Mizani conference

Olive Miller, owner of Asphair in London’s Brixton, was at the second Mizani Business Building Event, Talking Retail When it comes to working in the salon, few tasks are feared more than retailing. So when the premium Afro hair brand Mizani invited my team to the L’Oréal International Academy for a complimentary course on successful retailing, we jumped at the chance. The second in a series of Mizani Business Building Seminars, Talking Retail, promised to banish the fears surrounding retailing to help receptionists, stylists and owners recommend products with confidence. It didn’t disappoint.Charmaine Patch, technical consultant for Mizani, explained that 64% of women buying a hair product from the salon did so because of a hairdresser’s recommendation, which puts us in the perfect position to help clients and boost our bottom line. Retailing, though, isn’t just about ‘selling’ and Charmaine suggested ways to maximise success. Clients are more likely to buy if they can see, smell and touch the products, and a well-lit stand can boost sales by up to 37%. Once we were sure our retail environment was in order, said Charmaine, we should strive to offer ‘golden service’. If we wanted clients to buy products, merely satisfying them was no longer enough – we had to delight them. She recommended adopting the Japanese approach to customer care, where the client is given a god-like status. By offering a range of products to suit their needs, providing a polite, attentive and professional all-round service we could feel confident they would leave our salon smiling. The next stage of the course was the one I found the most powerful. In order to retail successfully, Charmaine suggested we should follow a Five-Step System – consultation, product features, benefits, ‘you appeal’ and demonstration. She highlighted the importance of creating the need for advice with a thorough consultation, then explaining to the client the features and benefits of products. You then show clients why the product will appeal to them before demonstrating how to use it. We were each given an item from the Mizani range to recommend to the rest of the group. Using Charmaine’s advice I held a consultation, then told the group the product I was recommending helped define natural curls and waves (features), that it contained natural ingredients to keep the hair silky smooth and frizz-free (benefits), that the client would love it because it smells gorgeous and has a light formula that won’t cause build up (appeal), then showed them what to do to achieve stunning results. Following this method was straightforward and I could see my team were starting to realise that retailing wasn’t so scary after all. Finally, we learnt about the importance of good communication skills. Using positive body language, listening and asking the right questions were key. During a role play demonstration the group felt the ‘client’ looked more relaxed when I respected his personal space, gave him my full attention and listened carefully to his requests. As a salon owner I understand the importance of retailing, but wanted to ensure all my team did too. With some clients visiting the salon only four or five times a year, it’s essential they have the right products to maintain their hair in between visits and who better to recommend the right products than us? Learning to create an enticing retail environment, providing a ‘golden service’, great communication skills and following the five-step process ensured that everyone left the Mizani Business Building Seminar feeling more knowledgeable, confident and ready to retail!