Product sales have long been overlooked in barbershops. Unlike hairdressing salons, where juniors are trained from the start of their apprenticeship in product education and sales, barbershops often miss out on these opportunities. Hairdressing salons implement KPIs as their juniors become stylists and introduce commission structures to incentivize sales.
In most barbershops, the only time hair products are sold is when a client mentions they've run out of wax. The retail section in many shops might as well be replaced with another chair and mirror to salvage lost revenue.
Creating a culture of product sales is crucial, and it's something my business partner and I discovered while cutting hair full-time in our salons. We realized that men rarely receive professional education on styling and maintaining their hair.
A tattoo artist recommends aftercare balm to a client to maintain their new tattoo, so why aren't barbers recommending premium salon-quality products to help clients maintain and replicate the styles they leave with?
This realization was a huge lightbulb moment for us. Our clients were incredibly receptive to the product knowledge and styling education we provided. It also strengthened our professional relationships with clients, leading to consistently booked-out weeks, increase in wages from commissions and most importantly more profit.
At Blak, empowering business owners and stockists is something we’re truly passionate about. We could have the best products, but if barbers don’t know how to sell them, they’ll just sit on the shelf.
That’s why we created a free online community and course on Skool for our stockists. It provides the essential information needed to equip themselves and their teams to increase revenue, boost wages, and build a healthier business.
Samuel Raffaele,
Co-Founder, Blak Haircare