Expelling the retail myths by changing attitudes

Salon consultant Mary K Roberton rebuffs the excuses for neglecting retail. Time and again we hear the same excuses for why members of our team do not perform well with their retailing. For the salon manager it can be like Groundhog Day. But it doesn’t have to be! Our job is to change the story in our team’s mind, as invariably their excuses come down to one of two things: they don’t know how or they are choosing not to. Most often the excuses are just cover for being overwhelmed. They’ve been taught how to cut or color hair but they don’t know how to be a successful retailer. So when you set your team retail goals, a lot of them will struggle inside. It is difficult to admit our weaknesses, and much easier to make excuses. Here are some classic excuses and some well-founded responses that can help inspire them to think differently. “I am not a salesperson”  Correct, your hairdressers are not salespeople, but it is essential that they exceed the consumer’s expectations by educating them and by sharing their knowledge and tools. It’s all part of the job. Without this rounded approach, they will be letting your clients down and losing them to someone else who is prepared to give 100%. Explain to them that there is no need to ever use the words ‘buy’ or ‘sell’, or to even talk prices. It does not need to sound or feel like a sales pitch, as it isn’t one! “My client cannot afford them”  Presumption of client trend is one of the biggest mistakes. We can never be sure of our clients’ indulgences, and even those on a tight budget will have an area in life where they treat themselves as it makes them feel good. Often it’s the client you least expect who leaves that big tip, and the same goes for the client who empties your product shelves. Your team must never make that decision for a client, and should always offer a consistent service. “My clients buy their products online”  Online sales are certainly an ever growing competition for salon trade. However, these clients are not contracted to buy online, and consumer trend is particularly changeable. With these clients you just need to work extra hard to make the product journey and salon experience special and worth that extra couple of pounds. Think about setting up an incentive for these clients — the bargain hunters love rewards, so look at ways your team can engage them, even if they say something as simple as included with a purchase of shampoo and conditioner we have these great travels sizes or samples for you to try. “They already have something else”  Of course they do — they have to wash their hair! But that doesn’t mean they are not open to trying something new. Although this can be discouraging when talking products, your team must still talk passionately and informatively about the products that would be great for the client. The reverse-psychology of not selling can work wonders, where instead the client is invited to pop back and try the new products when their old products run out. A lot of clients will take the products there and then, to save time later, or indeed come back to try the products because they trust in the professional. “My client was in 3 weeks ago to have their roots done and bought what they needed then”  That is great, and overselling is as bad as underselling. It is important to maintain integrity at all times. But why not, when rebooking for 3 weeks, also book in a conditioning treatment? There is always a way to increase the average bill. “I don’t have enough time”  Simply not true. On average each employee will have between 30mins – 2hrs with a client, and for retail they need just 10-15 minutes of that time. They need to work on their time management, allocate them key times for product talk, first at the initial consultation, during service when using the products, and at the closing of service. “I forget”  “I forget” translates to “I couldn’t be bothered to do my job properly!” To get them into a routine, suggest that for two weeks you remind them before each appointment and touch base after check out. You can then asses what went wrong if no sales, or give praise if there were. Recognising achievement is key. Feeling monitored, measured, and encouraged will quickly help them to remember.  “I don’t believe in the products”  We love this. You can see how many products they go through each week on their clients! Ask them if they could cope without those products for a week? Could they still do their job? Ask them why they deny the client the knowledge and tools needed to recreate their work at home? They must realise that if their clients don’t need these tools, neither do they. “I didn’t become a hairdresser to do this stuff”  Actually, they did — they became a hairdresser to give people beautiful hair. Responsibility to the client extends beyond sitting in the chair to every day they are not with them. To be a supreme hairdresser they should care about what is on their client’s bathroom shelf and they should want their work to look it’s best at all times. “I do talk about it but no one buys it”  The team need to understand that the top retailers in your salon are not blessed with a magic clientele, they are just consistently doing their job well. Try sitting the weak retailers with the strong ones for a month. Let them listen and learn from them. Also do a towel test to see what they are actually saying and when, then you can offer them the support to fill in the gaps and improve their language. Towel tests, retail quizzes, and role plays are all great for understanding where their knowledge really is. Offer support and education where needed, monitor them daily, measure their performance and praise where due. Recognising the small efforts made will encourage them no end. Do you notice we have not used the words sell, buy or sold once? Change the tone, change the story — the language we use plants seeds. If you want your team to feel professional and not like salespeople, talk to them with the right language. Without realizing, it will inspire them to think and feel differently. Mary K Roberton is founder of Successus professional salon consulting services, which she says  will take you and your team on a journey of learning and development. Together we will implement and maintain fresh ideas, revitalising your business and taking it to the next level.