I recently caught up with a colleague whilst touring New Zealand, who suggested that there was actually an optimal time to deliberately make clients wait before taking them through to their consultation or treatment room. Her thinking is that customers will browse, read signage and information sheets, stop at displays and look at product on shelving.

She suggested that three minutes is long enough for the visitor to take in the information available in a reception / waiting area but not so long that they get upset with the fact they have to wait. Her advice was that salon owners should deliberately make every client wait this amount of time to optimise the potential of the reception area to suggestively sell extra products and services.

Now whilst I am not a fanatic of waiting for anything, I can certainly see the merits in this way of thinking. So in this article I decided to offer some ideas to maximise the selling potential of waiting time that are simple, cost effective and that you can action tomorrow for increased sales.

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Clever Counters

Anyone who has ever read my work will know that I am not a fan of reception counters. They are barriers that staff tend to hide behind rather than getting beside their customers. That said they are also excellent display areas. Nearly every salon I visit clutter the top of their reception counter with business cards, menus, nail polishes, nearby businesses information and big bunches of flowers. I hate it!

This is the number one sales area in the salon because every customer has to stand in front of it twice. Once to announce their arrival, then again to pay. Get rid of all those brochures you cannot sell and the low gross profit items. Replace them with big bulky displays of gift packs, overstocked items, seasonal products and special product offers. Make these displays look as if you are serious about selling the product by placing plenty of it on display. Sign it well and watch it be handled, inquired about and ultimately sold. Believe me if someone wants a price menu they will ask you for it so they don’t need to be kept in prime position on your counter.

Reading Materials

I sat waiting for a salon owner last week and grabbed the only reading material handy. It was a women’s magazine that was at least two years old and full of advertisements for non salon exclusive, department store cosmetic brands that this salon did not actually sell. I couldn’t see the value in providing such reading material when literally millions of dollars had been invested into clever advertising for cosmetic items the salon didn’t even offer. Surely, salon owners should provide reading materials focused on their own products either by having brochures provided by suppliers or by producing their own information sheets. In my own salon I have produced well presented glossy information sheets on:

• The effects of topically applied Vitamin C
• The role of anti-oxidants
• Sunscreens and issues regarding UV light
• How to cleanse properly
• Why toners are important …and a myriad of others.

I simply rotate these through my waiting room and continually produce new sheets as the seasons change or newsworthy issues arise. I am even considering producing a glossy magazine of these information sheets as an alternative to the gossip magazines found in most salon reception areas.

Direct Traffic

Most people wait in our reception areas and will grab a magazine because we don’t direct them to do anything else. What if you actually suggested they try a new product tester, looked at your summer product display or was handed a fact sheet relevant to their treatment. If they were handed your latest newsletter or brochure, given product information or shown the latest gift packs, would they then look, feel, smell and possibly purchase? Instead of simply asking them to wait, suggest an activity or piece of reading material they might find interesting. You would be amazed at how many people will simply do whatever you ask of them.

Displays that Sell

If we are aiming to get our clients interactive in this waiting period, then have some interesting things for them to look at. I love themed displays on coffee tables and podiums. They can be easy to organise and are very effective at getting clients interested in what’s the newest, latest, greatest things happening in your salon. Try:

• Displaying the 5 “Must Have” summer products on a table with testers and information sheets. Literally number them 1 to 5. Make sure you advertise any special buys, price and how to use the product. Tips and hints are also great to add.
• Showing a table with each staff member’s “Favourites.” Have the staff member’s name and photo with a description of what the product is and why they love it so much.
• Demonstrating your make-up by having a photograph of each staff member and a description of exactly what make-up she is wearing that day. Include some tips or an offer for that staff member to show how she achieved her look. Beside the photo place the testers of what she is wearing.
• Advertising your “Best Sellers” list. Simply put out a display of the best selling items from the past month. Describe each product and provide a short testimonial from happy customers that use that product.

Just to name a few…

Shelving that’s not just Storage

So often when I visit salons I am confronted with a wall of neat, uniformly straight, side - by - side products. A silver or white or blue wall of boxes that all fade into each other and provides little if any impulse to handle them. Yes, it’s neat but it achieves nothing other than a storage function.

Make your shelving interesting so that it invites clients waiting to walk over and look. Arrange products on different shelving heights to catch the eye. Display using Perspex blocks and display units to change the regularity of the boxes. Use specific lighting to highlight certain products or place advertising pictures and offers behind interesting products. Take full advantage of shelf talkers to highlight what’s new, seasonal, on special or popular.

Recently, walking through a book shop I noticed a small sign that read, “Hannah’s Recommendation.” So I picked up the book, read the sleeve and ultimately purchased the book. To this day I do not know whether Hannah was a staff member, a critic, a member of the public or purely fictional! It didn’t matter. This small sign grabbed my attention and made me stop to check out the book. Shelf talkers used sparingly can be a wonderful way to invite clients to inquire further about your products.

Consultation Forms

I have always recommended to all salon owners that every client fill out a medical form. It’s a great way to gather contact information like phone numbers, addresses and emails. It also acts as a safety net against any possible litigation for reactions to products or treatments. Allergies, medications and medical conditions are common with customers of all ages. Even a simple brow shape can be a mess if the client is on skin thinning medication for acne. A massage can be painful for an arthritic patient and there are many contra-indications to our products with certain medications or physical conditions such as pregnancy. Use the waiting time to complete the medical form or to resign an existing form at least every three months.

Just Relax and get into the Mood

Sometimes it is good to just let your client sit and relax for a few minutes before starting a treatment simply for them to catch their breath and settle themselves. Many people have rushed through their day and this is a wonderful opportunity for them to finally slow down. In fact, it’s one of the attractions to coming to a salon. It is also the prefect opportunity to show off your salon’s unique customer service. A refreshing glass of water or fresh juice combined with a sincerely warm greeting can be the important point of difference for clients to choose your business. Perhaps the best three minutes of advertising you could ever do.

We all have times in our salons when visitors have to wait. I trust that you can make this time far more interesting for your clients and considerably more profitable for your business from now on.