The wellbeing trend is also blurring gender roles when it comes to realizing how important health and hygiene are and this is where even younger male consumers are taking note and interest in learning more about how to best take care of themselves from the inside out.

An important note is that industry research points out that women still tend to make the bulk of purchases in a household, including men’s grooming products, so marketing efforts have to appeal to both genders. Most of the male clients that I care for have come to me through the referral of my female clients, be it husband, boyfriend, father, or son.

Campaigning for your female clients to send you the men in their lives is a smart business strategy.  Special occasions such as Father’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries, and weddings are a great way to introduce your services. I often recommend that my female clients purchase gift certificates for the special men in their lives such as a reflexology session or stress reduction massage even before I start talking about face grooming treatments. It all depends on the comfort level of the male.

Once I have the client in the chair, I can then start talking about other services I offer through identifying their main personal care needs and concerns. I find this approach much more user friendly and it gives the client a chance to experience first hand how great it feels to indulge and take time out for themselves. 

The Cut
One of the most important grooming aspects for men is still shaving. If you can identify with the shaving challenges a man faces each day and present solutions to this problem, you will have a client for life.
Men are becoming highly conscious about their appearance and more men under the age of 40 are beginning to use skin care products on a daily basis. There is also a slow but steady change in men’s preferences for using more sophisticated pre- and post-shaving preparations enriched with oils, gels, and creams that replace detergent and alcohol-filled products.
Products that need to be presented to the male client are shaving preparation cleansers, shaving tonics (non-alcoholic), shaving protection balms, and shaving creams or gels that provide hydration and soothing elements.
Men will mask and exfoliate just like women if you explain their importance and show them how to use these products with quickness and ease. Men aren’t as inclined to spend too much time on their personal care regimes. They like things outlined as quick and easy. Don’t get me wrong; I have yet to have one of my male clients complain about an hour skin care treatment, but I keep their home care programs quick and to the point.
Doubling up on the benefits of a product such as giving a male client a product that will cleanse and exfoliate at the same time or an exfoliating mask is a smart move. Offering a moisturizing sunscreen or a toner that stands as a liquid hydrator that can be used after a workout or after shaving is another plus.

What’s In It For Me?
Attracting the male client is no different from attracting your female clients. You have to identify their needs, wants, and desires and then present how you will best meet their needs and solve their problems.
During the consultation and skin observation phase of the treatment session, it is important to identify the client’s expectations and concerns. What is he looking to achieve during this session? How does he currently care for his skin at home? How often does he shave and how does he shave? What products and tools does he use during his shaving process? These questions will give you answers and direct you in how to approach your client and design a professional and home care program that is customized to meet his needs and deliver maximum results.
Focus on grooming and hygiene with your male clients. Remind them that the skin is the largest organ of the body and it is a living organ that extends from head to toe. This allows you to introduce body care treatments and products that will extend your service offering

Men Are From Mars?
When speaking to men about their grooming and personal care needs, our terminology needs to change slightly. When we speak with our female clients, we are accustomed to using terms such as cleanse, tone, hydrate, and moisturize. When we speak with our male clients, we must be aware of terminology that may better speak to their needs and understanding. When introducing a cleanser, I refer to it as a ‘wash’. When presenting a male client with a moisturizer, I refer to it as his ‘protection balm’ or ‘after shave conditioning lotion’. A mask could be referred to as an oil absorber and an exfoliator as a scrub. You get the picture. Make it easy for your male clients to relate. Effective communication is the key here. Speak in sound bites; don’t give lengthy explanations about how the product works, what’s in it, how to use it, when to use it, how often to use it… you’ve lost them. Keep recommendations to the point and clear. Relate what you are recommending directly to a concern that they have.

The Grooming Tool Box
You don’t necessarily have to offer a specific men’s skin care line, but you do need to organize specific products that will best address your male client’s skin condition needs. Identify the products in your current line(s) that will be user-friendly and get the job done. Link-sell items as kits and programs. Build displays that exhibit the products that are used to make shaving a breeze. Display pictures of men shaving and shaving tools in the display to tell a story and grab attention.

The Grooming Tool Box
Items included: Cleansing ‘Wash’, Spray Mist (toner), After Shave Protection Lotion (Hydrator) Sell these products as a kit or program that all go together. Explain to your client that he may go through one or more products faster than another and you can refill his ‘Grooming Tool Box’ as needed. Extra tools that he may need from time to time will be an oil absorber (mask) and/or scrub (exfoliator). You may even want to provide actual Grooming Tool Boxes that you fill the client’s products with. You could also provide other grooming accessories in the Grooming Tool Box and market it as something special you offer or offer these boxes at specific holiday times such as Father’s Day, as a promotional item.
Remember, women still buy the majority of men’s grooming products for the men in their lives. Don’t miss the opportunity of marketing to her as she is often a huge influence on the products they use, and will introduce your products willingly if you just present them to her. Father’s Day and other special occasions represent a great opportunity to get her attention to buy gift certificates.

Communication through education is key to keeping in touch and following up with all clients and especially your male clientele. Include articles and promotions on your website identifying the specific needs that men have with their skin conditions. Send out newsletters or web blogs that address male skin concerns and conditions. Start a men’s skin and grooming chat room. Present yourself as the expert on male skin conditions and grooming needs and they will seek you out. Give tips and guidance for everything from shaving to ‘bacne’ to grooming for the feet. Think head to toe.
With all this work, you don’t want to forget the importance of following up. But today we must recognize how to follow up. Do your clients like to receive phone calls, texts, e-mails, or snail mail? Listen to what they say and abide.
Follow up after each new client has come in to see how they are enjoying their new grooming program. Remind them of other services you offer that can address their concerns and needs. Have you ever ordered a book from Amazon.com? The next time you go to purchase something, they will welcome you by name, tell you what you last bought, based on that what you might be interested in, and then they go on to tell you what others bought that had the same interest as you. Think about this. How can you use this model? When you follow up with a client that had a Face Therapy you might suggest that when he books his next Face Therapy, he can also book a Foot Detail. You would explain to him that several of your male clients like to link treatments for maximum results and you thought you might mention it to him for the ultimate experience.
Every time you follow up with a client think about the reason you are calling or e-mailing them and give them some form of information that offers ‘use value’; this means sharing information or giving them a tip that they can really use.

Looking for a Few Good Men
When it comes to attracting the male client, we need to answer some questions. What is your current business position and what kind of business citizen do you want to become? What is your current percentage of male clients? How much do you want to grow this segment? What do you currently offer them? How are you currently attracting them? What solutions do you have to solve their grooming and personal care needs? In what time frame do you want to achieve your goals of building a solid male clientele?
These are just a few questions to get started with so that you can identify where you are and where you want to be in the male market.
Start getting referrals from your existing clientele and soon it will be raining men. Continue to do more research on the personal care needs of men in your area. Interview every man you can get your hands on to find out what concerns they have about the skin and shaving. You could be surprised. I am always amazed when I get into conversations with men about how they can better shave and they listen. Through the years I have realized that no one actually teaches men how to professionally shave as they come into manhood. There is a wide open market to be captured. What position will you claim?

Nina Curtis is the founder and president of the Nile Institute, ‘A Source Vitál’, located in West Hollywood, Calif. and Curtis Communications. Known as the “Aesthetician’s, Aesthetician”, Curtis has a 25+ year history in the professional skin care industry, where she is respected as an innovative skin care specialist, educator, lecturer, and businesswoman. Originally licensed as a cosmetologist, Curtis has obtained certification in Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Acupressure, Energy Modalities, Reiki, and Color Light Therapy. Curtis has trained throughout the U.S., France, Germany, Australia, and England. She received her Bachelor degree of Science in Management and her MBA from Pepperdine University and is also a graduate of the Lynwood Business Institute. For more information, you may contact Curtis via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..