Imagine I was your client, would I buy from you?
What would it take?
What should you do, and say?
What shouldn’t you do, and say?
What is it that’s important to those that really matter, the clients?
Well, if I was your client here’s my list… at number 1 it would be,
“You had better be sincere”…
Getting me to buy home haircare and styling products from you is not about learning some new sales pitch. Sorry, but as your client I can see through that a mile off and it reeks of insincerity.
You had better genuinely believe in the products that you use, and recognise that ‘as my hairdresser’ if you really care about me, then part of your role is to subtly educate me about what you are using, and above all, you need to be sincere, enthusiastic and passionate about what you do.
At number 2 it would be,
“Tell, don’t sell”…
Tell me about the stuff you’re using as part of the conversation, not as a sales pitch.
As a consumer ‘I’m sold to’ all day every day, so when I come to get my hair cut or coloured, please be smart enough to know the difference. Tell, don’t sell.
The third step, is to understand that,
“I don’t care about your product!”
I only care about ‘how your product will improve my life’.
So as your client don’t leave it up to me to figure that out, make the connection for me.
Educate me!
Show me what you are using.
Tell me what it’s called.
Explain to me what it does.
Tell me how to use it and when to apply it.
Finally, at the reception, ask me if I want it by using the name of the product you used, don’t say to me “do you want any products?” and expect me to know what you mean because I don’t…
The fourth thing is,
“Don’t baffle me”…
In most instances I have no interest at all in the science behind what you sell, so don’t baffle me with technology. If I ask something like, “What does Sulphate free mean”, I’ll expect you to know, but only in terms that relate to making my life better.
So using ‘sulphate free' as an example say something like, “Sulphates are a cleansing agent, but the downside of them is that they also fade hair-colour, so ‘sulphate free shampoos’ will mean that your colour lasts longer”
The fifth thing is,
“Is this a long term relationship or not?”
I know you. I like you. I like the way you cut my hair, colour my hair. I like the energy in the salon and I trust you.
I suppose we have a relationship of sorts, and I look forward to coming for my haircut, I’m happy with what you charge and the value I get, it’s convenient for me to come to you and I might come every 4-6 weeks for years to come, so don’t treat me solely as a sales target, or you’ll lose me as a client!
I understand your salon is a business and selling haircare products is part of your business, I understand that you probably have targets to meet, but don’t overdo it, be smart enough to know how to get the balance right.
Remember it’s a relationship built on trust and sincerity.
The next thing is to accept that,
“I won’t always buy it, so when I say, ‘No’ …get over it!”
Look, I may not want it, need, it like it, or be able to afford it, either way it’s probably none of your business why I sometimes say ‘no’! But recognise that ‘no’ just means ‘no’, maybe next time I will, maybe I won’t, I don’t have to explain why.
So get over it, don’t take it personally. I just don’t want it at the moment and that could be for any of a million reasons, [most of which are none of your business.]
The seventh thing is to,
“Be consistent”
I like consistency, if every time I visit you there is a different product you use and recommend I get confused, so I don’t care how you do it, but be sincere and be consistent.
Next step is, please
“Don’t decide for me”
You don’t know what I can afford, you might think you do, but “don’t be so rude to assume what I can and can’t afford, or the value that I put on it” that’s not up to you, I am the only one who can decide that.
Your job, is to concentrate on being the professional and explain to me your recommendations.
And the 9th and final thing is,
“Be proud of what you do!”
I like the way you make my hair look, so be proud of what you do.
I want my hair to look good tomorrow and next week as well, so tell me what you use and tell me how to do it, then offer me the opportunity to purchase it. Be proud of what you do, then leave the decision to me.
So what’s next? I suggest you sit down with your team and brainstorm the key steps to how you make ‘retail’ a natural part of the salon journey
- What are the words you should use?
- How can you make it part of your salon culture?
- How can you use ‘role playing' as a training tool for better retailing?
- Who's the best retailer in your salon, what do they say, do and think about retail?
Hope you have got something out of today, if you’re interested I wrote a whole bunch of stuff about retail in my first book ‘GROW 1 Super Stylist’ you can get it from my website www.growmysalonbusiness.com
Thank you for watching…
Have a great week!
