From Services to Sales

The art of upselling – a guide to elevating a service and boosting your revenue.

As business owners, we understand that making more revenue is often at the top of your priority list, especially given the current climate surrounding the cost of living crisis. Upselling in salons is a simple yet effective way to contribute to ticking this off of your said list. Upselling should be seen as an opportunity to enhance to client experience rather than a pushy sales tactic which could leave a bad taste in customer’s mouths.

General Manager at HOB Salons, Natasha Grossman, believes that a great way to approach marketing add-ons to clients is by offering them bundle packages that increase the average bill for the stylist and the salon, whilst also offering the client great value for money: “There are certain services we consider to be essential for clients in order to achieve the best possible results, for example, including OLAPLEX with every colour service. Rather than charging the client full price for their OLAPLEX service, we have created a new premium colour menu that includes their personalised homecare, OLAPLEX and toning services at a significantly reduced price, making this a no-brainer for the client.”

Natasha’s top tip for any salon owner when it comes to upselling is “to do it with integrity”. At HOB they take each individual client on their own hair journey, and the starting point to this is during the consultation.

“99% of clients will tell us what they don’t like about their hair, and that’s the perfect opportunity to offer our expert advice into finding them a solution. It may be that they aren’t using the best products for their hair type, or their cut or colour isn’t enhancing their facial features. Our role is to offer our expert advice so that the client leaves feeling good about themselves and by doing this the upselling comes naturally,” added Natasha.

Studio Marketing Manager at Wella Professionals, Anna Mackew, recognises that there are two ways of pricing addons; the first as an optional add-on, with a separate cost clearly marked, and the second as a cost built in to the price of the overall service: “If you’ve already got an established price list, then the first one is a more client-friendly way to start offering add-ons,” Anna explained.

In terms of how to approach marketing add-ons to clients, Anna recommends creating a simple list of what’s available, with prices, and display them around the salon, on your social media and website.

“Make sure your team are briefed to be able to offer add-ons at relevant parts of the client journey, starting with your front of house team at the point of booking,” Anna added.

The team play a huge role in nailing the initial upsell, so not only is product knowledge amongst staff essential but incentivising them around sales is great way to drive increased revenue.

Anna advises incentivising the team for those parts of the salon journey where they are responsible for upselling. You can reward receptionists for upselling services on the phone; a choice of a retail product, or an in-salon blow-dry at the end of their shift or even having their lunch paid for are great little rewards for any week that they achieve a certain number of add-on sales.

Anna explained that for staff, it’s often more about the recognition than the reward, so it’s not necessary to offer cash benefits if the business can’t support it.

“Team members can be intimidated by the thought of selling, so explain the reasons behind the initiative and the benefits for the client and the business overall, making clear it’s about giving your guests a wider choice and simply offering what you have available, rather than just ‘selling’,” finished Anna.

There’s no getting away from social media as a way of marketing your offerings, and Salon System Educator, Lisa Stone, admits she was a little resistant to it at first but quickly learnt the benefit’s: it’s free, instant, eye-catching and reaches such a vast audience.

When implementing social media, your imagery is what counts. It needs to be eye catching and current, on-trend, relevant and seasonal. Lisa recommends creating themes and getting clients involved where you can as she explained: “I had a great social media campaign last summer for all my summer nails, asking clients to tag me in their pictures of their nails wrapped around cocktails. This was brilliant for potential and existing clients to see my colour range and I had lots of request for the colours they had seen.”

Valerie Maine, Founder of Live True London explained that in order to get the most from your team, it can help if you start by laying out some specific upsells for staff to use, until they are confident enough to naturally offer them with any service: “For example, pick your three most popular services and choose an upsell for each that can be offered with every booking of that service.”

Valerie sees that add-ons can help the customer feel like they are receiving a more personalised experience, especially if the stylist has listened to that client’s needs, understood their hair type and goals and then offered an add-on that provides a direct solution for them.

Upselling in business is something which many class as an additional income. Lea Shaw of Rural Fringe Hair Salon believes that services such as treatments or something which can be added onto the main service offered, as well as retail products are great and can positively impact the financial side of the business.

“I feel the most effective upsell is either toners or treatments. In the salon I deal with a lot of clients who opt for colour and find that toners or treatments are always welcomed and a simple way to add onto any service,” added Lea. Not only do toners enhance the colour and help achieve the hair goal of the client, they also lock the colour and keep it looking fantastic for a much longer period of time. Similarly, treatments are something that can enhance the hair and it’s condition at any time of year – as professionals it is your job to educate clients and share with them the knowledge which surrounds these extra services.

There are a range of benefits to upselling for both the business owner and the client. Of course, upselling can lead to increased revenue and retail sales for the salon, but it can also lead to returning clients and client loyalty by clients having received an incredible service with you in the salon and leaving the salon with their hair needs met.

Owner of Andrew Smith Salons and Milkshake Global Ambassador, Andrew Smith, explained: “It can also benefit both the salon and the client as through upselling the right services, treatments and aftercare products, clients will be able to keep their hair in the best condition possible, ensuring they are always delighted with their hair and also allowing you as a hairdresser to be able to work on their hair more easily without having any concerns.”

Upselling or introducing add-ons to clients doesn’t just have to be treatment related. Bruno Marc Giamattei of JOICO EUROPE, explained that add-ons can include a glass of prosecco, seasonal cocktails, small snacks and canapés or something hairdressing related such as a treatment or mask. Every little thing counts and it is vital to remember that even the simplest things can make a huge difference.

“The addition of service add-ons can elevate a guests experience in many ways, so adding something special and unique can really take appointments to another level when delivered to the highest of standards,” finished Bruno.

At RUSH they often put together colour offers for clients, with the most recent being half price colour – 50% off colour when booked in for a cut and finish. Oliver Tobin, Operations Manager at RUSH Hair & Beauty, explained that they market this to their clients by emphasising that the colour will be half price but this needs to be booked in with a cut and finish: “This allows us to bring in more revenue from the client, but it also entices clients to book in for a colour they may not have otherwise booked in for alongside their regular cut and finish when they are receiving 50% off the cost. It’s also advantageous for clients who come into the salon for their colour refresh every month, as they can get two of their colours for the cost of one.”

Oliver explained that the marketing for this is done via social media, on the website and in newsletters and it always goes down incredibly well amongst clients, who also spread the word to their friends and family of the deal. The team also always ensure that there is a code to book the offer online – this allows for easy and quick booking from clients. This saves clients spending time phoning the salon for an appointment and instead, they can do this in just a few easy clicks via an online booking system.

Remember, the key to successful upselling is to prioritise the client’s needs and provide valuable recommendations. By focusing on enhancing the client experience and offering relevant, highquality services and products, you can effectively maximise revenue through upselling.