Going to the salon to get your hair done can be relaxing and a new change is exciting! The last thing customers want is their hairstylist to act as a pushy salesperson, trying to get you to buy the retail items that the salon sells. We know that selling retail in a salon can be tricky, so we want to share with you—the hairstylist or salon owner—four tips for how to sell your products to your clients without coming off as pushy.
Tip #1: Use the Product During Their Appointment
As a hairstylist, you use at least a couple of products on your client’s hair—if not several. Use the product on their hair during the appointment so that during and after, they can see how amazing your products are and how well they work on their hair. Each client has different hair composition and texture, so make sure you’re using a product that will benefit each client’s specific needs.
Tip #2: Educate Your Client
This tip goes hand in hand with tip #1. While you are doing your client’s hair, tell them about the product that you’re using at the time of application. Make sure you tell them about the benefits of that specific product and why it’d be great for them to use it on a regular basis. Tell your client why you love that product and chances are, they will want to buy it without you having to be pushy about it.
Tip #3: Give Them a Small Sample
If your client is not ready to buy an entire bottle of the product just yet, feel free to give them a small sample that they can take home and use. If you are in charge of purchasing, many manufacturers make the travel size bottles for just this reason. The travel size is the perfect amount to test it out and start seeing results! Don’t forget the basics for how to sell hair products, your customer’s opinion starts with how you present the products—so make sure to show them how to properly use it before you send them home with a sample. Your client will most likely end up loving the product from the sample you gave them, and they will want to purchase a bigger bottle when they come in for their next appointment. Giving your clients samples is a great option because they are inexpensive and easy to give out.
Pro tip: don’t wait until the next appointment to follow up. Wait a couple of weeks and shoot out a text to see how they are loving the product! That will remind them to be thinking about it—so before they come back they have made up their mind! Or bonus, maybe they can swing in between appointments to pick up the product you have recommended.
Tip #4: Have the Product Displayed at Your Salon
This may seem obvious, but make sure that your products are displayed neatly and nicely all around your salon. You can have several products on display at the cash register, so that when they are paying for their hair service, they can see additional products for sale. You can also have a small wall of products in front of the chairs where you wash your clients’ hair. They will most likely ask about the product, which gives you an opportunity to tell them about it, and if it’s not a good fit for them, you can show them other products.
Be Friendly and Don’t Push It
We hope these four tips will help you to sell retail in a salon without being pushy! Use the product on your client’s hair, educate them about it, give them samples, and have plenty of product displayed throughout the salon. We wish you the best of luck on your journey to being a successful hairstylist or salon owner!
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