Selling more retail is one of the fastest ways to boost your profits so here are three ways to become an expert in retail sales in the hair and beauty industry.
1. Know what you’re selling
You may not have been trained in sales, but by providing your clients with expert product advice you’ll find your retail sales will naturally increase.
Be the expert
Knowing the ins and outs of the products you use and sell will dramatically increase your confidence in recommending them. There are many products available, so focus on learning more about a couple of products each week. Trying them can help the learning process too.
Be prepared
Preparing answers to commonly asked questions or typical objections can help grow your retail sales. For example, when recommending a face mask or shampoo, you may get the answer “I get mine from the supermarket”. Don’t take this as a no, instead provide the client with some useful information on how the products differ and why your recommended product might suit them better, like “The brand we stock here has a couple of benefits that are better than many alternatives”
Don’t “sell”
If you’re genuinely selling products that are beneficial to your clients, then it won’t come across as a sales pitch. You don’t need to put a sales hat on, just speak about the products in a way that feels natural to you and your clients. If you take this approach you can have confidence that you’re adding value to your clients rather than trying to make more money.
Photo credit: Ochre and Sage
2. Help your clients to find solutions
One of the best ways to upsell is with a problem-solving approach. Often your client has a problem they’re looking to solve and you can help by providing them with a solution. Here’s how to use this approach:
Build a relationship
The most important aspect of this approach is to build rapport with your clients so they’re happy to open up and talk about their needs or problems. Then you’ll be in the best position to help solve them by providing products that address their concerns.
Ask questions
If your client mentions a need or problem, it’s important to ask questions to fully understand it. For example, if your client mentions how dry their skin is, ask questions like are there times when it’s better or worse and what do you currently use to moisturise? By asking lots of questions, you’ll better understand their requirements and be more able to recommend the right products to give them the result they’re trying to achieve.
Provide a solution or benefit
Once you have a clear understanding of a client’s problem, you can then make recommendations to address it. The key point here is that you’re not selling a face mask or moisturiser, you’re selling them nourished, hydrated skin – a solution to their problem.
3. Working smarter, not harder
Make more per appointment
You might not always be able to recommend additional services during an appointment but by working smarter not harder you can easily double the appointment value. A good example is a men’s haircut which you may charge $45 for. By recommending a suitable product, you could easily double the value of that appointment.
Give yourself a challenge
Why not give yourself and your team the challenge of picking a product each week to promote and recommend. Choose a product, learn about its benefits and display it prominently. The goal is to use it during each appointment (as long as it’s relevant to the client) and explain to your clients how you’re using it and why.
Check in with your clients
Making sure your clients are happy with their retail purchases is important to your future retail sales. By checking in with them, during an appointment or using Everyday Marketing to send automatic text messages, it allows you to show you care, continue selling the product to them as they run out, and provides the potential to upsell to an alternative or additional products where appropriate. If the clients are unhappy with a product, it gives you the option to remedy the situation and provide something more suitable for them.
We hope using these handy tips helps to increase your retail sales and boost your profits!
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on 16 May 2018 and was updated on 22 February 2023 for relevance and comprehensiveness.
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