august 009 - Stylist and Salon Newspapers

Are Your Clients Reaching for Retail?
Beauty
Business Buzz
Charlene Abretske
Living in this super fast-paced world where
new innovations are introduced daily and
technology travels at the speed of light, we can
easily get trapped into thinking the new and
hottest items in the beauty industry are going
to magically fly off shelves and into all of our
clients’ hands with ease.
Many of you have probably purchased
products you were told would do just that,
but ended up gathering cobwebs, eventually
to be sold at a deep discount just to get your
retail space back for products you know are old
favorites.
You do need to keep up with the latest
trends and products within your product lines,
but make sure you are asking yourself, “How
is this product relevant to my clients and why
aren’t they reaching for it?”
You may have been surprised at what items
you have offered in the past that actually became
best-sellers among your clients. Here are a
few simple guidelines when choosing products.
PROXIMITY — Think about what products
have not saturated your general proximity
and look for items people need and want.
I once had a client who lived in a very
small rural community in the Midwest, who
had a small one chair salon. She knew there
must be a way to capitalize on the nearest big
box store being 90 minutes away and the nearest
drug store being 30 minutes away. She had
always had decent hair product sales, based on
proximity and educating her clients. When she
actually added hair accessories her clients were
clamoring for more and she knew proximity
could play a huge role for other retail items she
could offer.
After the popularity of the hair accessories
the clients asked specifically for other items
like earrings, bracelets, scarves and sunglasses.
Her retail sales eclipsed her service sales and
her one chair salon became the fashion hub for
several towns nearby.
EXCLUSIVITY — Scarcity immediately
increases value of a desired item. This is a
tricky one. Just because you are the exclusive
salon or spa to carry a certain item does not
mean it will immediately be a hit. Choose
items your clients would like to have. You may
hear from salespeople this is an item everyone
wants and needs, a little homework in this
category will go a long way.
When you are approached by salespeople
you have not worked with in the past, or
are at a trade show and hear how you must
choose right at that moment whether or not to
purchase a large amount of product and you
will be missing out on the best opportunity of
the millennium – pause and say, “May I have
several samples to try out on my clients to see
if this product is relevant for them?”
When you slow down the “speeding train”
of the sale, you will save tremendous time,
money and heartache. We all want that magic
bullet product our clients refuse to do without
and they can only get from us, but in reality we
all know there has to be some homework done
in order to make a proper choice.
Regularly survey your clients who are in
the salon to find out what they want and ask
the manufacturer or distributor what kind of
support you will have to educate your staff and
clients on the particular item – then and only
then say “yes or no.”
LIFESTYLE — Think about the individuals
who make up your client base. What
does their lifestyle say about them and how
they relate to your business? One company
who mastered this is Starbucks; they offered
the ability to create a cult-like following over
coffee with two simple rules.
1. Allow people to feel special by allowing
them to have their own special delicious
concoction and writing their name on it.
2. Create a culture around coffee that
appeals to their patrons including mugs, accessories
and music.
I am not advocating that you begin serving
coffee, selling mugs, or creating a music label,
but knowing their clients lifestyle allowed
Starbucks to increase revenue not only in what
they offered on their menu but also by what
was on their shelves.
Look at lifestyle patterns among your
clients. Many transcend age, income and
regional differences. A good example of this is
“comfort and pampering” items. Who doesn’t
love exquisitely soft socks in the winter time or
a tropical scented candle on a summer night?
Another example is the “green movement;”
you can appeal to the masses while
providing clients with luxurious lotions with
the best ingredients or adorable handmade
handbags made from recycled materials. Look
for items with “broad lifestyle appeal”. Consumers
like it when you provide them with
products that give a positive feeling about who
they are.
When you follow the simple rules before
you give away your hard earned cash you will
be setting yourself up for success and providing
your clients with the products that will
allow them to reach out and buy something
relevant to what they want, need and simply
can’t do without.
Charlene Abretske is a business advisor with Your Beauty Network and
supports salons and spas with growing their businesses through on demand
back office tools designed for beauty professionals. For more information call
(866)364-4926 or email info@iybn.com.
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| AUGUST 2009 | CALIFORNIA STYLIST & SALON