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

Sold!

Ever since I got back from Canada, my household electrical items have all decided to go on the fritz.  I am sure it is a conspiracy.  Something concocted between them while I was away as payback for leaving them to the mercy of unknown housesitters.

Well whatever the reason may be, I have had to purchase 2 new kitchen appliances already and dread what the rest of the week may bring.  Being the internet prowler that I am, I have been busily researching which appliances I would buy and how I could get them for the best possible price .  So this afternoon, armed with all my new found info, I decided to hit the shops......again.  I did try it earlier in the week and came home empty handed and very disappointed.  You know how it is when you have decided to spend your money and don't.  I was frustrated.  I had found the perfect applicances but no one seemingly wanted to take my money.

Photo by Arvind Balaraman

I had hit 2 big name electrical appliance stores and in the first store, every microwave that I enquired about was "fantastic", "wonderful" and "incredible".  Naturally I was confused because surely they could not all be so amazing.  Where were the questions about what I needed, where was the guidance toward the best product for me, where was the customer service I wanted?  Obviously on holidays (which is where I was wishing I still was).

The second big retailer, believe it or not, was even worse.  I wandered through the aisles and aisles of microwaves looking suitably forlorn and in need of help but alas, not one of the many salespeople even bothered to come my way and offer some assistance.  Eventually I tracked down a salesperson who was cleverly hiding behind a big stainless steel refrigerator and asked her about a rangehood I had researched.  She pointed to a far corner of the store and said "They're over that way". Sigh!

Finally this afternoon, I hit gold.  I had not been in this particular store for more than 20 seconds before a fantastic fellow by the name of Mark (we'll call him that because that was his name), put aside a job he was in the middle of doing and came over to help.  Well, needless to say, this story had a happy ending and I left the shop almost $800 poorer but oh so much happier.

When I think back over it now, Mark really didn't do anything extra-ordinary, but what he did do was approach me quickly, ask me some good questions, give me genuine guidance and best of all carried my purchases out to the car for me.

It doesn't take much to stand out above the crowd and make the sale.  Friendly, genuine service was all Mark needed to provide to pursuade me to part with my money.

What do you think it will take to make your customers part with their money so readily in your salon?

Wishing you prosperity and success
Pam