Retail Selling is Easy – Three Tips to Increase Sales at Your Spa in 2015
I’m going to give you three powerful tips in this series. This is number one and make sure you stay tuned to get the other two because together they’re magical.
When I consulted with spa management in the United States they would often tell me that their number one problem was getting their staff to sell retail products. But my experience in Asia has shown me that the same challenges exist, although they may be amplified by language differences. The primary cause is the same all over the world. Most therapists are introverts. They are shy people who don’t feel comfortable selling products.
The great news however is that as therapists they have nurturing spirits. They will bend over backwards to relieve someone’s pain. And as introverts they tend to be great listeners. Listening well is at the heart of selling.
Therapists can be easily taught to sell if one understands how.
In my last few months of training therapists, I have seen dramatic upswings in both the confidence levels and revenues from the classes that I have conducted. As a former therapist I experienced the same challenges and overcame them so I understand what gets in the way of selling and most importantly how to fix the problem.
For many therapists, customer engagement is initially very difficult. But once we get to the heart of their stress and fear they become the selling superstars they are meant to be.
Over the next few weeks I will share three easy tips which you can immediately use to begin to build confidence in your staff. Here is the first:
Tip #1–This will take no more than 30-45 minutes depending upon the size of your group.
Divide your spa team into groups of three. Have each member select their favorite place, food or person. Whatever they choose they must love it and feel passionate about it.
By the way, if English is not the native language of your therapists perform this exercise in their own language.
Have each of your therapists describe their selection to their team members. The listeners should also pay close attention to the body language, tone, animation and excitement level of the speaker telling the story.
As a manager you will need to take notes because this exercise will provide you with each individual’s emotional baseline for selling that you want to see displayed when speaking with your customers.
Remember, I’ll share Tip #2 with you in one of my upcoming blog posts. Be sure to leave your questions and comments here too, and happy selling!
Linda Harding-Bond
