plenty going on behind the scenes to get you to that point.

Too many people though don’t know what a beautician, hairdresser, or masseuse has to offer them. They may think of the basics but there is much more. There are facials, spa treatments, manicures, pedicures, and more. All of them can help you look great and that means you will likely feel more confident about yourself as well.

In the health and beauty business though you have to be willing to really market what you offer. Otherwise you will be missing out on plenty of potential business. Your services also have to be very affordable. That is because as the cost of basics including gas for vehicles and food to eat go up people are cutting out other expenses.

Taking the time to care for yourself though is important. It is often women who want to have procedures done by the beautician, hairdresser, or masseuse but they pass them over. They may feel guilty spending their money on such things. Most feel guilty though for spending their time pampering themselves.

When you are marketing for the health and beauty business you need to incorporate all of this into your messages. By reminding clients how good they will look and how great they will feel they will be more likely to call you and schedule an appointment. Appeal to their emotions too and you will entice them to do something for themselves. For example remind them that by taking care of themselves they are going to be more physically and mentally ready to take care of everything else that will come their way.

Marketing for the health and beauty industry also needs to take the cost into consideration. People love to get something of value for a perceived lower price or better value. If you are a beautician, hairdresser, or masseuse you can offer a coupon for an added value offer for new clients. That is a great way to introduce them to all you offer. Chances are the will become a regular customer afterwards.

Don’t forget to take care of your current customers as well though. You can use them to market your health and beauty business. For example if they refer a customer to you that schedules an appointment they will get their name entered into a drawing for fabulous prizes. You can also provide them with special discounts and promotions for remaining a loyal customer.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rebecca Kepple specializes in helping business owners massively increase their client base and profits.  To get instant access to her free insider secrets report ‘The Top 7 Secrets for Massively Increasing Your Client Base’ visit: http://www.wellbeingbusinesssecrets.com/freedownload.

© Copyright Rebecca Kepple 2008

Want to use this article on your site or in your newsletter?  This article may be reprinted provided no part thereof is edited in any way and this ‘about the author’ section is included.


about


Rebecca specializes in teaching struggling business owners in the Wellbeing Industry how to turn their time-sucking, low-profit businesses into highly profitable, businesses with happy clients all the while taking more time for themselves.

Articles by Rebecca Kepple

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