Lynne Baker
Lynne The Skin!
It always surprises me when our trade customers tell me that they don't "do" retailing, and I've spent the last year finding out why.
As a result of my findings I've written what I consider to be important ideas about retailing, and here they are!
Do feel free to rip them apart, ask questions, challenge me etc!
1: don't think of it as "selling". Your clients want to buy, but they don't want to be sold to. It's recommending the very best product for your client. Listen to your client and recommend the product to solve their problem.
2: "in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king". Your clients come to you because you know more about skincare/haircare/makeup/nails than they do. They look to you for advice and guidance on the best products for their individual condition. Don't disappoint them, make sure you DO know more than they do. Everyones an internet expert these days!
3: Believe! If you believe in the products you can sing their praises to your client. Use the products yourself and tell your clients how brilliant they are! You will lose any shred of credibility if you cant genuinely tell your client what the products have done for you.
4: Understand the products. Once you understand what the products are, what's in them, what they are for and how they work, you can convey that to your client, and prescribe with confidence. Make it a goal to learn at least one product every week until you are confident about the active ingredients. Your distributor will have details just ask for them.
5: Realise the earning power! It's free money! You buy it, and you sell it for more. If you sell a product to every client your bottom line will improve drastically, with no extra effort required. You will rarely make enough money for a decent living unless you increase your revenue with retail. Aim for a minimum of 30% of your total revenue. For every hundred pounds you take in your till £30 of that should be retail.
6: Involve your receptionist! He/She can be an invaluable sales person. Make sure you include them in any product training sessions so that the correct recommended product is placed in front of the client for them to purchase.
8: Catch the moment! Always make sure you have stock of the most popular products - if your client has to come back for the products you've lost the sale. When youre setting your budgets ensure that you factor in retail products.
9: Display your products beautifully. The display should be clear, bright, clean and FULL! If you have display stands it looks awful if theyre half empty, dirty and dishevelled.
10: Keep accurate records of what your client has bought. This serves several purposes. When your client returns you can ask them how theyre getting on with x,y, z product, and they will be impressed with your thoroughness. You cant assess the effectiveness of a product if you cant remember which one they bought! If your client wants to buy it again you have a record of which one it was invariably theyll say, it was the one in the white tube, red pot, clear bottle
11: Invest in sales training for you and your staff. Do not think of it as a net cost; its an investment in your business, and if you listen and learn from it it will pay you back in spades. Your distributor may offer this ask them.
12: Do not take it personally if your client doesnt buy. You have no idea whats going on in their lives to make them either unable or unwilling to make a purchase. If you recommend a product and they refuse this is the point where you give them a sample. They may never buy from you but theyll always remember that you were still generous with them.
13: Dont close your clients purse before theyve even opened it! Do not judge people on the way they look/dress/speak. You dont get rich by spending it is a useful thing to remember! Some of the wealthiest-looking people are the stingiest
14: Recommending the correct products for your clients is part of your professional responsibility. You are failing in that responsibility if you dont. You wouldnt expect to go to your GP and for him to say, yep, you have an infection. See you next month You would expect him to tell you whats wrong, and whats going to fix it. Its the same in our industries too!
Enjoy!
As a result of my findings I've written what I consider to be important ideas about retailing, and here they are!
Do feel free to rip them apart, ask questions, challenge me etc!
1: don't think of it as "selling". Your clients want to buy, but they don't want to be sold to. It's recommending the very best product for your client. Listen to your client and recommend the product to solve their problem.
2: "in the land of the blind, the one eyed man is king". Your clients come to you because you know more about skincare/haircare/makeup/nails than they do. They look to you for advice and guidance on the best products for their individual condition. Don't disappoint them, make sure you DO know more than they do. Everyones an internet expert these days!
3: Believe! If you believe in the products you can sing their praises to your client. Use the products yourself and tell your clients how brilliant they are! You will lose any shred of credibility if you cant genuinely tell your client what the products have done for you.
4: Understand the products. Once you understand what the products are, what's in them, what they are for and how they work, you can convey that to your client, and prescribe with confidence. Make it a goal to learn at least one product every week until you are confident about the active ingredients. Your distributor will have details just ask for them.
5: Realise the earning power! It's free money! You buy it, and you sell it for more. If you sell a product to every client your bottom line will improve drastically, with no extra effort required. You will rarely make enough money for a decent living unless you increase your revenue with retail. Aim for a minimum of 30% of your total revenue. For every hundred pounds you take in your till £30 of that should be retail.
6: Involve your receptionist! He/She can be an invaluable sales person. Make sure you include them in any product training sessions so that the correct recommended product is placed in front of the client for them to purchase.
8: Catch the moment! Always make sure you have stock of the most popular products - if your client has to come back for the products you've lost the sale. When youre setting your budgets ensure that you factor in retail products.
9: Display your products beautifully. The display should be clear, bright, clean and FULL! If you have display stands it looks awful if theyre half empty, dirty and dishevelled.
10: Keep accurate records of what your client has bought. This serves several purposes. When your client returns you can ask them how theyre getting on with x,y, z product, and they will be impressed with your thoroughness. You cant assess the effectiveness of a product if you cant remember which one they bought! If your client wants to buy it again you have a record of which one it was invariably theyll say, it was the one in the white tube, red pot, clear bottle
11: Invest in sales training for you and your staff. Do not think of it as a net cost; its an investment in your business, and if you listen and learn from it it will pay you back in spades. Your distributor may offer this ask them.
12: Do not take it personally if your client doesnt buy. You have no idea whats going on in their lives to make them either unable or unwilling to make a purchase. If you recommend a product and they refuse this is the point where you give them a sample. They may never buy from you but theyll always remember that you were still generous with them.
13: Dont close your clients purse before theyve even opened it! Do not judge people on the way they look/dress/speak. You dont get rich by spending it is a useful thing to remember! Some of the wealthiest-looking people are the stingiest
14: Recommending the correct products for your clients is part of your professional responsibility. You are failing in that responsibility if you dont. You wouldnt expect to go to your GP and for him to say, yep, you have an infection. See you next month You would expect him to tell you whats wrong, and whats going to fix it. Its the same in our industries too!
Enjoy!
xx
