Issue link: https://www.ascpskindeepdigital.com/i/1347398
associated-professionals.com 31 eauty professionals work hard, but they also have to work smart, and this comes from learning the art of product recommendation. Selling retail products can substantially increase profits, yet the average spa and salon credits less than 5 percent of its business to retail sales. The idea of selling can be downright scary; after all, a client just spent a lot of money on the service you provided and they're all relaxed and happy. It feels pushy to try to sell them a line of products as they're walking out the door. This is the wrong way to think about retail selling. You are the expert, and it's time to master developing the right mindset and environment to ask the right questions and recommend the proper products. If we ask the proper questions, we are going to get the right answers—and the right business. TAKE THE FEAR OUT OF RETAILING The importance of retailing is a message beauty professionals hear over and over again from their distributors, manufacturers, and other industry sources. It is a reality of the business: a spa can be truly successful only if its retail sales equal or exceed the service sales. Depending on your spa or salon, retail sales should account for 50 percent of your gross revenue. However, many professionals fail to recommend products for their clients to purchase. Some fear their clients might not return as often if they are using salon-quality products at home. Actually, the opposite is true. Research has found that if you sell a client two retail products, there is a 60 percent chance of them returning to the spa or salon. One product, and there is a 30 percent chance of them returning. No product and there's a scant 10 percent chance of them returning. STEPS TO SALES SUCCESS It is your responsibility to educate your clients about the availability of products to maintain or enhance the results of their service. They want you to make them look their best, and they need those retail products to achieve and maintain the results they love. Remember, you are the authority, and your clients need and value your help. When you take a professional approach from the beginning, you feel more secure about recommending products than if you wait until the client is standing at the cash register with money in hand.