“This cleanser, serum, and daytime moisturizer is a great start to your home care regimen and will lead you towards the results you desire,” you say. Your client looks at the product and says “not today.” An invisible mouth drop of total surprise appears on your face. Why is she not choosing to go home with products that will directly combat the signs of aging and hyperpigmentation?
This scenario is seen all too often in the skin care industry. What can you do as the professional to prevent this issue from continuing? Before beginning every treatment, ask why they are seeing you today. Understand the concerns they have for their skin. Ask if they could choose one thing to change about their skin, what would it be? Information like this seems repetitive, but it is actually the beginning steps to the roadmap of retailing successfully.
Seek to understand the client’s hesitation to purchase the prescribed product.

Frequent Reasons for Buying Hesitation 
Reason of hesitation: Are they questioning if home care is necessary, if they are already committed to monthly treatments?
Response: Clients should be educated on the importance of using a proper home care regimen that is improving their skin, even if they are committed to monthly treatments. There are 730 opportunities in a year to change and improve your skin – that is, if you are performing your routine every morning and evening. Receiving treatments and using home care products are equally important.
Reason for hesitation: Do they buy products from somewhere else?
Response: If you are not recommending and selling products to your clients, someone else is! Sell through education and explain to your client the benefits of using professional skin care while receiving treatments from a
licensed aesthetician.
Reason for hesitation: It is not in their current budget to invest into professional skin care.
Response: I do not recommend going into debt for skin care. Ask the right questions and figure out if the client has a predetermined budget for purchasing skin care products. Suggest two products for them to take home versus three. If the serum and moisturizer are still priced too high for their comfort level, let them know there are other options that will be great for their skin type at a lower cost. It may not be the supercharged anti-aging serum, but there is no reason to have them go home with nothing when there is always an alternative.

Kristina Valiani is a licensed aesthetician and the West Coast Manager for leading skin care brand B. Kamins. Valiani conducts retail and business courses to spa professionals across North America while serving on the Washington State Aesthetician Advisory Board. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.