Hesitant to broach sensitive subjects with your clients? Never feel tongue-tied again! Use expert tips from our comprehensive guide to talk to clients with professional confidence.

It's never too early to bring up additional treatments and products that you or your salon can provide. But target your conversation to each individual client, recommends Dodge of Caruh Salon Spa. "At the consultation, take into account the whole person and her entire look," she says. Don't just phone in a lackluster sales pitch. Remember, it's your professional duty to help everyone who sits in your chair look their best. "At our salon, we don't consider our job complete until we offer all the services that would enhance a client's look," says Dodge. "It's a habit for us."

Dodge advises that cutting specialists recommend specific color specialists to their clients, and vice versa. Generalists who both cut and color can describe how one service would complement the other. For example, says Dodge, "you can talk about how the shape of the hair is suited to a color service, or how color would enhance facial features."

Most clients understand cut and color, but if your salon offers new and innovative services they haven't yet heard about, you'll have to be particularly proactive. Benedetto suggests introducing keratin services, which add keratin back into the hair for more shine and less frizz, to the appropriate clients through a few simple questions: "How do you feel about your hair?" Or more specifically, "How do you feel about your ends?"

When the client asks questions, it's important to always answer with the benefits of the product in mind, says Benedetto, not just the features of the product. Describe what the product will do for the hair, what type of results to expect and when to use which types of after-care products. Before the conversation concludes, be sure to mention, "We should book the appointment before you leave today," and accompany them to the front desk to do so.

Signage at your station will help break the ice about new products and services. Stick with concise, attention-getting copy, such as: "How would you like your hair to be smoother, shinier and less frizzy for up to five months? Ask your stylist how." To take it a step further, Benedetto suggests brainstorming creative promotions, such a "Simply Smooth" event where staff members could talk up the benefits of a hair taming system while serving up smoothies.

The Spa at Folawn's harnesses the power of the web to cross-promote the full menu of the spa as well as its salon counterpart. "We email last-minute appointments every Monday to people who sign up on the website or at the salon," reports Folawn. "Our hair clients will see the availability for manicures or pedicures and be able to try it out for a percentage off."

To further encourage crossover clients, Folawn invites her spa and salon staff to partner up with one another. The stylists still have full books despite the downturn in the economy, but a new massage therapist may need a hand up. The spa-salon partnerships let the two beauty pros perform their expert services on one another, and then describe or show off the results to their clients and make genuine recommendations on behalf of each other. The strategy has been an undeniable success: "The partnerships help our guests understand our services," says Folawn, "and it also builds camaraderie amongst the staff."
The big push currently at Accolades Salon and Spa are for Brazilian hair straightening treatments and their 30-minute blowdry service for $30. "Everyone is straightening their hair now," says Schlaeger. His stylists capitalize on that trend by positioning either service as a foolproof way to look great. "We say, if you are going to see the ex, go on a first date, or if you have a business meeting, we'll give you glossy straight runway hair, and you don't have to spend 15 minutes fussing with it." Clearly, that's struck a chord with clients, and helps keep productivity at 90 percent.

Other cross-promotion ideas from our experts? Give tours of the entire facility to new clients so you can talk up the spa or nail area, color bar, retail displays or any must-try signature service; suggest an express manicure or facial while color is processing; promote the latest and greatest treatments and products on your salon's Twitter or Facebook page; throw a launch party for new retail lines or services to educate guests in a fun way; print up promotional take-home cards so your clientele will have an at-their-fingertips reminder of all you offer; create service packages that include after-care retail products for a can't-pass-up deal (not to mention, results that last longer!).

Also in the same series:
...Updating Their Style
...Referrals
...Breaking Up
...Other Services You Offer
...Cheating
...Prebooking
...Mistakes