SELECTING THE SITE
Our franchising support staff will help you make one of your most important decisions – where your salon will be located. Along the way, we’ll help you with the following:

• Assist you in identifying locations that give you what we believe to be the best chance for success. This includes providing you with a demographic comparison study analyzing population density, average household income, disposable income, and many other demographic specifics.
   
• Research tanning salons in the area to improve the chance that your Desert Sun Tanning Salon is in the most favorable location possible.
   
• Advise you about contract negotiations for the site – including lease terms and tenant improvement allowances from the landlord/owner.

BUILDING OUT YOUR SALON
Our franchising support staff will help you prepare your salon for opening day by:

• Guiding you through the design and construction process.
   
• Introducing you to our vendors, including our architect and construction consultants.
   
• Assisting you with your purchases of everything from point-of-sale systems and tanning equipment to insurance, phone systems, and skin products.
   
• Sharing our nationwide list of suppliers so you can equip your salon with the highest quality options at negotiated rates.
   
• Providing you a detailed to-do list that will assist you in opening your store.

TANNING BEDS
We will assist you in coming up with the proper tanning bed mix for your salon and introduce you to one of the many leasing companies well suited for your financial needs.

STAFF RECRUITMENT AND TRAINING
We’ll advise you on how to advertise for staff, forward along strong resumes from our website, and teach you how to conduct interviews for hiring high-potential employees. Then we provide you with thorough training, including:

OWNER TRAINING: Taught by seasoned professionals – to help you become an efficient and effective owner/manager. Topics include tanning procedures, employee recruitment and management, software tools, payroll, customer service, pricing, marketing and advertising, sales, facility and equipment maintenance, and more.

MANAGER TRAINING: Concentrated management instruction about how to run your franchise efficiently.

EMPLOYEE TRAINING: Training at your salon for you and your entire staff – focusing on the interrelationship of sales, customer service, and profitability. Employees learn the Desert Sun selling process, which emphasizes equipment and product knowledge as the best way to meet customer needs. You will also receive instruction in marketing the salon through professionally produced direct marketing, flyers, print ads, billboards, and radio advertising.

ONGOING TRAINING: Chances to improve your operation never end. You will receive periodic training support in both sales and marketing techniques. In addition, you can send your employees to our training facility for updated or additional instruction at scheduled times.

MARKETING YOUR SALON
In addition to your training, you’ll benefit from:

• The right to use the Desert Sun name, logo, and trademarks.
   
• A marketing packet to promote your grand opening – complete with templates, artwork, advertising and sponsorship recommendations.
   
• Templates for flyers and mailers.
   
• Desert Sun’s corporate marketing efforts are designed to drive traffic to your salon. Each franchisee pays a minimal advertising fee towards these efforts.

CONTINUOUS SUPPORT
You will have access to support from our dedicated franchising staff to help you develop your business and become increasingly successful. Our tools, training, and ongoing consultation and support help maximize your chance for success.