Getting staff to sell is literally a huge pain in the butt for most salon owners. If you’re not one of them then you are in the lucky minority.

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 guidance and ongoing support!

Resistance to selling by salon staff is not big news.

Whether it be selling additional services or a few products at the end of the treatment, 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”.

There is only one leader in any salon, and this is the person who must take responsibility to ensure their staff not only make additional sales but actually, enjoy doing it.

Why won’t they sell?

After  working with many salon teams , I have discovered a few facts about how selling is perceived by staff 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 enough 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, first and foremost, to begin changing the negative mindset that your staff have around selling.

Until your staff believe that they are doing the right thing by their clients, little will change and no amount of teaching sales tips and techniques is going to improve your sales for more than a few days.

At your next team meeting try asking your team to list the many benefits that can be achieved:

1. When the client is equipped with the right products at home to achieve a fantastic long term result.
   
2. For themselves as an important and productive member of the salon team
3. For the salon and the impact it will have on everyone.

Make sure that you are not the one doing all the talking, as it is only when the ideas come from them that they will believe what is being said.

By getting your staff to focus on how beneficial it is for the client to have the right products, and how if they withhold that from their clients they are not helping them but hindering their results, they will begin to have a change in the negative mindset they have developed around selling.

Selling Action Plan

Start by making a list of 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.

For each problem, create an action list that you can tick off as you achieve it – like a “to do” list.

For instance, if one of the reasons you believe your staff are not selling enough retail is that they don’t know enough about the product then your goal and action plan would look like this:

Goal: To improve my teams knowledge of XYZ product range by the end of this month.

Action Steps:

1. Ask product supplier to provide on sight training focusing on product ingredients and benefits for different conditions
   • To do by:  End of month
   • Person responsible to organize: Salon Manager
2. Run a 15 minute team meeting each morning  where each staff member will take it in turn to train the team on one nominated product from the range
   • To do by: Commence next Monday
   • Person responsible to organize: Salon Manager
3. Give each team member a sample pack of the product range suited to their skin type – speak to supplier re free products for this
   • To do by: End of this week
   • Person responsible: Salon owner
4. Develop  and run a 30 question product quiz for team members where the top score wins full kit of skincare (supplier to provide)
   • To do by: End of month
   • Person responsible to organize: Salon Manager
5. Set into salon diary to repeat in 4 months time
   • To do by: Today
   • Person responsible to organize: Salon Owner

Don’t wait another day to start making the changes you need to lead you to success in your salon.

Small changes today can result in big improvements in your bottom line, so start small today and think BIG for the future in your salon.

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.