BillyGirl

I recently got promoted to store manager at the salon I've been working at (yay!). However the owner has a very poor lotion selection in comparison to other salons in the area, and there are about 5. Most of our clients come in with their own bottles that were purchased somewhere else (Wisdom is the most popular brand they use and we do not carry it). Some of our lotion selection includes: Swedish Beauty 'Swedish Intensifier', 'Dark Escape', 'Denim & Diamonds' and Australian Gold 'Mood Indigo', 'Scientific Velocity', 'Sinfully Black', 'Puppy Love' and 'Kiss Kiss'. I've told the owner several times that we should really up our lotions esp in the high salary area that we're located in, but that's a battle I cannot win. Does anyone have any really good selling tips to get these lotions off the shelves? I'm trying very hard and I don't want the owner to think that I'm just sitting behind a desk all day not giving a ****.

parrot head

It's kind of hard selling anything when the foot traffic is next to nil. Ask yourself, how many customers am I seeing a day, now? Opportunity to sell, is a no-brainer; no customers, no sales. I know this simplflies the question, but it's a simple solution .

BillyGirl

That's a good point, being that I can see the beach from the edge of our parking lot. However, business is very good (and crazy) when college is in session as that makes up 90% of my clients Sep-June.

...But I still need suggestions for selling this less than stellar lotion, because he won't bring it to the other salon where the stuff sells (in a 'poorer' county in the north end of the state) and let me order better lotions for this salon.

rrm44

Read the backs of lotions and memorize what they can do for the client. Also AG makes a lotion book with all of them in it and tells every ingredient, what level of tanning its for, and what it can do for the customer. Contact each company and ask for these books. Once you learn more about them its easier to sell when you tell them all of the benefits. You will be able to compare them to what they currently are using. If you are just saying "this is a bronzer and this is a tingle, and this is the price.." you will not sell much. Put yourself in their shoes... Would you spend $50 on something because someone told you it was good? No, you would spend $50 on something if it is going to help you get what you want. Try to encourage the owner to bring in some higher priced items, that will make the salon more money and the customer happier with the quality. Its really a true statement that the more you spend on a lotion, the better it will work! :)

parrot head

"Fire sale" the lotions that aren't selling and get some new current stuff in there. If the owner made you a manager, you must have something on the ball, and you know what sells and what doesn't. We too, are in a college town, but the economy affects how much money these kids have to spend. All sales are down, especially lotion sales. The final question: are you a manager in title only or can you make suggestions and able to act on them?

beach22

My employees can sell the lower end lotions, which most of the times the customer picks it up themselves. But for the higher end lotions I have a Lotion Bar. I
have the lotions that range from $38.00 & up here. Shots are $4.00. I only order 3 bottles of the higher end lotions and 1 bottle is used for the shots. I get my money back out of the bottle i use for the shots and it gives the customers a chance to try a "better" lotion than what they might be using. If the customer comes out from tanning and has decided to purchase the lotion then they will get $4.00 off the bottle. (must be same day visit). I'm in a small town so my lotions go from 22.95 - 68.95. Just an idea u might want to suggest to the owner. Good Luck!

rrm44

another tactic we use is we have a hierarchy of lotions. Our lotion case has 4 shelves. The top row is for our top of the line lotions starting at $80-$120. Mid line is around $79-$50 and the lower is $49-19. Bottom is for our samples and moisturizers etc. This way the customer knows how others compare to the rest. If they try a lotion priced at $19 and the next day try one priced at $90 its easier to see why the more expensive one is better. its just kind of a visual thing.