Over 90% of all hair products bought in the UK are bought over the counter on High Street, and Tesco was recently voted “Best Hair Care Retailer” in the “2007 Hair Magazine Awards”, which means that most salons are losing a MASSIVE amount of extra revenue. In other countries like Australia, for example, the vast majority of hair products are bought in the salon due to the education of the stylist and the customer, and stylists are considered the hair care experts that they are. In the UK, however, although a customer will trust you with their cut and color, your preferred home care expert is still the retailer and the pharmacy. This is like hiring a personal trainer to help you lose weight and then ignoring the nutritional advice they give you and just buying what you consider “healthy” at the grocery store.
So why is this? The 2 most common reasons given for not trying to retail are:
1: We are hairdressers, not salespeople.
two: My clients don’t want to feel pressured.
These are not reasons, they are excuses and this is why:
1: You are sellers. Every day you sell your skills and knowledge to your clients and potential clients and that is why they trust you, because you know what you are doing. YOU are the trained expert and part of your job is knowing what the client should wear on their hair.
two: If done correctly, it is not difficult to sell your heart. If you think your client should cut off a few inches and add some highlights, would you say “I want to cut off a couple of inches and give it some highlights”? No, it’s too rough and would probably scare your client. But if you said, “I really think we should take a little more time, wear it around your face, which would really complement the shape of your face, and add some highlights to give your overall color some definition.” Don’t you think that sounds much more attractive? Give your client a reason to want what you suggest and they will want it. The same rule applies to retail products. Listed below are 7 steps any salon can take to see a positive change in its retail sales and an increase in additional revenue.
So here are the seven steps to reaching retail heaven:
STEP 1: CHOOSING THE PRODUCT. Find a range of products that YOU believe in. It is very easy to choose a range that most salons in your area have, assuming that if everyone has it, it must be good. If you don’t like the look, smell, and feel of the products you offer, it will be very difficult to promote them to your customers. It is essential that you choose products that you truly believe are the best for your customers, and if you plan to offer more than one brand, they suit all budgets. Some customers will not buy high-priced products, but others will not buy lower-priced products because they see them as “cheap.” Strange but true.
STEP 2: LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. The location of your retail products within the salon is essential and can make a difference. Ideally, they should be at the front of the room, near the reception and, if possible, on the right hand side. People naturally tend to go to the right. If you have limited space, consider using your window area for retail with clearly visible labels from the outside. You can also use point-of-sale materials and specials to attract people to your door. This may actually work on your favorite, as people can clearly see what products you have in stock and can simply walk in to buy their favorite products.
STEP 3: RELAXED, REPOSITIONED, REFRESHED. Many salons have good products on the shelves behind the cashier or in locked cabinets. For a customer, this says “DO NOT TOUCH”. So what does Tesco do that works so well? Easy. Their retail area is very inviting, clean, with well-lit shelves, well-stocked, clearly labeled, with plenty of information, and trained advisors on hand to answer any questions and make recommendations. It is essential that customers can pick up, read and smell your products. The stock should also be moved every 4 weeks or so to keep the area cool and attract customers’ attention to the different products.
STEP 4: LET’S TALK. Imagine watching Gordon Ramsay on television and, for once, you are not screaming. In fact, he doesn’t say a word. He prepares his ingredients, mixes, cooks, stirred, flips and seasons them, until the dish is complete and presents it to the camera. It looks delicious. But what is this? As it did? What did you use and why? How much? For how long? Gordon tells us what he is cooking, what he is using, what he does, how much he is using and how he is using it and he does it for a simple reason. When Gordon Ramsay cooks, DO YOU WANT TO COOK. This is how he sells his books. NO TALKING, NO SALE. As you cut and color your clients’ hair, you explain what you are doing and why, and that is how it should be with the use of the product. Each staff member should explain what they are wearing, what they are doing, how much they are using and how they are using it. Give your customers the recipe and they will want to cook it themselves at home.
STEP 5: RETAIL FUN. When I was a child, my mother played a game of everything. Tidying up my room was a game, washing was a game, mowing the lawn was a game. These were all the things I knew I had to do to get my pocket money, but my mother was smart. When making a game of something, even the most mundane tasks aren’t that bad. Every once in a while, have a retail promotion for a limited period and run a game for staff along with it. Take a grid of numbers from 1 to 50, like the battleships in the game, and every time a staff member sells a product, they write their name in a number. Put 5 prizes of different value in 5 envelopes each with a number and keep them in your safe. When the grid is full or the promotion is over, give the envelopes to those who have your name on the appropriate number.
STEP 6: MAKE WORKOUT FUN. Retail training doesn’t have to be a drag that no one expects. Play “Who am I?” with retail products. Get 2 teams and since people think they know the product you are describing, they should run it and get it. The winning team receives some chocolates for each correct answer. Play “Pass the Package” with a product. When the package is unwrapped, the person has to describe the product and sell it to the team as if they were on a purchasing channel. They can then keep the product or exchange it for one they would use at home. Also, make sure your staff are using the products you sell at the retail level. Don’t give them a 10% discount on products, give them a monthly allowance. I am amazed at how many employees still use street products. If you work for Ford, you drive a Ford, if you work for Levi, you wear Levi jeans, if you are a hairdresser, YOU DO NOT USE HIGH STREET BRAND PRODUCTS!
HE PASSED 7: MAKE SHOPPING FUN. Take full advantage of any vendor’s promotions to boost your retail sales. Customers are more likely to buy if the perceived value of what is being offered is high. Offer your customers a money-back guarantee that they won’t find on the high street. Encourage your customers to get rid of their old products that they no longer use by offering a 25% discount on all retail products when they bring their old products. Constantly think of ways to give your customers the WOW factor! BOGOF products, presented in gift-wrapped boxes, etc. are great ways to boost retail sales and will encourage your customers to shop more often.
By using these 7 steps, any salon can see remarkable growth in retail sales and therefore additional revenue growth and should also see a positive change in the way its staff perceives retail.
