When is a salesperson not a salesperson?

First things first, nobody is called a salesperson these days, it’s more likely that they are called Business Development Manager, Business Partner, Sales Executive, etc etc. Irrespective of the job titles that company’s give, and all credit to them for creating names that elevate the significance of the role, there are some functions a salesperson almost always has to do!

1. Regular meetings with clients
2. Maintain existing clients
3. Actively search for new clients
4. Build relationships with salon teams
5. Showcase new products
6. Build the existing order
7. Control the stock and order system
8. Chase targets
9. Offer educational support
10. Deal with complaints

Plus a million other things that are part  and parcel of their daily sales roles.

But in today’s ever challenging marketplace, there are a myriad of additional elements that a good salesperson needs to have in their arsenal.

1. Help build salon owners business awareness
2. Offer support, advice and guidance
3. Be aware of competitor activity, in salons and on the high street
4. Know what innovations are available to help salons increase revenue
5. Introduce new concepts into the salon
6. Share product information in an engaging way, to the salon owner, manager, and wherever possible, the salon team
7. Help with merchandise and display
8. Understand what the differences between merchandise and display are
9. Help with promotional activity
10. Be consistent

With limited time allocated to each salon visit, this means that prep is key, and this should all be part and parcel of a daily, weekly and monthly journey plan, and for most sales focussed people it is!

But just as salon clients are looking to be inspired and informed in a new, more experiential way, so salon owners, managers and their teams are as well, this means a fresh approach to the business meetings and what the ultimate outcome is going to be.

The ultimate outcome, of course, is to generate more sales, and that comes from helping salons generate more retail, in-salon services, colour and curl sales. Everyone, well 99.9% of people have a target to hit, it’s how the approach is taken that helps deliver results.

As I say to every hairdresser I ever come into contact with – Don’t Sell, Do Tell, that shift in approach changes everything, clients become more receptive and engaged, more involved with the conversation, and ultimately, more likely to purchase. It’s exactly the same for the salon owner when talking with their sales representatives, the more informative, interesting and exciting the conversation is, the more likely a bigger order will happen.

I get it though, time is always of the essence and creating a more dynamic format to the meeting can potentially add time to what is already a time poor schedule. However, as with everything in life, if the approach is consistent, it becomes easier and more intuitive, and that’s when real results are seen.

So yes, I get it, a salesperson has a job to do, but if they make that job more fluid, more interesting, more engaging and helpful then the rewards will come as salon owners fully appreciate that the relationship between them and their Business Development Managers, Business Partner, Sales Executive, whatever the job title might be, is a more mutually beneficial one, and that’s when a salesperson is not a salesperson!

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