As an esthetician, you put great effort into each service you provide your clients. But one of the most often overlooked and mutually beneficial skills an esthetician can have is the ability to properly retail and sell. Esthetician retail and sales skills are every bit as important to an esthetics business as delivering an excellent service. Most of your clients are coming to you for one reason: RESULTS. While the spa services themselves are beneficial to optimal skin health, your clients also need the home care tools to maintain their skin.
WHY IS IT SO HARD?
Retail sales are a scary avenue for many to navigate. You already know that your clients don’t want to be “sold” anything, and you know it will involve extra talking, quick thinking and knowledge to back up your sales pitch. As a working esthetician and esthetics educator, I hear every excuse under the sun to get out of selling product:
“The client was in a hurry!” “They already have products at home!” “I gave them samples.”
The list of rationalizations goes on and on. However you are doing a huge disservice to yourself and your client if you do not attempt to sell them a product. While even the word “sell” may make you shudder, you need to get over it, and get out of your own way!
WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?
Retail product sales add value to your business, both monetarily and professionally. A self-employed esthetician experiences an increased revenue stream as retail sales rise, leading to a larger budget for newer, better products and machines — and more money overall! An esthetician who works for a spa and sells retail is a more valuable employee than one who doesn’t generate this extra income for their employer. Many businesses offer bonuses to top sellers in the form of money or product in addition to the commission on their sales.
Many new estheticians fail to recognize that retail sales are one of the best ways to build a client base and provide them with the most complete service. Clients need products to use at home that support and maintain the benefits from their services, and it is your duty as an esthetician to provide guidance on their product choices. Selling effective products is an excellent way to build trust and guarantee repeat business, as clients will return to you to get their refills, change their skin care each season (based on your recommendation), and to get your advice on all things related to their skin.
SUCCESSFUL SELLING
Many clients simply don’t understand the benefits of treating their skin at home in addition to receiving their regular services, and initially need a gentle nudge before they agree to even try a home care regimen. In these cases, a good esthetician retail tactic is to use an analogy as a sales technique. For example:
“Everyone goes to the dentist for deep cleanings, but they still brush and floss at home, right?”
This parallel comparison effectively conveys the purpose of a home care regimen between sessions. Taking a concept that isn’t part of their daily life and relating it to a regular routine may be all it takes to change one’s entire perspective on home care.
After your client comes floating out of the spa room from their satisfying service, the last thing they are interested in is a lengthy sales pitch. Consider the following gentle esthetician retail approach instead: Before the client leaves, find the products you want to recommend to them. Line the products up in the order of an ideal regimen from start to finish as a visual. Then pull forward one or two products from the line that you want them to take home that day. The reasoning behind this approach is that it’s easier for people to purchase part of a series than it is to make one big investment. By looking at the entire lineup of five products, they see a chunk of money they’ll have to spend. Highlighting specific products out of this group softens the experience so that they don’t feel overwhelmed. They don’t feel as if they need to spend as much upfront, and they now know to expect product recommendations at future visits. While discussing the products, keep the information short and sweet, but descriptive. Name key ingredients and their benefits, but don’t go into too much detail — or you’ll be watching your clients’ eyes glaze over as they nod their head in agreement and then leave without purchasing anything.
FOCUS ON THE CLIENT
Clients want to feel in control. They want your esthetician retail guidance without feeling like you are telling them what to do, and they want to be the ones who make the final decision. Don’t be pushy, and never sell a product just for the sake of selling something. If you push home care simply because of commission or sales requirements, and not because it is the best product for the client, they won’t get the results they want, and you will lose that client. If the client declines and you persist, you will lose them. If the client feels that they are just a number to you, and that you don’t care about what they want or need, you will lose them.
RETAIL QUALITY
Another important aspect to consider is the quality of the products you retail. If you are purchasing your own products, do diligent research and choose items based on experience. Ask product representatives to send you sample items before investing, and learn about any ingredients you don’t recognize. Be cautious of cheap, filler ingredients, as many of today’s clients are product savvy and will know that they don’t want to put products containing those ingredients on their skin. If you work for a spa, ask for additional esthetician retail training on the line your employer carries, or shadow a seasoned seller to learn the proper wording to describe the products. You are better able to sell something that you understand and believe in.
SMART SAMPLING
Free sample giveaways can be your best friend or your worst enemy. While sampling can be a great way to introduce a new product to your clients, it is wise to limit sample giveaways only to clients who are already making a purchase. For example, if they are purchasing a scrub, give them a sample of a masque that can work well alongside it.
Many estheticians provide their clients with too many free samples. New estheticians often “feed” samples to clients instead of offering them the fullsize product. This misguided generosity is a business killer! Rather than building adequate relationships with clients, oversampling simply makes them sample hungry. It also makes you appear unsure about what you are offering and why. A sample should be one of your go-to sales tools for clients who are hesitant to make a purchase. This doesn’t mean giving them a sample and sending them on their way — you will probably never see them again. Instead, sell them the full-size product and offer a few complimentary samples of that same product as well. Instruct them to use the sample prior to opening and using the full-size item. This also works well for businesses that cannot take returns of open products, as it offers the client a feeling of safety when making their purchase. In most cases, the client never tries to make a return.
Every successful esthetician knows the value of proper retailing and sales to maintaining a strong business and full appointment book. It’s not just about selling products, but building long-lasting, trustbased relationships that are beneficial to both you and your clients.
