Play Cupid for Your Customers

“You are cordially invited to attend a special session with the staff of Just Nails to learn the Romantic Pedicure,” read the invitation. Four days before Valentine’s Day, salon owner Rebecca Moore opened her Erlanger, Ky., salon to a group of romance-minded clients to teach them the art of pedicure and foot massage. “It was so much fun! We had a huge turn-out—three times the number we hoped for,” says Moore. “We expected to get a lot of women who wanted to learn to rub the feet of their fellows, but a lot of women sent their husbands so they could learn to give great a massage.” The lecture was free, and wine, cheese, and chocolate were served. While the guests sat soaking their feet in bowls of hot water with marbles, the staff demonstrated how to set up a pedicure and gave tips on massage techniques. They also handed out a written reference guide with the salon’s logo. “Almost everyone who attended bought either a Creative Nail Design mini-spa pedicure kit or one of the bottles of massage oil we had specially wrapped for the occasion. And we continue to make money as they replenish their supplies,” says Moore, who plans to make the evening an annual event.