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Last week we discussed the 3 reasons why you needed a holiday retail plan. This week I am going to give you 3 things to do in order to serve each of your guests and customers to your highest potential.
The 3 reasons WHY included the following:
1.) Big Box Stores will be closed on Thanksgiving this year
2.) Retailers are starting holiday promos earlier than ever
3.) Consumers will be more value conscious than ever
If you did not catch the reasons why, check them out on last weeks’ post HERE.
Now that you know this, what can you do? Well, my little selling machine…here is what you can do!
1.) Have a WRITTEN promotional plan:
This sounds so simple, and quite honestly, if you were to ask my customers, they would say they do. In reality, only about 20% of them do, and not all of them are written.
My question to an unwritten plan: How does that work?
Especially if you have a team to leader. No one can read your mind, and did you know the average person listens and comprehends at about 25%? Don’t blame your team on follow through when you did not bother to write it down. (That one stung, I know, but your skin will get thicker the longer you hang with me 😊)
Below is an EXACT example of what I send my customers and then they add it to their back room calendar. You should have something just like this for yourself. Some of the ideas do not need to be shared with the team, like if it is in the budget I will do a gift card. You decide that and put it out there one month at a time. Now, this is for the rest of the year. You would show your team one month, and your leaders and marketing team now. Marketing and social can get on making signage as early as possible.
EXAMPLE copied and pasted from an actual email: Your plan should look something like this for YOU
2.) 9/7– 10/7
a. Product Challenge – Stylist incentive
i. Each stylist brings up 3 products for every single guest – for every guest they do this to, they get an entry to win
1. Winner gets the Pureology set I gave you and the guest gets an entry to win if they purchase (you have 2) – don’t forget that we also talked if it is in your budget to do like $20 GC to local restaurant.
You should have something like this from now until the end of the year. Now, I do have a fun formatted one as well, but this is for my beginners. We need you to START friend.
2.) ADD VALUE to EVEVERYTHING:
I have salons that do not mark there retail up to full MSRP (manufacturers suggested retail price). They explain to me it is because they want to be the least expensive and not take advantage of their guest. Aren’t you sweet? STOP. THAT. SHIT. That sounds great, but you don’t even tell your customers that! I don’t know this for sure, but I’m pretty sure I’m the most expensive distributor around (in my territory) and I do not bat an eye. I bring more VALUE than any other shampoo salesman that walks through the salon door. In the words of Peter Mahoney, ‘ you cannot save your way to profitability.’ Read that again…
Real talk, how can you value? First thing NOT to do is to have unacknowledged sales (eeehhh..ehmmmm – not marking up your products correctly). I call these ‘make believe sales.’ Example of this is if you have Holiday box set, because this series is all about holiday retail. It contains a shampoo, conditioner and a styling aide. Regular retail price for three of these items ($25 for Shampoo, $26 for conditioner, and $25 for styling aide) is $77. You are selling these in a set that you purchased from your distributor for $49 to your guest. You MUST say it is a $77 VALUE! The guest does NOT know! The kicker – ADD MORE! A few items you can add that are inexpensive and take less than 5 minutes.
a. Create gift tags that offer a FREE conditioning treatment. Then we put the VALUE of the treatment. On average these are $20.
b. Trying to promote a new Nail Service provider? Offer a free paraffin dip and hand massage – VALUE $15
c. Get some fun boutique items like scarves, cute socks, hair wraps, and scrunchies.Something that costs a couple dollars to you but brings the value up $20.
Real life EXAMPLE: I go to this beautiful holiday décor store. Last year, they gave a set of glove for any purchase over $99. They were cute, inexpensive and they made me buy one more item to get me over the threshold. My mom on the other hand, met the threshold but her cashier did not tell her about these gloves. I gave her mine, because, 'if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy' 😂. The moral of the story – adding value adds sales! Add items like this for holiday in your salon! Then mark the value and TELL PEOPLE what the value is.
Okay now that you know how to add value, let’s go back to our $77 box set value that we are selling for $49. Imagine adding a cute holiday hang tag like this one HERE. It has a $20 value. NOW we have a $97 value item for $49. This is where big box stores like Ulta say SAVE up to 48% and you call up crying that you can’t offer or compete with things like this (stung again, but I know you are getting tougher). You are right, you can’t on December 1 when you just decided to get out holiday sets because you feel bad for Thanksgiving. I hear it all… You CAN do this, you are just not in the game of PLANNING. Make a plan and do these things.
3.) SHOP and TAKE NOTES:
The Ulta example brings me to my last to do for you and any other retailer. This can even come in handy for 2021 promos. That is right, SHOP and take notes. What do you like to do? How do you like to shop? I just shared the store of the gloves. A free gift on something cute and I am in! I have a friend that loves Kohl’s cash. I, on the other hand never spend it. I don’t go back and use it and mine always expire. I love the idea, but what the hell is one supposed to do, set a calendar reminder to spend it? LOL! The point is to write down and start offering some of these types of things in your company to get your head in the retail game. It is telling you to keep your eyes open for the way you shop. Even more importantly, LISTEN to the way your team members shop OR how they share a sale they are excited about. That is key to getting them excited about what deals your company is offering 😊.
I hope this Holiday Series was helpful! Put some of these into action and reach out if you have questions!
Cheers and xo
Heather Pod
socks, hair wraps, and scrunchies.
Something that costs a couple dollars to you but brings the value up $20.
Real life EXAMPLE, I go to this beautiful holiday décor store. Last year, they gave a set of glove for any purchase over $99. They were cute, inexpensive and they made me buy one more item to get me over the threshold. My mom on the other hand, met the threshold but her cashier did not tell her about these gloves. I gave her mine. The moral of the story – adding value adds sales! Add items like this for holiday in your salon! Then mark the value and TELL PEOPLE what the value is.
Okay, let’s go back to our $77 box set value that we are selling for $49. Imagine adding a cute holiday hang tag like this one HERE. It has a $20 value. NOW we have a $97 value item for $49. This is where big box stores like Ulta say SAVE up to 48% and you call up crying that you can’t offer or compete with things like this (stung again, but I know you are getting tougher). You are right, you can’t on December 1 when you just decided to get out holiday sets because you feel bad for Thanksgiving. I hear it all… You CAN do this, you are just not in the game of PLANNING. Make a plan and do these things.
3.) SHOP and TAKE NOTES:
The Ulta example brings me to my last to-do for you and any other retailers. This can even come in handy for 2021 promos. That is right, SHOP and take notes. What do you like to do? How do you like to shop? I just shared the store of the gloves. A free gift on something cute and I am in! I have a friend that loves Kohl’s cash. I, on the other hand, never spend it. I don’t go back and use it and mine always expire. I love the idea, but what the hell is one supposed to do, set a calendar reminder to spend it? LOL. The point is to write down and start offering some of these types of things in your company to get your head in the retail game. It is telling you to keep your eyes open for the way you shop. Even more importantly, LISTEN to the way your team members shop OR how they share a sale they are excited about. That is key to getting them excited about what deals your company is offering 😊.
I hope this Holiday Series was helpful! Put some of these into action and reach out if you have questions!
Cheers and xo,
Heather Pod
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