Five Tips to Help Hairstylists Sell Salon Products

If your hair salon shelves are loaded with salon products that aren’t selling, you might need to change your sales strategy — or better yet, change the focus of your sales pitch so that it’s more about the customer than the product.

According to the latest Professional Salon Industry Haircare Study released from Professional Consultants & Resources, US salon services and product sales reached revenues of $63 billion in 2017, representing an increase of two percent over the previous year. The study also said that approximately 257,000 US salons (and barbershops) sell salon haircare products.

For many salon owners, however, the most interesting statistics are those that reveal which products are selling the best. Recent studies show that hair coloring services make up at least 31 percent of salon service revenues; and color-care salon products, such as shampoos and conditioners that extend the life of the coloring job, are some of the biggest sellers in the industry.

These statistics aren’t surprising, because when it comes to hair coloring services and products, most customers would prefer to be guided by a stylist they can trust, an expert hairstylist with years of training and experience. And in the end, that element of trust is what makes a hair stylist so successful — and it can also make or break a salon.

These five tips show how a hairstylist can build trust, while customizing their sales strategy more towards the needs of their clients.

  1. 1. Persuade Clients That Salon Products Are A Good Investment

Clients pay a lot of money for services such as a good haircut, color or perm job. Clients trust their hairstylists to provide tips — as well as products — that can help optimize their hair health and beauty. Toward this end, high quality salon products are a good investment, because they can extend the life of a color or perm job, and make a good haircut look salon fresh every day. If the hairstylist can convince clients that their salon products will achieve this, then they’ve got a sale.

  1. Only Sell Products You Believe in and Trust

It’s essential for hairstylists to only sell products that they honestly believe will benefit their clients and optimize their salon services. If their products don’t work, they’ll not only lose future sales; they might also lose a client. Hairstylists survive on repeat customers and word of mouth. People will only come back to the hairstylist if they can trust the hairstylist and believe in them.

As a hairstylist, they’re a trusted part of someone’s physical regimen team. This means that they not only have the expertise and tools to create a top-notch hair style; they also have specific products that will improve their clients’ hair and scalp health, as well as their overall well-being. As a professional dealing with the physical health of clients, a hairstylist has a responsibility to their clients to only offer the best available products — ones that will work and improve the health of their hair and scalp.

  1. Explain Why Salon Products are Better

Clients can choose among thousands of budget-priced drugstore hair products, so the hairstylist needs to be able to explain to the client exactly why salon products are better quality, as well as why they’re worth the higher cost.

According to the experts, good salon products contain higher concentrations — sometimes as much as five times higher — of active ingredients that can contribute to hair/scalp health. In addition, many salon products contain high amounts of natural ingredients that are more expensive to harvest and process.

It may require some homework; but if the hairstylist can educate themselves as to why their salon products are better, they’ll be able to persuade their client, too.

  1. Choose the Right Items for the Right Client

In today’s world, sales are all about customization and the hairstylist can apply this to their salon strategy as well. Before each appointment, make a note of items that can help each individual client with their specific issues — such as dry scalp, or brittle hair. Likewise, if a client has a health condition they know about, such as allergies, recommend hypoallergenic products that will suit their client’s condition. The hairstylist will find that their customers will appreciate the individual attention, and this appreciation can lead to sales.

  1. Don’t Push or Use Hard Sell Tactics

Nothing can damage a hairstylists reputation faster than hard-sell tactics. If they’re too pushy, they’ll hurt their credibility and come across as someone who only cares about the money, not about their clients’ welfare. Don’t insist — instead, make recommendations; and temper one’s enthusiasm with the understanding that sometimes clients simply can’t afford to invest in extra products this time around.

In the end, their success as a hairstylist (and in selling salon products) comes down to a matter of trust. By gaining clients’ trust, they’ll develop a loyal following; but they can only gain that trust by recommending specific products that they know will help each client. If they implement this strategy by focusing on the customer’s wellbeing rather than their daily sales revenue, customers will keep coming back — not only for the hairstylist services, but for more salon products, too.