billable

I agree. I want our staff to be as knowledgeable as possible, but how many customers really want to know what ingredient does what? It only confuses them and makes it look like you are trying to impress them by talking above their heads, and probably above your head as well.

I said this on a previous post, "Don't tell someone how to build a watch when they really only want to know what time it is."

I teach my employees to ask the following questions:

What have they used in the past? What did they like (or not like) about it? Do they want a bronzer, a tingle (please don't ask if they like "hot action", sounds a little too personal to me), is their anything that they use on their skin that breaks them out? And then finally, are you looking to stay in a certain price range?

Get the answers to these questions and you will look professional, knowledgeable, and will probably make a sale. Asking questions will almost always make you look smarter than trying to answer them and it puts you in control of the sale.