How to retail successfully?

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Lillypie

Active Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
36
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30
Location
Wales
Does anyone else find retailing in the salon a hard slog , everything’s found on the internet and I am exhausted with trying to explain why the £1 shampoo in the discount shop is not the same thing [emoji849]
Also I am increasingly seeing salons selling lots of other things , trinkets , jewellery, kids key rings etc !
Need to branch out any ideas ?
 
Retail in our industry is very simple. Our clients NEED our products. They don’t know they need them and we just have to educate them.

Eg the lady that washes her face with soap and wonders why she’s got dry skin. Start with the facial and the consultation is half the work. You then tell her what to stop doing and what she needs to start. Make it easy. Find the right product for the client, tell them the benefits (it will hydrate your skin and help with this problem and it also does blah blah). Only when they want it mention the price as price or at the end of explaining. Price buyers aren’t the right people for salon retail unless products are really cheap. But they are the kind that will still use soap and still moan.

Another example: you’ve had a wax. You need something to soothe your skin and prevent infection as you’ve had spots before where you’ve let it get infected. This product does just that and bonus it also blah blah. It will last for x amount of time.

My biggest bugbear is other therapists not using retail. If they come to me for a wax and tell me they don’t use afterwax yet they are hideously bumpy by the time I’m done and look sore yet refuse to buy anything to help I think something fishy is going on...then I would never let them near me for a treatment by them. They don’t have a clue how to look after themselves so I wouldn’t let them near me. Practice what you preach. Use the products and get comfortable. If you love them they will. ‘Wow I love your new hair’ ‘thank you it’s this new shampoo I’ve been using, I will show it to you.’

Someone once said to me when I started it’s great you don’t sell products I hate when they are pushed on me. Then I finished waxing her and she said what should i put on it, after sun? I said no after wax lotion would be best. Don’t you have any? Where will I buy that my holiday is tomorrow. That changed my mind about retail in an instant.

They need us. They are helpless and need everything explained.

If they don’t want it after that and a few following appointments they never will buy it. They would rather be sore and itchy and bumpy than spend £15 on a wax lotion that works out at 5p per wax to apply so they are just not our problem.

There are also 4 types of buyers so someone that only wants bargain basement will never buy anything. Someone that wants the flashiest of cars and buys what they want will probably buy it if they need it but might be more interested in your most expensive treatment to show off or the luxury version of the product. Then there is someone that will buy if they need to, want it and the price is right for them. They are you perfect ones that appreciate your help but also know how to take care of themselves. I forget the other one but there are videos on YouTube.

Don’t sell jewellery unless you know how to sell it and who is going to buy it. That would be an impulse buy as it’s not like you can go this is what you should wash your hair with. But then you could say wow your new hair would look great with this necklace. But if someone said that to me I’d be like...eh?
 
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I completely agree with the above. When I started, I took over a site of a closing down salon. I'd been a client. The proprietor was a natural salesperson but focused too much on retail and not enough on client service. She drove her clients away and got left with a cabinet full of unsold retail products.

In my own salon I resolved to offer treatments; excellent, impartial advice and nothing else.

But never say never!

I swore I'd never sell make up...make up is now my second best selling line...
I swore I'd never, ever sell vitamin supplements ...oops!

My clients asked me for advice, I wanted to help. When they started bringing in samples of products obtained elsewhere and asking me which one they should buy, I realised that there is a need for an curated selection of aftercare products aimed very specifically at client needs.

It's no good thinking "I should stock X" or "why not stock some XYZ" because retail does not sell itself. If you love something and really believe it will be awesome for your client you will naturally tell your client exactly why you think it will benefit them.

My aftercare starts in the treatment room often before Ive even started the treatment. I notice the condition of their skin and I ask how clients care for their skin. I tell my clients what they need to do to improve their skin and I tell them straight out what the benefit is for them. "If you exfoliate your skin with my skincare cloth every shower and spritz on some of this body oil afterwards you will not only have lovely satin skin without scales and dry patches, with an A list celebrity glow, you will also get a better quality hair removal result, that stays hair free for longer when you come for a leg wax.

I've learned to only retail aftercare products based on client needs and not to try and play "shops". I tried to sell little treats - face masks, body scrubs, lip balms, essential oil candles, floral waters as natural toners...All bombed. Can't give them away!
 
Thanks both for your replies , I think like everyone else , that I just get fed up with people asking advice then finding said product cheaper online , even though I do educate them that fake products are rife, everyone wants stuff cheaper and cheaper. Sometimes it feels like it’s an uphill struggle .
 
I just retail products that complement their treatments and are more difficult to find on line.
My best selling items are:
Tisserand ready blended massage oils
Vinylux polishes
Kaeso skin care
 
I always check out online prices including postage and local availability. I like to stock products that have a high postage charge.

My attitude to selling retail is that if someone pays for a professional treatment they have already decided that they are worth a decent result.

I ask what people are using at home and how they are using it. If they tell me that they are using product X diligently, I tell them that if they want improved results they'll need to change their product. If they aren't applying properly, I tell them how to use it for best results and say that if that doesn't improve matters they'll need to change their product.

I then whip out my product, say "here try this" spritz it on their skin, ask them to massage it in and ask them what their skin feels like. I then reel off a few of the ingredients, say why I like it, mention the price and how long it should last and then carry on with the treatment.

During the treatment I educate on skincare and why and how this will benefit them. "you will have a more comfortable, quicker treatment, and better hair free results that last longer if you exfoliate and moisturise". And I empathise. I say before I trained I was always being told about ingrowing hairs and encouraged to moisturise, but I never understood that the two were connected! And I make sure that the client understands that I have their best interests at heart. I say, "I want you to have the best result possible because that's why you are paying me"
 

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