Summer Marketing Ideas for Salons and Spas

Selling retail products at your salon is a great way to supplement your business's income. Not only do retail products offer high profit margins, but studies show that clients are significantly more likely to return if they purchase a salon product at the end of their appointment. Not all stylists are salespeople, however, so as the salon owner it's important to encourage your staff to sell, sell, sell! Here are three simple ways you can help motivate your salon employees to sell more retail.

1. Offer employee discounts and free samples.

In order to sell a product, you need to know it inside and out. One of the best ways to help your salon employees feel more comfortable selling salon products is to make it easy for them to use the products themselves, which you can do by offering an employee discount or by giving away free samples. This way, your employees can familiarize themselves with the products and give compelling, firsthand testimonials to clients about their use and efficiency. Actually using the products they're promoting is one of the strongest endorsements your employees can give.

2. Incentivize your team.

Another effective way to motivate your team members to sell more retail is to incentivize your staff. For example, you could create a monthly contest that rewards whoever sells the most retail products, or consider giving your employees a small percentage of their sales revenue as a commission. In addition, some salon product manufacturers offer incentives to salon owners who sell a lot of retail. Consider reaching out to your vendors to find out if there are any incentive programs you can take advantage of, and be sure to pass the benefits on to your staff!

3. Throw a party.

Product parties are a fun way to motivate your employees and give your retail sales a nice boost. Simply invite your salon staff and their clients and friends to the salon for a cocktail hour and use the time to debut your products and demonstrate their use. You can also hand out special coupons for party-goers to receive a discount on their service next time they're in your styling chair. Throwing a product party is the perfect opportunity to drum up interest about your retail products and let clients try them out for themselves. It's also a fun team-building activity for your salon staff that can help motivate them to sell more during business hours.

Try out these simple tips for motivating your salon staff, and watch as your retail sales begin to soar!