Is Selling Retail Products Unethical?
As some of you may know I am a massage therapist turned spa owner turned business/marketing coach and consultant. Lately I've been confronted with this question on a number of levels and wanted to share my own thoughts.
To me selling a product that is going to help the client meet their needs or improve the issue(s) they came to me about is perfectly natural. In fact, it is no different than making a referral to another practitioner, showing some self-care techniques (stretching, how to stand in alignment, etc.) or suggesting they to rebook with me. For most estheticians, selling is an understood part of the client treatment and experience.
But unfortunately some massage schools, instructors and even licensing boards insinuate that selling retail is somehow detrimental to the client. That by suggesting a product that can help the client achieve their goals of wellness or relaxation or lengthen the relaxation experience, we are somehow in conflict with the client's main interest of getting massage. And that selling retail (as massage therapists) is unethical.
I think this assertion is way off base for anyone selling products meant to enhance the client's results or wellness unless it is something so off purpose or that the is out of the therapist's scope of practice or knowledge base. (For example, selling dietary or weight loss supplements without adequate training or knowledge of nutrition.) But it does give some idea as to where the idea "selling is bad" that many therapists seem to hold comes from. The seed was planted by various authorities and experts.
Now I am trying to plant a new seed that encourages selling as a part of the client/spa experience and gives therapists/estheticians confidence, tools and understanding when it comes to successful retailing. A discussion I've been having recently on LinkedIn is really helping me flesh out what needs to be in the course(s) I am working on. But I'd love to hear from others - especially my readers, clients and students - about how they've been successful at retailing.
So I ask you: What is your most successful technique or tool for selling retail? Or...if you aren't to confident or successful in this area, tell me where your fear or issues lie so I can better understand the challenges people face. Please add your comments right here on the blog if you are comfortable doing so. And if not, feel free to email them to me at Felicia@spalutions.com.
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Categories: Employment Issues,Success in Life and Business
Tags: the client experience spa profits retail
Great article! For a fear, I think about not overwhelming the client with too many product decisions. Another important factor that I like to share is keeping it simple and adaptable to the client's lifestyle.
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Thanks Renee. That fear is a legitimate one, so determining each client's lifestyle (for example asking how many steps they are comfortable with in terms of their daily skin care regimen) is part of the discovery process before you recommend the first product. Then I think it is best to keep it simple, introduce one to two items or options for the client to consider and select from.
Now if someone comes in and says they want a whole new skin/body care regime or the complete seasonal collection of your makeup line, you may handle the situation a bit differently. But again, you are reading the client and selling to them where they are based on what they need or desire.
A great suggestion that came from a LinkedIn discussion was to share the various products used in a service with the client at the end of the appointment. From those, pick the one or two that are most important or like to help the client achieve their desired results, such as hydrating their skin. Then let them know by saying something like "If you were to only choose one product today, this one would be the best one to give your skin the moisture it needs."
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I was a sales manager in a computer firm and the main thing for me was caring about the customers' benefits, so I always tried to invent a complex and individual approach to any client and not only sell the product, but to be sure that this product is the best one we can offer this particular customer.
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