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Are you maximising your retail sales?

Any successful salon should expect retail sales to contribute at least 25% of its turnover and help to make it more profitable. If your clients are buying their maintenance products elsewhere, then you are letting them down. As a professional, you should ensure that your clients are using the best possible products on their hair and make it as convenient as possible for them to purchase the items.

Clients value your advice

Can you imagine your doctor or dentist treating you and then leaving you to wander around the local chemist, reading the labels of the medicines and trying to figure out which ones to buy? It may sound ridiculous, but I am always amazed when I see salon owners and stylists directing clients to the nearest cosmetics store and encouraging them to spend their money elsewhere.

People buy value not price

“But they can get the products cheaper in the shops,” I hear you say. That’s like staff at Sainsbury’s directing customers to Tesco because their bread is 5p or 10p less! If you focus on providing a high level of customer service, along with quality professional products at reasonable prices, the majority of your clients will not begrudge you a few extra pence. When was the last time you refused to order wine in a restaurant with delicious food and wonderful service, just because you knew the off-licence down the road would sell it cheaper?

How well do you know your clients?

Successful salon retail begins with excellent customer service. That means getting to know your clients well – not just their hair, but their lifestyle, health, personal preferences, previous purchases and personality. Update your records regularly and build a comprehensive profile of each client. Many salon owners rely on individual staff members’ knowledge of clients and this information is lost when stylists move on.

Begin with a consultation

Next, make it a habit to conduct a consultation at the beginning of every single client visit, even if only for a few minutes. This allows you to check the effectiveness of products being currently used, overall health of the hair and any lifestyle changes that may have an impact. This is often the perfect time to recommend maintenance or treatment products.

As the client’s hair is washed, treated and styled, it is important for each member of staff to talk about the products and why they are being used. Staff product knowledge is extremely important; they should be able to explain the benefits to clients, before recommending a retail version of the product to take away. 

It’s good (and profitable) to talk

Using this natural approach to product retail, your staff won’t even feel like they’re ‘selling’.  Stylists, beauticians and juniors can all feel comfortable talking to clients about their hair and beauty issues, explaining more about the products and techniques they are using, and then recommending a maintenance product to use at home that will continue to provide a solution. An easy way to summarise this approach is: ‘People don’t buy products, they buy solutions’. By focusing on solving clients’ problems, you and your staff build trust and goodwill that cannot easily be replaced by the indifference at the corner shop.

Sales training without the expense

Having adopted this fundamental approach to retailing in your salon, you can move on to other ways of improving sales. Every member of staff should receive some level of sales training, in order to ensure a minimum level of competence and consistency across the whole team. Don’t worry if you can’t afford to send all your staff for training, many manufacturers and distributors support salons with on-going retail training. They want you to be able to sell more of their products and offer free training either on-site or in their own premises.  Remember to specify what you want out of the class, and let them train your staff about their products and how to sell them. 

It pays to display

Eye-catching and exciting displays can immediately capture the interest of clients, encouraging them to take a closer look. If you don’t have a lot of space, you’ll be glad to know that it’s not the size of a display that counts, but how effectively it is used. The average woman is between 5’ 2” and 5’ 6”, so position the products on shelves between chest and eye level, and keep them clean and uncluttered. 

Keep the display fresh by rotating products to highlight seasonal or promotional items. If you have the space, you can create a theme display with sun protection products in summer or dry scalp treatments in the winter. You may even consider hiring a skilled merchandiser to give your retail area a ‘wow’ factor that boosts sales.

Asking the right questions

Some clients don’t follow a maintenance regime between salon visits, and they may be resistant to what they consider ‘unnecessary’ expenditure.  Remember that any client will feel resentful if they feel you’re putting pressure on them to make a purchase.  Don’t ask ‘closed’ questions like, “Would you like to try this new conditioner?” The answer can only be ‘yes’ or ‘no’! Instead, try asking, “What kinds of challenges are you having with your hair?” This is an ‘open’ question that allows the client to talk freely, giving you all the clues you need to recommend the right products as solutions. 

As a result, a client with dry hair would welcome your recommendation of a new conditioner that’s just right for her hair type. Once satisfied, she becomes a repeat customer and will probably recommend you to others. 

Promotions and incentives

Everyone loves getting a great deal, so why not offer product discounts on clients’ birthdays or as part of a package of services? If your salon is computerised, you can also track your clients’ purchasing history, then plan and target promotions more effectively. There are any number of client incentive programs you could create, from loyalty cards to ‘buy 2 get 1 free’ gift bags or rewards for recommending friends and relatives - the possibilities are endless!

Don’t forget to set targets for yourself, your team and the business as a whole, so that everyone can look forward to something special when they are achieved!

Give more, get more

For information on Salon Strategies and its programmes, or to make an appointment to see a business advisor, call 020 7377 9922.