smart Tan Magazine is the leading source of information for indoor tanning salons, covering everything from the newest tanning technology, Vitamin D and the lastes tanning lotions to detailed ways to improve your salon's success.
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FEATURE FLYING OFF THE SHELF How to improve your lotion sales for 2014 The lotion market is always evolving with the development of new beauty and skincare technologies, which is why it has become commonplace for salon owners to change their inventory at least annually. Just Ashley Laabs, Editor, Smart Tan Magazine like in fashion, there is a seasonal emphasis on new trends, and a flutter of excitement about even the smallest detail. In the tanning industry, we have the happy task of delivering that flutter to tanners across the country who are yearning for new ways to look and feel fantastic. And as a flock of new products take the stage for 2014, it becomes more important than ever to revisit the foundational mechanisms that lead to stellar lotion sales. The Learning Curve First, and most obviously, education isn't optional! Salon staff needs to have a deep understanding of products, skincare ingredients and benefits before they can hope to earn a commission check of any heft. In retail environments, salespeople are expected to have a high level of expertise about every product on the shelf. Regular training provides the foundation for that knowledge, and for the confidence to share it. "These trainings should be an integral part of the job. Bartenders, servers and plenty of other positions require a license, and I see sales training the same way," says John Johnson, training specialist for Supre Tan. "You have to work with each other as a team, give each other feedback, and help each other even when you're competing against each other." Sales training and lotion training should contain 37 ❘ SMART TAN MAGAZINE ❘ SmartTan.com more than just cursory knowledge about products. To be effective, employees must be able to translate common objections into helpful solutions; they must be able to translate features into benefits; and they must be able to field those occasional oddball questions. Achieving this kind of deep understanding requires time and attention, but it really is the most important part of making sales happen. "The more you know, the more you sell. Training materials can help you break down ingredients, who to sell a product to, and how to sell it. It takes motivated employees to really absorb the information, but salon owners should give them as many ways as possible for that to happen," says Kandra Covert, national sales trainer for Devoted Creations. Manufacturers and distributors offer so many resources for product education that it seems foolish not to take advantage of them all! Create your own sales trainings and tests on Smart Tan's website, have a group classroom session, coach employees one on one, attend trade show seminars, take webinars, watch premade videos online or have a trainer come into your salon. "You need to hear something three times before it's committed to your memory," says Ashley Wottring, sunless marketing manager for California Tan. "The group setting is a great way to get people to bounce ideas off each other, and then do more one-on-one training as it is needed from there. When you can name every product on your shelf, you'll always know what to recommend to the customer." From Doubters to Touters One way to immediately improve your lotion sales is to identify and convert non-lotion users. These