Matthew Taylor
Well-Known Member
One of the most popular questions asked on SalonGeek is: ‘What skin care line should I use?’
It usually generates responses from seasoned geeks to the various companies and brands available, however the Original Poster is still often completely baffled by the huge choice in hand and doesn’t really know what they should be looking for.
Investing in a skin care brand or indeed any brand of products is an extremely important decision to make, a decision which can cost you a lot of money if you get it wrong. But, it is a decision only YOU can make.
First and foremost is to identify your market, be objective and very clear as this is essential part of your business plan:
· Do you have a current clientele or will it be from scratch?
· What client range do you want to aim for?
· Are your clients younger or mature?
· Are the majority of your clients male or female?
· Are they results focused, luxury/pampering or holistic?
· Do they have high end money to spend or are they on a budget?
Once you have identified your market and know which kind of products you need it is then time to look at which companies are out there.
Identify which brands are available:
There are many brands out there to meet the needs and requirements of your business model and ethos. Researching on this forum, reading trade magazines and visiting trade exhibitions are some of the best avenues to find the companies out there.
Make first contact:
Once you have picked a selection of companies/brands on offer, it's then time for you to contact them and request information and samples to try. They may send out information and samples in the post or some may send a representative out to see you face to face. You may also consider visiting one of the various trade exhibitions and speak to them directly there.
Sample the brands for yourself:
It's very important that you try the products on your own skin and see if you like them for yourself. You are the biggest advert for your own business and your skin needs to look appealing to your clients. If the skincare is not effective, not only will your skin not look its best, but you will not be positive and authentic about it and this will reflect to your clients.
Once you have found some samples that you like, it's advisable you buy some small/travel sizes of the products and use for a longer period of time, this will give you an idea of their effectiveness and how they work over a longer term.
It's also highly advisable that you book in for treatments with each brand to experience the professional products in action and how the brand performs. The products you sampled are home care products and used to maintain the effects of the professional treatment.
The professional products should be stronger; more varied and extensive and give an instant result post treatment. This is extremely important as treatments are what keep your business turning over with clients. If the treatment you experience falls short and doesn’t give a noticeable effect then what incentive is this to your clients? They aren’t likely to rebook or buy home care for that matter, as they will see it as a waste of money. If your market is more pampering, do the treatments make you feel relaxed and calm, afterwards or do you leave feeling the same as when you went in?
Experiencing treatments from each brand is vital for your research. It's of paramount importance that the treatments work and will give your clients what they need and pay for. No matter how good the home care is, if the treatments aren’t up to specification then it’s a waste of time. The only way you can find this out is by experiencing it for yourself.
You may see trying the products and treatments as spending un-necessary money, but you are a business and this is part of your market research, the costing of which should be worked into your business plan.
Now for the nitty gritty:
At this point you will have narrowed your choice down to a small number of product lines and it’s now the time to do the real work!You must now look at the many factors that seriously need to be considered:
·How much is the start up cost/opening order?
·How much will ongoing professional products cost?
·Are the professional products able to be used with electrical modalities if needed?
·How much will a treatment cost you to perform?- How much can you charge for treatments?
·Are there many other salons/therapists in your area using this brand?
·Does this brand offer home care to retail?
·What is the profit percentage of home care products to retail to your clients?
·Does the brand allow discount online selling of home care by other stockists?
·Does the brand sell in shops/dept stores/shopping TV?
·Does this brand offer support?
·Does this brand offer training?
·Does this brand offer marketing material and Point of Sale (POS)?
·Is the brand: unheard of/well established/Saturated?
It's important to think realistically and pro-actively now, as you may have set your heart on a brand that ticks the boxes emotionally, but not practically. Don’t choose a brand that you hope will work, even though the odds are against it, because the chances are that it probably won’t.
So to recap the main points to consider when choosing your skin care line:
·It's right for your market/client base
·It's priced right for you to make profit
·It's priced right for your clients to afford
·Treatments are effective and work
·Home care is effective to maintain treatment results
·The brand company gives enough support when required
·And finally – you are behind it 100%
It’s now up to you. Choose carefully and don’t rush into making a rash decision – it could cost you a lot of money.
Matthew Taylor
It usually generates responses from seasoned geeks to the various companies and brands available, however the Original Poster is still often completely baffled by the huge choice in hand and doesn’t really know what they should be looking for.
Investing in a skin care brand or indeed any brand of products is an extremely important decision to make, a decision which can cost you a lot of money if you get it wrong. But, it is a decision only YOU can make.
First and foremost is to identify your market, be objective and very clear as this is essential part of your business plan:
· Do you have a current clientele or will it be from scratch?
· What client range do you want to aim for?
· Are your clients younger or mature?
· Are the majority of your clients male or female?
· Are they results focused, luxury/pampering or holistic?
· Do they have high end money to spend or are they on a budget?
Once you have identified your market and know which kind of products you need it is then time to look at which companies are out there.
Identify which brands are available:
There are many brands out there to meet the needs and requirements of your business model and ethos. Researching on this forum, reading trade magazines and visiting trade exhibitions are some of the best avenues to find the companies out there.
Make first contact:
Once you have picked a selection of companies/brands on offer, it's then time for you to contact them and request information and samples to try. They may send out information and samples in the post or some may send a representative out to see you face to face. You may also consider visiting one of the various trade exhibitions and speak to them directly there.
Sample the brands for yourself:
It's very important that you try the products on your own skin and see if you like them for yourself. You are the biggest advert for your own business and your skin needs to look appealing to your clients. If the skincare is not effective, not only will your skin not look its best, but you will not be positive and authentic about it and this will reflect to your clients.
Once you have found some samples that you like, it's advisable you buy some small/travel sizes of the products and use for a longer period of time, this will give you an idea of their effectiveness and how they work over a longer term.
It's also highly advisable that you book in for treatments with each brand to experience the professional products in action and how the brand performs. The products you sampled are home care products and used to maintain the effects of the professional treatment.
The professional products should be stronger; more varied and extensive and give an instant result post treatment. This is extremely important as treatments are what keep your business turning over with clients. If the treatment you experience falls short and doesn’t give a noticeable effect then what incentive is this to your clients? They aren’t likely to rebook or buy home care for that matter, as they will see it as a waste of money. If your market is more pampering, do the treatments make you feel relaxed and calm, afterwards or do you leave feeling the same as when you went in?
Experiencing treatments from each brand is vital for your research. It's of paramount importance that the treatments work and will give your clients what they need and pay for. No matter how good the home care is, if the treatments aren’t up to specification then it’s a waste of time. The only way you can find this out is by experiencing it for yourself.
You may see trying the products and treatments as spending un-necessary money, but you are a business and this is part of your market research, the costing of which should be worked into your business plan.
Now for the nitty gritty:
At this point you will have narrowed your choice down to a small number of product lines and it’s now the time to do the real work!You must now look at the many factors that seriously need to be considered:
·How much is the start up cost/opening order?
·How much will ongoing professional products cost?
·Are the professional products able to be used with electrical modalities if needed?
·How much will a treatment cost you to perform?- How much can you charge for treatments?
·Are there many other salons/therapists in your area using this brand?
·Does this brand offer home care to retail?
·What is the profit percentage of home care products to retail to your clients?
·Does the brand allow discount online selling of home care by other stockists?
·Does the brand sell in shops/dept stores/shopping TV?
·Does this brand offer support?
·Does this brand offer training?
·Does this brand offer marketing material and Point of Sale (POS)?
·Is the brand: unheard of/well established/Saturated?
It's important to think realistically and pro-actively now, as you may have set your heart on a brand that ticks the boxes emotionally, but not practically. Don’t choose a brand that you hope will work, even though the odds are against it, because the chances are that it probably won’t.
So to recap the main points to consider when choosing your skin care line:
·It's right for your market/client base
·It's priced right for you to make profit
·It's priced right for your clients to afford
·Treatments are effective and work
·Home care is effective to maintain treatment results
·The brand company gives enough support when required
·And finally – you are behind it 100%
It’s now up to you. Choose carefully and don’t rush into making a rash decision – it could cost you a lot of money.
Matthew Taylor
