5 MORE Ways to Make More Money

Everyone loves to make MORE money, right? Right. So we grabbed five more tips to help you make some extra cash behind the chair this year! Check ’em out.

1. Follow the 3 for 1 Rule
There’s an old merchant’s rule that works whether you’re selling jewelry, shoes or hair products. Recommend one product, and there’s a good chance the customer will buy it. Recommend two products, and your odds increase. But recommend three products, and there’s an excellent chance your client will buy at least one, says best-selling author and salon owner Eric Fisher. And, remember these three things to keep in mind for every one product you sell to a client:

1. Hand them the product.
2. Answer these questions: how, what, when, where and why to use the product.
3. Walk it up to the front desk for her.

2. Card Your Clients
A distinctive business card does more than just sit in your client’s wallet. It gives you an edge when it comes to referrals! People are always moving and changing, so you have to constantly be working for new referrals. “Use those business cards like mad,” says Eric. He recommends handing them out to influential types like the girl in line at Starbucks. This turns your business cards into referral cards, and for every three referrals, reward with a bottle of shampoo or 10 percent off a new service.

Quick Tip! When Fisher opened his new salon, they gave the cheerleading squad VIP free cuts and color. The girls became “VIP house models,” netting the salon significant profits.

3. Offer, Don’t Sell
The key to selling retail is not selling at all. Rather, it is all about the power of suggestion. When you offer retail, clients believe in you. If your goal is to sell, the customer resists. Here’s how one salon encourages stylists to sell more: At Jamison Shaw in Atlanta dried black-eyed peas are dropped into stylists’ pockets to serve as friendly reminders of their daily retail goals. One pea represents one bottle of product, so by afternoon, when a stylist sticks her hand in her pocket and feels only two peas left, she is motivated to sell two more bottles that day. As the stylists at Jamison Shaw have learned, contests that create competition within oneself are often more effective than those that pit one stylist against another.

4. Create Buzz By Your Retail
Here’s a quick and easy tip: remove some of the chairs in your waiting area, and watch the movement buzz around your retail. “If clients sit and pick up a magazine, then you’ve lost them,” Eric says. “You have to encourage them to smell, look and feel the products.”

5. Dress for Success
Consider your personal style and how it can shape the client’s perception of your skill set and awareness as an artist. For women, watches and jewelry are important articles of detail that can place a stylist in a different bracket. For men, it’s all about a nice belt. If it’s a name-brand belt, she’s going to tip you more. The client can’t see the label in your shirt, pants or shoes, but if she sees you wearing a Gucci or Burberry belt, she’s going to see your standards are higher. If you feel guilty about spending money on a name-brand belt or pair of shoes, just remind yourself that it’s for a good cause?!