Most of us know the advantages of selling retail products well, so for the sake of argument let us look at the dark side of not selling our clients their home care products. In other words, what are the consequences of our failure to play the role of expert in recommending products for the day-to-day maintenance of our clients skin? First, clients will end up buying department store products, drugstore, or infomercial brands. Not only will these products typically under-perform, they will generally not be suited to our client's skin type or needs, and thus, will fail to provide proper results. Our client will become frustrated. Read More

The true value of a product can only be determined by the consumer, however it takes a passionate advisor to present the benefits and features of a product that establishes the worth. Think about it. The rule of sales states it is better to have 100 satisfied customers than 1000 prospects! More sales are made with friendship than with salesmanship. This and another old business adage says “All things being equal, people want to do business with their friends” and if you have fostered your skin care business to care and help people, garnered trust based on your skills, personality, and client follow through -  Read More

Sinking down into the soft Frette sheets for my one hour signature facial, I relinquish all my worries to Anna, my aesthetician. After a thorough cleansing, she begins to analyze my skin and says, "Ms. Hanson, would you like me to clean your brows. It is only $10?" "Of course yes, thank you, I reply." And as her hands touch my skin, she recommends that I add on the collagen-fleece mask for an additional $25 to take care of my dehydration issue, and I say, "Great." Here is a classic example of an upgrade and an add-on, so well done that "it did not hurt a bit." Read More

    Upselling and add-ons – a challenging subject to talk about even in the best of times. But here we are in the middle of an economic crisis, so you must be asking yourself how we could possibly consider this a reasonable topic when you are just happy you are able to sustain your clientele. Many of you are probably thinking there is no way you would jeopardize that relationship by asking the client to spend more money. All of which are perfectly reasonable thoughts and questions. However, I will ask you to put them in a box briefly, clear your mind, and be open to consideration for just a moment. Let me give you an example of an effective suggestion that happens millions of times, everyday, all around the world. You go to your favorite restaurant; you sit down, and look over the menu. Your server comes to the table and takes your order, you tell him what you would like and he confirms your order then says, “Would you like a salad with that tonight, or can I interest you in a glass of wine?” A perfectly harmless question, that was neither painful nor offensive. At worst Read More