Recommending different products to clients can be difficult, especially when you are upselling certain items. Hannah Gay spoke to respected salon industry sales coach Neil Osborne about the best ways professionals can guide clients to their best skin.
1. Ask open-ended questions
“Practice your open-ended questions to bring out the real reason your client is wanting something and then guide them to what they need, to achieve that want. Most people listen with the intent to interrupt.”
2. Practice positive reinforcement
“[As a manager], you need to acknowledge the behaviour you want more of from your team. Notice when team members are doing things right and offer a short and positive acknowledgement. You’ll then start to see more of the behaviour you acknowledged. The key is to focus on what you want more of, not what you’re not getting.”
3. Get the the right details
“A common mistake I experience is therapists ask their clients what product(s) they use. The client then defends the brand they’ve either previously chosen or worse, a friend had recommended to them. Once that happens, it’s a losing battle. Instead, ask your client what their skin routine is – all women have a morning and evening one. Avoid asking about brands! Instead, listen for the gaps and start there, maybe with a serum or eye cream. Works every time.”
4. Try an alternative approach
“Stop selling, start upgrading. Why? Because nobody likes being sold, yet everyone loves to be upgraded. Think about how you can rephrase your offer, and ways you can ‘let them’ buy. The language most therapists use can make it hard for a client to comfortably buy.”
A version of this article first appeared in the July-August issue of our print magazine.
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