This year is just whizzing by and, shock horror, we
have less than 10 weeks until the festive season is upon us once again. If you are in the business of retailing, this
should mean a very busy time ahead and now is the time to ensure that you are
going to maximise your profits by implementing a few simple but invaluable ideas
to boost your retail sales.
Here are my top tips to make sure that you achieve the
very best in sales over the coming few months:
Set personal targets for each team member in retail
sales and introduce a bonus rewards program
Ensure all retail product is clearly priced or has a
price list on display close by. Never
make your clients have to ask the price.
Make sure all product racks, stands and actual
products are kept immaculately clean and dust free.
Product displays should be well lit.
Use category shelf talkers and tent cards to help your
clients find the right products for their needs.
Testers allow clients to "try before they buy" and
make retailing much more efficient for staff.
Keep your retail display in a location that is not in
the middle of traffic flow. This allows your clients to browse for as long as
necessary
Have your product display tell a "story". Group your
products so that if your client has a special need, all the products that help
to meet that need are grouped together to enable up selling to occur.
Put top sellers front and centre at the shelf edge so
they are easy to grab and buy. Build other products around them. Have small
items on the front counter for those last-minute impulse buys.
Have plenty of stock on display so that the clients
know you have confidence in your product ranges and are in the business of
retailing. Top it up daily.
Have a retail display at the front of the business
(behind the front desk) so that passers-by can see your product range.
When displaying product, the golden rule is eye level
is buy level.
Always positions your best sellers at eye level. These are sure fire sellers and deserve the
top spot. Don't waste this space on slow
sellers hoping to sell one or two items.
Merchandising is both for tactical selling and
image-building. Incorporate both in the six key areas for total success:
reception, treatment rooms, special display areas, front window, back wall and
retail area.
Change your display regularly every 4 to 6 weeks. This way your clients will see a new and
fresh display each time they visit your business.
Look at how other retailers, like department stores,
are doing displays to get ideas for your own.
Ensure all staff can purchase product for themselves
at cost plus GST. If your staff are not using your product they cannot
successfully recommend it to the clients.
People will support what they help to create, so get
your team's input for promotions. And reward them for recommending and selling
through.
Have regular promotions. Distributors and
manufacturers will be very supportive.
Educate, educate, educate staff on product ingredients
and benefits for individual client needs. Your staff will only sell what they
believe in personally!
Use team meetings to have each staff member do a mini
presentation on one particular product which they have researched.
Have team members develop sales scripts for their
chosen product and do role playing with each other.
Praise retailing efforts often.
If a particular staff member is making a real attempt
to retail, put a personal note on their payslip congratulating them on their
extra efforts.
Brainstorm with your team to find out what products
you could be carrying which they would happily retail.
Run a retailing competition for staff between now and
Christmas with a product hamper as the prize. (You must keep this fair and base
it on hours worked)
Every client should be given a retailing prescription
outlining products, priority and price.
Never provide samples to the clients as an easy way
out instead of retailing to them.
Samples should only be given with the purchase of another product. eg; If
the client purchased a cleanser, she would be given a sample of the
moisturizer.
Allow sufficient time for staff to do retailing after
major services.
Brainstorm with staff and have them create a list of a
minimum of 3 retail products that could be offered with every service that the
salon provides. Have the list in a
protective sheet and keep a copy where all staff will see it on a regular basis
- staff notice board, beside cash register at reception.
Run client information evenings on your products.
- Each client receives a mini treatment in their chair
using your selected range.
- Have a guest speaker to lend credibility.
- Have a door prize.
- Ask supplier to donate or run the information evening.
- Offer special buys on the evening only.
- Pay staff to attend and talk to clients on their
special needs.
Track
your inventory and analyse the numbers. It should turn over regularly.
Eliminate slow movers. Purchase what you know your clients are buying.
PS: If you would
like to receive a FREE, no obligation Profit Health Check for your business,
then now is the time to act! Call me today and let me help you find your
"Profit Gap".
If you would like help
with staff training in areas involving selling, customer service, client
retention or any of the other areas in your business that will assist you to
become more profitable, please give me a call to discuss an in-house customised
training workshop for your staff. A small investment in training today can
generate thousands of extra income in the future. Pam can be contacted on:
While every effort
has been made to provide valuable, useful information in this Newsletter, I and
any related suppliers or associated companies, accept no responsibility or any
form of liability from reliance upon or use of its contents. Any suggestions
should be considered carefully within your own particular circumstances, as
they are intended as general information only.
A favourite quote: The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. Mark Twain
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We had always thought that running our own business would be fairly simple. Unfortunately there was a lot more to it than we had ever anticipated. It seemed impossible to ever get our business off the ground even though we knew it had huge potential. We were working very long hours, were struggling with many responsibilities, had difficult clients and lack of money was always a source of stress and disagreements.
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