Memberships, Blow Outs, and Bons Temps with dBb

Emily of Dry Bar Bleu started looking for salon management software back in April 2013. With a hard opening scheduled for September 2013, she was well ahead of the game, and ended up choosing Mindbody because of the unique features like packages, memberships, and keytags. Emily and I had so much fun throughout the sales process coming up with ideas of how to fully utilize Mindbody’s functionality to maximize her salon’s potential right from the start and I was able to check back in with her at the end of her initial month in business.

1. Before you opened Dry Bar Bleu, what was the most important thing you were looking for in salon management software?

I was definitely looking for software that was user-friendly for both me and the dBb staff. Mindbody allows me to check daily sales reports from my desktop, or even my smart phone if I'm on the go. Staff can also view their clocked hours or even their schedule for the week, which makes things convenient for them. It was also important that dBb clients were able to create their own user profile and book appointments online. In this day and age, clients want an easy and hassle-free booking process and sometimes that includes not having to take the time to call in a reservation.

2. Tell us a little bit about your training experience? Did you cover everything you wanted? Did you find it to be thorough?

Training was another way that Mindbody stood out to me as a business owner. Weeks before dBb was even open, I started having scheduled, weekly training calls with my coach, Julia. She was able to walk me through the whole process in setting up packages, pricing, inventory, etc. She was always available via email to answer any questions that I or my website developer had. Even now that dBb is open, I have peace of mind knowing that tech support is available 24/7 should I ever run into an issue.

3. What are some features unique to Mindbody that won you over?

One of the unique features that won me over has to be the keytags, packages, and membership features offered through Mindbody. Not only can you choose what exactly is offered and the pricing it is offered at, but I was able to design and create key-tags to go along with each one, staying consist with our branding.

Our dBb Bar Tabs are my personal favorite, which allows the client to "pre-pay" for a 3, 6, 9, or 12pk of blowouts and save a lot of bleu...er green. It makes check-in a snap, while keeping up with how many blowouts were purchased, when one was redeemed and how many are remaining. Not to mention, the cute design of the key tags are a constant marketing tool when our clients are out and about running errands.

4. I know you’ve only been open a few weeks, but how is online booking going?

Online booking has been well received by our clients. I would say that over 60% off our appointments are done online versus them calling into dBb. I've even mentioned the online booking option when someone calls in their appointment and they stop me right then and there and say, "Perfect, I'll go online and book my appointment myself".

5. You have the cutest e-commerce set up where your clients can purchase “bar fly” and “make it a double” memberships with you - can you explain how and why you set that up and if you’ve seen a lot of clients purchasing?

Memberships are a great way to build a loyal client base and at dBb "it pays to be a regular.” For a flat and reoccurring monthly fee, members can purchase one of two memberships: Make it a Double, which includes 2 blowouts a month, 1 top shelf (scalp massage) and 10% off products, saving them $15 or a Bar Fly, which includes 4 blowouts a month, 2 top shelves and 10% off products, saving them $30. We also purchased key tags for this, which not only makes check-in and keeping up with the number of services remaining a breeze, but is instant PR when someone spots the cute key tag while in line at the store. We have seen an increase in the amount of clients purchasing memberships, especially online where everything is explained and then can by bought by just a few clicks.