Trained to Sell?

If your staff is already working harder to keep appointments booked, should you be encouraging them to sell more retail too? The answer is yes. In fact, retail profits may be what helps to subsidize a slump in other areas. “Retail is the highest profit point for your business,” says Bryan Durocher, president of Durocher Enterprises, a spa coaching and consulting firm based in Austin.

      Technicians and therapists have traditionally been taught to hone their crafts, not their retail skills, Durocher says. Fortunately, it’s an easy trend to correct, especially because implementing retail education is a nominal expense that offers a big potential payoff. “The good news is vigilant, consistent training is the least expensive thing you can do to improve retail,” Durocher says.

Here are some tips on how to improve retail sales, which can also be found at durocherenterprises.com.

Schedule in retail. Begin by meeting with every vendor representative to maximize education opportunities. Set an ongoing schedule for the year that includes training sessions that focus on product knowledge. In between scheduled group education events, create an ongoing schedule of role-playing sessions between practitioners and technicians. Two team members can trade off “playing the client.” This will provide a comfortable atmosphere to practice ways to deal with various client personalities.

Establish a protocol. Outlining protocols for how your spa handles retail sales will provide a map to success. This footprint will give new staff guidance and remind experienced employees to stay focused on the most important task: selling retail products.

Prescribe and recommend. Acknowledge that many practitioners and technicians have fears around selling products, so they're hesitant when managers encourage sales. An easy way to overcome this objection is by simply changing the language. Instead of encouraging “sales” from your staff, promote the terms “prescribe” or “recommend.”

Consult to sell. Therapists should ask open-ended questions about a client’s concerns and desires. They should also use the information provided to create home treatment protocols with the products. First, the practitioner or technician explains the treatment they’ll be providing to the client. Then, she maps out what products are going to be used, explaining the features and benefits. The practitioner should then hand products to the client to hold and read the label, which will encourage the spa-goer to take ownership. At the end of the service, the staff member should walk the client to the reception area, where the recommended products are waiting for her. Then the therapist should offer a one-minute recap that details the “what, when, why and how” of the suggested products.