Andrew Slater Hairdressing is a well-established and successful salon in Malvern, Worcestershire. With over 35 years of experience, Andrew has extensive business knowledge. The salon is no stranger to retail either; in fact, it has been a fundamental strategy for decades. Despite recent negativity surrounding retailing in salons, with some claiming that pushing products alienates clients, Andrew continues to grow this vital revenue stream. This last year, his retail turnover has increased by 35% due to a shift in his approach. Here’s how he did it…
“There is no denying that competition from online sales has been a challenge,” Andrew admits. “We have overcome that, however, by partnering with SalonLove.shop, which means we have a direct shop link on our website. From a client’s perspective, they are essentially shopping online with us, but in reality, SalonLove manages the orders, so we don’t have to worry about packing and shipping. (We still earn a 32% commission on sales though.) For us, retail starts in the salon, but having the SalonLove option secures our recommendations when clients need the convenience of going online.”
The ‘Power of Three’ is a technique Andrew brought back from his recent attendance at the Eufora Business Intelligence Course in San Diego. “If you put three products in front of your client whilst carrying out the service, you have a 92% chance of selling one product. If you place two products, the rate is 50%, and with one product, it reduces to 30%,” he explains. “Since implementing this strategy and seeing the results for ourselves, it is not unusual for our stylists to place 5-6 products – in terms of sales, it’s the more the merrier!” Andrew was convinced of the effectiveness of this technique through the breakthrough of Estee, a young stylist who had been unable to achieve her retail sales targets. “Estee started off doing £40-£90 per week, but I spent some time teaching her the ‘Power of Three’. Suddenly, she was doing over £500 per week, which is terrific!”
Andrew has installed a purpose-built Disruptor Unit between the front door and the reception of the salon. In the run-up to Christmas, that unit generated £8,000 in sales of seasonal gift sets. “The psychology is that by interrupting the normal flow and creating an engaging display with interesting seasonal themes, clients appreciate seeing what’s new and discovering the value-added offers available,” he explains. “We ensure that our retail area and windows are constantly evolving to create interest. We want our clients to have the correct home care so their hair looks good 365 days of the year – not just on the day they visit the salon!” Andrew added.
“It’s important to remember that stylists do not sign up for this ‘salesy stuff’. You have to accept the responsibility of constantly reinforcing what’s in it for the client, the business and the team,” says Andrew. “I like to keep it fun, using things like charts and competitions to reward the team. One of our most popular incentives is time off! On a monthly basis, we reward 1st, 2nd and 3rd place performance with a couple of hours off to come in later or go home earlier. Most recently, the whole team also had a weekend at Butlins – it was a fun and well-deserved treat for being committed to the growth and results.”
✔ Home care should always be part of the client journey.
✔ Consistency is key.
✔ Never underestimate the ‘Power of Three’.
✔ Education over pressure – always.
✔ Don’t forget to reward the team for results.
