The Retail Journey

Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.

Retail is a huge part of our business, but many shy away from it like the plague. There is a lack of confidence, fear of rejection and lack of knowledge that keeps us from our potential success. I want to share with you some ideas on how you can gain confidence and boost your sales by mind shifting the retail journey and a tactical plan of action.

Every sale has five basic obstacles:

1. No Need

2. No Money

3. No Hurry

4. No Desire

5. No Trust

We need to create a guest experience and incorporate a retail experience as well. If you are educated well on your products and truly believe that they are the answers to healthier beauty and the best home maintence, then you should feel at least 80% more confident in the retail experience. Remember lead with compassion, education and solution seeking attitude. Build a relationship with them so they can trust your guidance and rely on you to help them with their beauty needs.

Here is your key Points that you must hit during the guest experience

1. Why Change

2. Why Change Now

3. Why Change with me

Your focus should be on the following

1. Clients challenges

2. Adding VALUE to the service

3. The Features and Benefits of use Professional Products

4. The RESULTS of using a your professional products

The guest experience for their retail journey start with the consultation. The conversation starts with LISTENING about their frustrations, challenges, wishes. Search for trigger words (Dry, Dull, Oily…),Start with the end in mind, and find out what they are using at home and why. I would recommend not to DUMP all at once your solutions but plant good seeds of what is to come throughout their services on your suggestions to the solutions to their challenges.

Throughout the service say what you are using and why you are using it. As a passionate beauty junkie it can be difficult to hold back on too much information. Yes, I want you to be enthusiastic but too much information can lead a client to overwhelm not purchase.

Create a presentation. Meaning, clean off your station and make it a space that is easy to see what you are using on their hair. You can hand them the product too but at least me conscious of the environment. Select 2-3 products for styling. Maybe even say “If you were to take one thing home today I would definitely take this one home because XYZ.” Again be enthusiastic but KEEP IT SIMPLE. Do not over talk and share about all your products.

Once the service is over recap your service and slightly touch base on what you used. Then walk them over to the retail area and point out all the things you used today. I love opening ONE PRODUCT and have them smell it. I know I love the smell of our products! Then ask “What would you like to take home today?”

Be consistent and practice your script. It needs to feel natural and authentic. You are doing your guest a disservice if you are not educating them on how to take care of their image at home. Don’t assume they don’t need anything, be confident in your education and products, lead with honest compassion.

Remember every no is closer to a YES. Don’t get discouraged just keep your head up and do your best.

To hear more about retail for the ultimate guest experience, tune into my podcast!

Three ways to grow your client base

Hey friends so I’m so excited to share with you my 3 believes on how to be successful behind the chair when starting out and sustaining a growing business:

•EDUCATION 

•SHOW AND TELL  

•WOWING

When you put these three ideas on the front line of how you operate your business it will catapult you from a beginner stylist into a book to stylist. 

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EDUCATION: There is so much more to learn after school. Seek out companies and classes that will help you better yourself as the artist that you dream of becoming. Whether you are obsessed with styling hair, hair color, or you want to be a rockstar 😎 make up artist. After school the homework does not stop, but don’t think that that is a bad thing.  Think of it as your 🔐 Key to success!

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SHOW AND TELL is taking your education and utilize it behind the chair and with your clients.   Show off those new techniques and educate your customers. SHARE WHAT YOU LEARNED. We need to talk about the trends, Healthy beauty,  and the latest ingredients that are on the market used in our hair products or make up products that are beneficial to our skin or hair. Consumers love to here when their personal beauty provider is kicking butt in the industry.  Give them something to brag about!  Consumers are educating themselves through google so be ready for the savvy consumer too. 

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WOWING the client every time.  Have you ever been to a really nice restaurant? I love food and trying new places!  Let me paint you a picture. 

I enter through a door and I’m greeted by a friendly hostess dressed in a clean ironed shirt and smile on her face.  She walks us over to a clean booth with a candle lit  and cushioned seats.  I immediately notice the aromatic smell of food! The music in the background, the ambience, the attitude, the design and feel of the menu, down to the description of the specials from the waiter.  The description makes your mouth water 🤤.  Waiting for the order the drinks are always full.  Our meal is displayed artistically on the plate and is as delicious as it looks. We were thanked for visiting their restaurant and was given a complimentary dessert to finish our meal.  Our experience  👏 WOWED us.  I mean FIVE STARS ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ So, how can you wow your guest like this in your business??

Visualize before you begin

When selecting a place to start a career in the beauty industry there are a few things to visualize first before committing.  Now it doesn’t need to be your entire career but a place that you can grow and thrive for 3-5 years.  If you bounce around too much it will be difficult to create consistency and build a business. 

1. What type of work do you want to do

2. Who will you work with

3. What is the career path 

What type of work do you want to do- this could be men’s haircutting, bridal, makeup, etc..  Choose an environment that these clients would be drawn to visiting.  Is it a masculine place, a spa like environment, or maybe it’s being onset doing a Photoshoots or fashion shows. You will need to do your homework, visit these places, and don’t be afraid to be selective.  

Who will you work with?- You can get a good sense of attitude during a visit or phone conversation if it gives you a welcoming vibe or not.  You are the equivalent to 5 people you spend the most time with.  So if these worker bees are not successful and loving life then ...you won’t be either 😳

What is the career path?-

  Continuing education, tracked goals, increase pay.  All of these will contribute to your end goal of why you should work harder/smarter.   If you don’t hear about these things in your interview then I would immediately put up a red flag 🚩CAUTION!  Continuing education in my mind is the key to success and staying in the game.  Make sure your team holds this as a high value and believe!

Hopes this helps as I always hear from new artist starting in their career.  I’ll share a few ideas for those starting a suite too but we all start somewhere and I do believe a good salon with continuing education will be an amazing stepping stone for most! And believe me the hardest part is the beginning!