Written by Eric Presser and Tracey Napotnik

Being a top hairstylist means consistently booking – and rebooking – satisfied clients. This means creating the perfect cuts, colors, and styles while providing excellent customer service for your clients. 

But there’s one thing we left off this list that you and many other hairstylists could be missing out on: retail (take home) products. If you’re not recommending products, you are missing out on a consistent income stream and a proven way to build client loyalty. 

Retail products are revenue producers

How effective is retail? With retail products accounting for anywhere from 7%-25% of nationwide salon revenue (and some even more) this stream of revenue helps the stylist and the salon’s bottom line. Retail can help pay for team education, prizes, new equipment, employee benefits, and may even keep the salon afloat in hard times! 

Recommending retail products brings extra cash flow to your business. This is crucial if you’re just starting out and have not yet built a consistent client base. Every client matters at that point and let’s be honest: You need them to spend money on your services and your products! You’re working hard and you deserve it! 

Retail products improve the client experience

At-home product recommendations can be just as integral to the client experience as your service. 

Does this sound familiar?  

“I didn’t go to school to be a sales person.” 

Here at Salontraining.com, we hear this all the time from stylists who don’t feel comfortable selling retail products. We suggest removing the word “sell” from your vocabulary and replace it with RECOMMEND. This may change your whole perspective. Your clients want and need your professional recommendations! 

How do you decide what to recommend?

Think about what you use on their hair and what you use on your own. 

Start with:

1. Your shampoo

2. Conditioner (or conditioning mask) 

3. Styling products (Frizz control serum, gel, foam, thickening cream, straightening cream, lotion, etc.)

4. Heat protectant 

5. Gloss

6. Hairspray 

So for most clients, you use at least 4-6 products. That means 4-6 opportunities for retail recommendations. 

Tracey Napotnik from Salontraining.com recalls hearing a stylist tell a client who had asked for a recommendation to “just go across the street, and buy (product x) to help condition and fix your hair.”

Tracey said, “I wanted to take that stylist under my wing right then and there. That salon had shelves full of healthy repair products 10 feet away from her and she was ‘selling’ for another store. In my professional opinion there were MUCH better professional product choices than the $2.00 product she was suggesting, and they were right there in the salon she worked for.” 

Work on your product recommendation skills

Recommending retail products that your clients will love will give them a more positive and professional impression of you. Industry experts believe clients are 30% more likely to return if a client purchases one product. The more they purchase, the more likely they are to come back. And the more likely they are to keep purchasing. 

Practice your recommendation skills. Be a friendly and suggestive consultant that is offering your client advice, not a pushy manipulator. You are using these products to improve your customer’s lifestyle and build trust. 

Tracey says she always asks what the client is using and how they like it. “If they love their shampoo but are not impressed with their conditioner, there is the first opportunity to help them. Recommend a conditioner that will help with what they do not like about their current one.”

Tracey suggests asking general questions right from the start during the consultation: “What products are you currently using, and what do you like or dislike about them?” 

Wait for your client to answer. If they are unhappy with their current choice, gently guide them in the direction of a better option. When they see how much better it works, you’ve further established your expertise and trust. 

When is the best time to recommend products? 

Many stylists make the mistake of waiting until the service is over and asking the client at check out, “Do you want that shampoo or product I used?”  

Both the timing and phrasing decrease the likelihood of the client purchasing the product. Your client is on the way out of their appointment and likely has their mind on their next appointment. And the phrasing, “do you” suggests they might not want it. You should always assume they want it. 

Do yourself and your client a favor. Don’t wait until the end. Start at the initial consultation by asking them what issues they’re having with their hair. Introduce the items to the customer while they’re in your chair.  This makes it easier for the client to understand what the product does and why they need it, further building trust and increasing the likelihood of a sale. 

When you’re washing a client’s hair, explain which shampoo and conditioner you’re using and why you’re using them based on what they already mentioned their hair challenges were. 

When you know a specific hair treatment will work for your client, explain during the service why it’s the right one for them. 

During the styling, remember the challenges you’ve discussed with your client. This is your opportunity to use  a root boost for a customer who complained of flat hair and show them how to use it at home. 

Take the products off the shelf as you explain how and why they work. Recap their answers from the consultation by showing them the products that make the most sense for them. For example: “These are the top 3 products that will help you with the dryness, the volume, and the hold you are most concerned about.”

There is just no time to do all of this at checkout, and at checkout the client has already started to mentally check out. Take the time to do this for your client during their appointment. Your retail business will improve as a result, and your clients will be much happier. 

Recommending Retail Is a Win For Everyone

Your clients deserve to love their look! That means purchasing high-quality products recommended by an expert like you, not blindly picking boxes off the shelf on late night pharmacy runs. 

If you aren’t currently recommending take home products, it’s time to involve it in more of your appointments. The salon, you, and most importantly your clients will all reap the rewards!