If you don't like it, would you still sell it anyway?

[crystaltash]

Just a bit of a ponder, geeks. I always stand by the statement that we need to understand, love and have a real passion for the products we sell in our salons. But answer me this....... if a product has a real cult following, is a great money spinner and the public love it, but you absolutely hate it, would you stock it in your salon and sell it? Or do you stick to your principles and go with what you know and love?

I don't have anything in mind, it would just be interesting to find out with what other geeks think.:hug:

 

[An*Gel]

If a product was THAT popular, I'd find it hard to believe that I wouldn't love it too :lol:

I would find it very hard to sell something that I didn't believe in though, but putting my business head on, I probably WOULD stock it if it was a good money spinner.

 

[BABSann]

Just a bit of a ponder, geeks. I always stand by the statement that we need to understand, love and have a real passion for the products we sell in our salons. But answer me this....... if a product has a real cult following, is a great money spinner and the public love it, but you absolutely hate it, would you stock it in your salon and sell it? Or do you stick to your principles and go with what you know and love?

I don't have anything in mind, it would just be interesting to find out with what other geeks think.:hug:

It would depend why I hated it tbh.If it did what it said on the tin,was a real money spinner and the public loved it then yes,I would stock it,because it would make good business sense.But if it did everything as listed then why would one hate it?

I personally find selling products much easier to sell if I love them and have good knowledge in the benefits etc(as most of us do)

I think generally the public love a product and it's a good money spinner for a good reason so there would have to be something amiss for me to hate it,maybe a lack of training or knowledge in a product could make a therapist think she hate it...ie a bad workman always blames his/her tools.

I have used products in salons without prior knowledge in the benefits or how to use correctly and thought it was awful,when in fact once I was trained up and realised exactly what it was for and how to use it correctly realised exactly why it was so popular and that in fact I did indeed love it the same as the people buying it.

Sorry for waffling on lol.:lol:

 

[persianista]

Yes I would.

 

[VHunter]

That would depend on the product in question.

Example: Cellulite cream. Women around the world spend a fortune on it... I will NEVER EVER sell it. I think it's a load of "tosh" as some would say.

But if it was simply a product that might not have been my top choice, but it did what it was supposed to do... then I would sell it.

 

[Lynne Baker]

Nope. I'm not that great at selling (witness my 70/30 treatment/retail split!) and if I didn't believe in it I'd make a frightful fist of trying to sell it!

 

[persianista]

I sell around 700 product lines. Some are my trusty favourites, some I would never use, but they have a following. I spose it is different if you retail very little or only a couple of brands. I have no issue selling products that are not my number one favourites as long as they are SOMEBODIES favourite.

 

[Tess Warwick]

No I wouldn't ...
I can't sell for toffee and when I know that clients can go to Poundland and get a similar product for a quid I lose heart.

 

[BABSann]

No I wouldn't ...
I can't sell for toffee and when I know that clients can go to Poundland and get a similar product for a quid I lose heart.

'Similar'???Sorry but what you get from Poundland and what is a professional product sold in a salon is totally different.
I see absolutely no comparison between Poundland products and professional salon products and I know most clients who come into salons would know the difference from Redkin and a Poundland's own shampoo or a Decleor eye serum and a Poundlands unknown brand

 

[Martin Duffy]

'Similar'???Sorry but what you get from Poundland and what is a professional product sold in a salon is totally different.
I see absolutely no comparison between Poundland products and professional salon products and I know most clients who come into salons would know the difference from Redkin and a Poundland's own shampoo or a Decleor eye serum and a Poundlands unknown brand

Agreed entirely!! Perhaps it is this lack of understanding of the difference between professional formulations & cheap tat that underlies the reason why some find retail such a difficult proposition.

As to selling something I don't like, yes I could & do quite a lot of the time (not Decleor I hasten to add as I have yet to find a Decleor product I don't like!). I think whilst it is easier of you have a passion for a product, with the best will in the world you won't love everything. Further to that, if a product is, for example, a rich night cream & you have oily skin you're never going to love that particular product, but you'll be able to sell it as soon as you see it's right for that client.

 

[persianista]

If anyone thinks that pureology in any way compares with stuff you buy in a poundshop or boots, I would suggest you try it. It is like comparing Chanel with primark!

 

[essentia]

It depends on what it was that I did not like about it. If ingredients were suspect or I thought it made my business look lower end then I would not touch it. If it were soley because I did not like using it then yes I would sell it. That is the great thing that there are so many brands for us to choose from to cater for a wide variety of tastes.

 

[Verve Designs]

If its an ethical or moral reason not to sell a product or a service, I couldnt swallow my pride...but if its just a case of my not liking something, then I'd suck it up....this is business, not a hobby.

 

[Lynne Baker]

If anyone thinks that pureology in any way compares with stuff you buy in a poundshop or boots, I would suggest you try it. It is like comparing Chanel with primark!

Will Pureology sort out my fine, wispy, rubbishy hair?
Pleeeeeeaaaaaaaaaase?!

 

[~cHeRiSh~]

If its an ethical or moral reason not to sell a product or a service, I couldnt swallow my pride...but if its just a case of my not liking something, then I'd suck it up....this is business, not a hobby.

Agreed. I wouldn't sell something that compromised my morals. I am happy to retail what the customer is demanding even if it isnt my cup of tea. I do find that I sell through faster those products that I am naturally passionate about.

 

[persianista]

Lyn, Pm me your address and I will post you some samples. Anyone else too for that matter. Yes, the stuff is amazing.

 

[crystaltash]

All very interesting comments! I think the moral thing is very important, to me anyway. If a product involved cruelty to animals, for example, then I would never let it through my door no matter how popular it was.

I'm rubbish at selling too and only find I can do it if I've tried a product, love it and have complete faith in it. Obviously if someone asks me my opinion, I wouldn't tell them the product sucked, but neither would I want to lie to them and say I thought it was great. There are places who do that just to make the sale. But not liking something is just our opinion, the client may not share it. So how would u word the sale to the client so that they aren't being swayed one way or another to make the purchase?

 

[persianista]

All very interesting comments! I think the moral thing is very important, to me anyway. If a product involved cruelty to animals, for example, then I would never let it through my door no matter how popular it was.

I'm rubbish at selling too and only find I can do it if I've tried a product, love it and have complete faith in it. Obviously if someone asks me my opinion, I wouldn't tell them the product sucked, but neither would I want to lie to them and say I thought it was great. There are places who do that just to make the sale. But not liking something is just our opinion, the client may not share it. So how would u word the sale to the client so that they aren't being swayed one way or another to make the purchase?

You only think about them, and what they like. My taste is unimportant, it is their taste that counts.

I cannot bear garlic. I hate the smell and taste of it. If I was a grocer I would still sell it, as lots of people love it.

So same with hair and skin. If a client likes lots of gels and waxes and rock hard hairspray I will not impose my personal taste on her, but I will tell her which are the stronggest products.

 

[Martin Duffy]

As Persianista says, it's a case of what your client needs rather than a matter of personal taste (oddly enough I don't like garlic either - I thought I was alone with that one!).

I think the old cliche goes "tell don't sell", that is to say tell the client about the product & what it does, tell them about it's key benefits and tell them why it's suited to their skin, then leave them to decide. Also, don't make the old mistake of giving a sample because you're too embaressed to make a sale!

A lot of this goes back to knowledge; if you understand your client's skin and how their current routine impinges on it and you understand your skincare range (for example) then you will understand how your product(s) will help their presenting problem. You will also know why your product is better than the 'cheaper' shop alternatives - and ingredients & quality of ingredients aside, professional products are often no more expensive in the long run when you consider how long they last (my Decleor moisturisers last a client 4 to 6 months, as opposed to the 4 weeks most of them get out of the thick horrid rubish they pick up from drugstores).

 

[ValencianNails]

I would sell it if there was a following for the product, regardless of my own opinion on it.

What you need to do is sell the BENEFITS of it to the client, WHAT will it do FOR THEM?
Likewise with your other products...
Not every product is suited/suitable for every client (or every therapist lol) :green: