Salon Upselling and Cross-selling Techniques.
Salon Upselling and Cross-selling Techniques.
Salon upselling and cross-selling techniques are something all salon owners should know and use. By following the easy and practical techniques in this article, your business will experience improved client relationships and increased revenue.
When used correctly, upselling and cross-selling can benefit both you and your clients. So let’s get down to business.
What is Salon Upselling and Cross-selling?
Upselling is a technique where you encourage a client to purchase a product or service of higher value. On the other hand, cross-selling is when you persuade a client to buy a related or complementary product or service.
Upselling and cross-selling are often confused, so here is an easy to remember example;
The staff at McDonald’s are famous for their upselling and cross-selling skills. Think of that famous line, “Do you want fries with that?” That’s cross-selling. Whereas upselling is, “Would you like to upgrade to a large soda? It’s so simple; teenagers can do it.
But Beware! These two sales techniques are only successful when the sale benefits both you and your client. If you try to take advantage of your client and push useless or unwanted products and services, you run the risk of looking money hungry and untrustworthy.
Solve Your Client’s Problems.
If you look at salon upselling and cross-selling as a sales technique that solves a problem for your client, you are on your way to mastering this strategy.
Successful salon upselling and cross-selling requires you to know your clients and products well.
What is your client trying to achieve? What do they dislike about their hair or skin? Do you have a new product line that would help this client achieve better results?
By understanding your client’s problems and suggesting an add-on treatment or product that fulfills their needs shows a deeper level of care and understanding.
“Don’t find customers for your products, find products for your customers” Seth Godin
Poor recommendations may damage your clients trust in you or cause resentment. No one likes to spend their hard-earned money on useless treatments or products.
So please take the time to provide a thorough consultation to understand everything you can about your clients style, personality, needs and wants. Be sure to record everything on your client’s card for future reference.
Salon Upselling and Cross-selling Education.
The key to confident and successful selling lies in knowledge and knowledge comes from educating yourself and your team.
Having a thorough understanding of your products shows your expertise and can encourage a client to accept your recommendations. Product knowledge also ensures you can answer any queries from a client. Again, showcasing your expertise.
Another thing to consider, is to only stock products that you genuinely think has merit or will benefit your particular clientele. Stocking products that align with your salons brand is also essential. Continuity in your business vision creates a more powerful message to clients.
Offering products that set you apart from your competitors can also increase your chances of cross-selling. Exclusive merchandise is very enticing to clients. Many studies have shown that most people view more expensive and exclusive products as better in quality.
Most suppliers are happy to send a sales rep to your salon to educate both you and your staff about their products. Always ask for samples so you and your team can personally trial the products. Experiencing the product yourself gives you a better understanding of the client experience.
Client Education.
Client education is a brilliant way to encourage a client to buy a product or upsell to a higher-end treatment.
Remember, your clients won’t buy your products just to do you a favour, they buy because your product or service will make their life better in some way.
Encouraging an at-home treatment routine with your products is also another great way to cross-sell. Even if your client can’t buy everything you recommend, send them home with some samples, if possible.
Giving your client a brochure explaining your products is also a great way to encourage future purchases.
The more informed and empowered your clients are, the more satisfied and confident they will be in their choices.
Salon Upselling and Cross-selling Opportunities.
Every interaction with your client has upselling and cross-selling potential. Encourage and educate your team to spot sale opportunities.
Providing incentives to increase product sales can also encourage staff to work on their upselling and cross-selling techniques.
Making sales more fun by making a game of it can stimulate your team to participate. Every month, provide a prize to the staff member with the most product sales.
Konnects reporting tool makes this easy as you can search your staff performance by sales.
You can also search the Konnect database to find which products are the best performers.
Enquiries and Bookings.
When answering enquiries or taking a booking, always suggest your premium treatments first and work your way down to less expensive treatments. Now your client will consider a treatment or service they may not have even thought about before contact.
Always look for the opportunity to change a single treatment to a package deal. Why? Firstly, you are guaranteed repeat visits, and secondly, you are providing a more cost-effective option for your client. Happy client, happy you!
The Waiting Room.
When sitting in your waiting room, expose your clients to all the beautiful products and services you offer via eye-catching posters, brochures and displays.
Before and after look-books are also a great way to instil confidence in your abilities and to encourage future treatments that your client may not have considered.
Consultations.
During a client consult, remember to use open-ended questions such as “How do you care for your hair/skin at home?” or “What are the main issues you face with your hair/skin?” By understanding your client’s habits and issues, you can make appropriate and useful treatment or product suggestions.
Konnect gives you the ability to customise client questionnaire forms, which the client can fill out on a tablet upon arrival. Furthermore, you can track your client’s progress by including before and after pictures.
Engage With Clients During Treatments.
During your client’s treatment, keep conversations friendly and always listen out for upcoming events that your client mentions.
These are great opportunities for you to suggest a particular treatment or product to enhance their look for the occasion.
Do they have a holiday coming up? Suggest a travel-friendly product or encourage them to book an appointment before their trip, so they are looking fresh and radiant.
Always use products you sell during the treatment to pique your client’s interest. Use this opportunity to cross-sell products that will help your client achieve their skin or hair goals.
Start a dialogue about the product. Use lead-in statements like “Smell this, isn’t it divine? It’s a new range we are carrying” or “This shampoo/cleanser is so lovely, we are using it on all our clients now, and it’s perfect for your hair/skin”.
Compliments are also a great way to start talking about a product. You can say things like “Your curls are gorgeous. If you have trouble keeping them in check, I have this great new smoothing serum”. Get the idea?
Be careful not to sound pushy or insincere and keep the conversation light and friendly. If your client is not interested, simply move on to another topic and educate your client when you can.
Packages and Promotions.
Savvy salon owners know the power of seasonal or holiday promotions and bundled packages.
These are a great way to increase your sales. Social media is your best friend when it comes to seasonal promotions. Use fun and attractive pictures to encourage your clients to purchase a great money-saving deal for themselves or as a gift.
Make sure you have your “book now” feature activated, so you don’t miss out on online bookings or sales. To learn more about the advantages of online bookings click here.
Sending out SMS or email marketing promotions are also a fantastic salon upselling and cross-selling technique. Offering discounts on higher-end services and products can entice clients to try a service they may not usually consider. Konnect makes sending out SMS or email targeted marketing promotions easy.
Beautiful packaging will also encourage clients to buy gifts around Christmas, Mother’s day, or Valentine’s day. So take advantage of these high spending seasons with free social media advertising.
What Not To Do.
So we’ve covered all the great techniques you can use when upselling and cross-selling, but there are things you should avoid doing to make a sale.
Never be pushy or insistent. Your client will not appreciate such treatment. Don’t take it personally if your client declines to purchase something, as you don’t know their financial situation.
Never suggest a treatment or product that won’t benefit your client. This will only deter your client from listening to your recommendations in the future and will reduce trust.
Always be upfront about costs to your client. They need to be fully informed of the cost when going ahead with a treatment or once again, you will lose your clients trust.
And finally, never take advantage of your client in any way. You will lose clients this way, and you may even develop a bad business reputation.
Conclusion.
Look at salon upselling and cross-selling as a positive sales technique designed to help solve your client’s problems.
Aim to improve your sales technique to encourage business growth and drive more sales.
Take advantage of Konnects handy features to help you record and measure your upselling and cross-selling success.
Konnect provides you with the simple, easy-to-use tools to successfully run day-to-day operations in your salon.
Not using Konnect Spa and Salon Software? Sign up for a free demonstration today.
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