The Importance of Personalization for High Retail Sales
I worked at a top spa in Philadelphia for ten years. We carried a total of ten skin care lines. I had used them all and was totally in love with maybe six. I could talk for hours about their benefits and the differences between what each product offered.
At that time therapists at the spa were averaging around $3,500 per month in retail product sales. I spoke with the spa manager last week who told me that figure has increased to $5000. That’s the impact of time and experience.
Many of you might assume that high pressure tactics are being used to sell, the clients are outrageously wealthy or the products are overpriced.
Nope!
Sure, some of the clients are wealthy but most are regular working people with a mix of students and stay at home moms. The spa stocks high end products like Biologigue Recherche but also has great lower price-point skin care like Environ that almost everyone can afford.
What differentiates this spa is that their therapists have the skills and knowledge to customize and personalize the products to each guest. If something isn’t working the guests are advised to let them know. Each customer walks out feeling special like they have their own personal “Glam Squad”.
What man or woman doesn’t want that?
As a result, the customer retention rate is high. Sales are through the roof. And the business is expanding.
The ability of the therapists to deliver this level of service is possible because they have tried and used the products that they are selling. They are also taught how to engage with their guests.
What Products Companies Need to Do Differently
Product creators, distributors, and trainers have to tweak what they’re doing if they want to stay relevant in today’s market. Telling therapists about product ingredients and how much to use for each treatment is not preparing them to sell the product. Sure they need that information but they could get that from an on-line brochure. Passing the product around the training room for a sniff test won’t do it either. You can never generate huge sales unless the therapists are comfortable articulating how they feel about personally using the products.
Distribution trainers must work with spa managers to remove the mystery of what is being said to the customer behind closed doors. Part of the reason for low product sales is that no one really monitors what happens between training and when the customer leaves the spa without a product in hand.
You must incorporate how to sell with product training. I cannot stress this enough. It’s the missing link because product recommendations are rarely covered in beauty or massage school, or post training curriculum. It’s the elephant in the spa industry that everyone continues to tip-toe around. Obviously a handful of high performing spa managers, and owners have determined how to navigate that problem and they’re earning huge revenue returns. What about you?
Interested in fixing the problem? Connect with me at Linda @MoontideConsulting.com
Linda Harding-Bond
