Do you have any product lines in your salon that you’re hesitant to purchase in bulk, but would still like to market and sell? I’m right there with you! At my salon, Be Inspired Salon in Madison, WI, we specialize in bridal hair and makeup, so we carry Youngblood Mineral makeup.

Youngblood Mineral makeup is a pure mineral cosmetic company. All of their products are cruelty-free and free of toxins–which means they have a limited shelf life. (All the good stuff usually does!) And because it has a shelf life, we don’t carry their entire line in-house. Therefore, when a client is eager to purchase one of their products, we have to sell them the product and then place an order with Youngblood directly. Once the product arrives, we call our clients to either pick  it up, or we offer to ship it to them.  

As you can see, there’s an obstacle that comes with offering this product line. So, how do we sell it? First, we share our why. When clients know the reason that we don’t have the products in-stock is because we order them directly–so they’ll be as fresh as possible–they’re more likely to stand behind our reasons for carrying this product. Once they understand the why, they’ll be more apt to purchase fresh product from you, even if it means waiting 7-10 business days.

We also offer our clients the opportunity to join our VIP Program! Once they’ve joined, they get exclusive savings on this product line as well as free shipping. So their future orders can be placed via email or by calling us, and we’ll have their product waiting for them at an upcoming visit. Combine that with our in-salon marketing to show off the high-quality product line, and we’ve created a desire among our clients to purchase products through us – removing the potential waste of keeping them on the shelf.

If you’re looking to retail products that you don’t actually have in stock, you need to make sure you are promoting the reasons your company believes so strongly in those products! These reasons include the problems those products solve, its unique benefits, and the quality of the brand. And don’t forget to create an incentive–a reason to delay their instant gratification–for your clients to purchase, such as a special promotion or a VIP membership!

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