Getting Your Staff to Sell, Sell and Sell Some More!

Getting staff to sell is literally a huge pain in the butt for most salon owners.  Are you one of them?
Would you like your staff to sell more product and make more money for your salon?  I can almost see you nodding your head as you read this blog!
It is possible and you can do it - but like most worthwhile things in life, you have to put in a little effort to reap a great reward.

Your staff can sell more retail but they need your help!

Resistance to selling by salon staff is not big news. It seems to be a common problem suffered by most salons but can we simply just place all the blame on the shoulders of those we employ?
Of course the answer is a simple but emphatic "NO".


Why won't they sell?
After surveying many salon teams about this situation, I have come up with a few reasons that really stand out from the rest.  They are:

• They don't want to feel that they are being pushy with their clients
• They don't want to risk losing their friendly relationship
• They don't think that their clients can afford a service and retail at the same time
• They think that the clients will like them better if they don't try to sell them anything
• They don't really believe that the products are worth the money being asked for them
• They don't really have enough knowledge about the products to make a good recommendation
• They don't get rewarded for making additional sales
• They don't get enought external motivation on a daily basis to keep selling
• They don't have time to recommend retail between services, and the biggy is
• They don't want to face REJECTION from their clients.

What can you do about it?
Lots!
There is not just one answer to cover all the reasons why your staff are not selling as much retail as they could.  Each of the reasons I have listed above is valid in the eyes of your staff and therefore each one needs to be dealt with and a solution found.
I believe it is important to begin by changing the mindset that your staff have around selling, first and formost. Until this happens, no amount of sales tips and techniques training is going to improve your sales for more than a few days. 

Action Plan
Try listing out all the reasons why your staff are not selling as much as they could be, and then begin to think about what you can do to overcome each problem area. Why not ask them to participate in this process so that you can achieve greater buy in from your team
At your next team meeting try asking them to tell you about the great benefits that can be achieved for the client, the salon and most importantly for themselves when a client is equipped with the right products to achieve a fantastic long term result.  Lets face it, clients want to look and feel great for longer than a few days after they have been to your salon....don't they?

Zig Ziglar said: People often say, "Zig motivation is great, but it does not last." I just tell them, Bathing does not last either, that is why I recommend it daily.
If you would like to know more about improving your teams sales results, grab a copy of my new book 3 1/2 Secrets to Salon Success

Wishing you prosperity and success in 2011
Pam

Photographer: Idea Go