How to Sell Natural Hair Products

by Samantha Berley via NaturallyCurly

Like selling anything else, with a little know how and a lot of elbow grease, selling natural hair products can be a challenging and rewarding entrepreneurship.

If you’re stocking up on all of your your homemade hair treatments and not uploading them for fear of having them stolen, then it might be time for you to step up and out and start making money the old-fashioned way: selling what you’ve got!

Sales 101

The how to’s on selling any product are pretty straightforward. Here are tips for selling natural hair products that will help get your brand to the top.

1. Know your product and where it comes from. This may not be your first step, but it may be the most important. The better you understand natural hair products, and the more you know about where yours comes from (ingredients-wise), the better you will believe in your product and be able to price and market it. This is especially important for hair products since there are so many varieties of hair types. From Type 1 all the way to Type 4, one product won’t necessarily fit every person. But if you know that your product uses certain natural ingredients for particular hair types, you’ll feel much more comfortable with selling any type of product.
2. Believe in the product you want to sell. There are people out there that are simply so great at selling a product that they can sell high heels to a mermaid. But to be a great salesperson, you must be passionate about what you’re selling. With passion and belief comes a sense of ease about a product that you know works for just the right consumer you’re targeting.
3. Know your niche industry. The natural hair products industry is dedicated to natural and/or organic products. It may seem like a small niche, but things change so quickly in sales, that if the product is good, it will sell. But understanding the ups and downs doesn’t hurt. For instance, say the in-vogue product for the natural product industry is 100% organic with B vitamin complex. If you try to sell a hair product that’s no more than 60% organic and doesn’t contain vitamins, you might have trouble making the sale. Know your industry, your competition, your clients and your product!
4. Understand your product’s target demographic. Not every person needs every hair product. For example, you wouldn’t sell shampoo to a bald man! It’s important to know your demographic, or who you’re selling to. For natural hair products, you need to know the specific benefits for the right consumer. Natural hair products can appeal to individuals willing to pay a little extra for organic ingredients. Or, if it is for a person with dry or curly hair, they may be looking for vitamins and minerals that specifically lock in moisture and shine. Pay close attention to which hair types you’re targeting as well. Type 2s have different needs than type 4s, and it is likely your products won’t cater to everyone.
5. Market for the industry and consumer, not yourself. Marketing is very important when it comes to sales. The thing is, everyone approaches this differently. And that’s okay! Remember, though, that your products are for other people looking for their own perfect fit, not for you. What might work on you could very well not work on someone else. Market to your client and target audience, and what appeals to them.
6. Smart pricing is key to a successful business. Once you have the basic information down, and you know who you’re selling to, pricing will be the very last thing you should think about. Why? The focus should be on selling the line of natural hair products that you honestly believe in and that will help the curly community, not making a ton of profit really fast. The trick is finding the balance between making sure your products aren’t so expensive that no one can afford it (or so cheap no one will think they work) and making enough money to keep producing.

Sales is not just about research and statistics, but rather about a feeling or killer instinct. In the case of something like natural hair products, knowing your product is just as important as knowing the industry. Hair products exist to better the consumer’s life and curly experience. Even if it’s something small like hair serum, curlies out there are always looking for products that can improve their look. Follow these steps and you’ll be as successful in your boundless passion as the product you’re selling.