Professional skin care product sales, or retail sales, are a pillar of a spa's revenue potential. Recommending and retailing professional skin care products improves client relationships, prolongs treatment results and creates beautiful, long-lasting changes in clients' skin. So why do most spas fall short on in this area?
It's time for spas, medical spas and solo estheticians to reclaim their retail sales and increase their revenue. Here are my five tips to do just that.
1. Start with a Mindset Shift
It's time to remind our staff that retail sales belong to the spa and esthetician, without question! Put simply, we are the trained experts analyzing, advising, touching, massaging, extracting and treating our clients' skin.
Let's own the fact that estheticians are educated experts and will be the most qualified individuals to offer the best advice on at-home product suggestions to clients. TV ads, sales personnel at the beauty counters, and celebrity-endorsed beauty brands can often mislead clients, in terms of how they appropriately select skin care for themselves.
Stand a little taller, take a deep breath and feel confident about your expert role as a skin care advisor. Be a trusted resource and beacon of knowledge on which your clients can rely.
2. Talk Retail Sales in Your Initial Consultation
Your initial consultation will typically include going over client intake paperwork, discussing goals and concerns, analyzing the skin and discussing treatment options. However, many estheticians forget to mention that clients need to be advised in their initial consult about the importance of professional skin care products for home use to ensure positive outcomes.
Be sure to say that compliance with professional skin care products at home is part of your process, and make sure they are onboard from the get-go. A non-negotiable attitude when it comes to retail sales is one that makes the client feel confident in your skills, knowledge and imparts a feeling of care and commitment.
It's not to say that you require a massive purchase right off the bat, but that in terms of creating successful outcomes, customized, at-home professional skin care is a must.
3. Explain Products Throughout the Service
Yes, oftentimes, facials are quiet and tranquil services for our clients. However, with proper timing and style of speaking, you can introduce, explain and recommend retail products throughout the entire session flawlessly.
It's as simple as softly telling the client the name of the product you're using and the benefits of it, throughout the service. Clients want to know what you are putting on their skin, more often than not, so be sure to share that information.
Of course, there are times when it is not appropriate to speak during the facial and allow the client their quiet time. However, it is crucial to know when to explain product choices and benefits so that clients can be informed about their treatments and educated on product ingredients.
Moreover, if you are waiting until the end of the service to initiate a dialog about home care products, it's too late! Clients are off to their next appointment or going back to work and an esthetician may have their next client waiting for them in the lobby.
It's better to use your session time to prime your client for retail sales instead of relying on the few minutes available after the treatment.
4. Pull Products Off Shelves for Clients to Hold
After the service, it is crucial that you follow through and show clients the actual bottles of product that you recommend for them. Let clients look, touch, smell, and hold packaging and testers — this will create a connection with them.
Many estheticians make the mistake of signaling to product shelves or pointing to products barely visible through dusty, glass cabinet doors — it just doesn't work!
Help clients feel comfortable and familiar with the professional skin care offerings at your spa by pulling the products off the shelf and creating a customized regimen for them that they can see and hold. Just like therapeutic touch is a cornerstone on spa services, touching and experiencing retail products will make the client feel more comfortable and apt to purchase them.
5. Write it All Down
Just like a physician hands a patient a written prescription for a medication with instructions on how and when to use it, estheticians needs to write down and explain retail product instructions. It is crucial for a client to see a written prescription style pad of all of the products you recommend for them morning and night with details of how and when to use them.
Be sure to date and photocopy this list so that you can give one to the client and keep the other for your records. That way, if your client has questions or only purchases a portion of those items on the list, you will have everything organized for future reference.
This process will show commitment and professionalism on the part of the esthetician and make the client feel well taken care of and valued.
Follow these five, easy tips to reclaim your retail sales at your spa or medical spa today! Enjoy increased client retention and satisfaction along with increased revenue and profits.
