How salon staff can be your top sales asset

Published 07th Jul 2010 by sophieh
How salon staff can be your top sales asset

Stuart-Holmes-Salon.jpgThe aftercare and styling ranges you retail from your salon can make a healthy contribution to your bottom line.

If you get your product offering and merchandising absolutely right, and pitch the right products at the right time to your clients, then retail sales can account for around 20% of your turnover or more.

Making sure all members of the team give the best possible service and advice during the client's journey throughout the salon is key to boosting your retail sales.

We asked three experts - Stuart Holmes, owner of the Stuart Holmes Hair & Beauty Spa in Cheltenham; Paul Falltrick, owner of Paul Falltrick Hairdressing in Romford; and Alan Austin-Smith, founder of The Fantastic Hairdresser Company - how to make people your greatest sales asset.

Ensure top-notch product knowledge

Stuart: We invite all our suppliers in to do a two-hour session with our staff every six to eight weeks. Your team has to be confident in taking the right client to the right product range while also assessing their financial situation. The reception team is one of the most integral cogs in the product sales process. We ensure our receptionists are thoroughly trained in all products so they too can advise clients.  

Alan: Bear in mind two points: profitability - remember the cost of product on your shelf - and belief. If you and your team don't love and believe in the product, then you won't be giving genuine advice, which is the secret to good product sales.

Invest in training your people

Paul: We're bringing in lifestyle coaching to help staff identify clients' individual needs by looking at their everyday life. This will help them recognise clients who aren't interested in buying, who would like more information, but are unlikely to purchase, and then focus on those who want to buy but are perhaps afraid to ask.

Don't go for the hard sell

Paul: Clients are there to be pampered, not pitched to, so don't be pushy. If you use a product on clients' hair, they should be able to see the results for themselves - and what better incentive than that?

Alan: Don't SELL. Hairdressers are service providers, not salespeople. Ask questions. Find out what problems they experience with their hair, then solve their hair dilemmas. By giving advice, they'll leave with products to maintain their style, and you'll boost your retail sales.

Use the consultation

Stuart: We've just introduced a new scheme called Style Profile Cards. All new clients undergo a 20-minute consultation with their stylist about their hair type and scalp condition. This is then recorded on our system, which allows all members of our team to correctly advise which products would suit the client best.

Alan: Rather than waiting until the end of their appointment, while you're creating their style you should be explaining why you're doing what you're doing and highlighting the products you're using.

Incentivise your team

Paul: Introduce staff incentives to encourage your stylists to actively boost their retail sales within the salon. Again, take into account your staff's needs when selecting the incentive - a bottle of perfume may be fantastic for one but not be relevant to another.

Stuart: We run incentive schemes where staff can earn points for products they sell - and they can win big prizes such as DVD players, iPods and days out. We also operate a Buddy System where our highest retailers have a weekly meeting with their colleagues to discuss any training, support or fun incentives which will help their colleagues hit their achievement levels.

sophieh

sophieh

Published 07th Jul 2010

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