Selling a two-step routine to first-time men's clients

A first-time men's client in a barber chair or grooming studio usually wants one thing from you: a routine he will keep. Two steps is a number most people can hold onto on a busy morning. Keep it to a cleanser and one leave-on, recommend by texture first, and let him add a third step later if he asks.

Why two steps works at the chair

He is already sitting down for a cut or a shave, so he has a few minutes to listen, and you can show product on skin during the service. A short routine answers the objection you hear most often, which is some version of "I don't have time for that." It also makes the reorder simple. When one of two bottles runs out, he knows exactly what to come back for.

The routine

1. Step one: Gentle Black Facial Cleanser. A mild low-pH cleanser with a creamy formula that whips into a dense, soft foam. It removes daily buildup and fine dust and leaves skin feeling fresh and comfortable after rinsing, without a stripped feel. The formula is built around the Klairs Black Complex, including truffle, blackberry and black cumin. He lathers with wet palms, massages gently and rinses with lukewarm water. It has no added fragrance. $16.00 MSRP for 140 mL.
2. Step two: Blue EGF Calming Mist. A bi-phase cooling mist for face and body, made for oily-dehydrated, sensitive-feeling and blemish-prone skin routines. The water and oil layers sit at a 9.3:0.7 ratio, so he shakes it, sprays 3 to 4 pumps and lets it absorb. EGF, FGF and guaiazulene sit alongside madecassoside, ectoin and Zinc PCA, with a finish that is neither sticky nor oily. It also has no added fragrance. $28.00 MSRP.

Lead with texture

Plenty of men skip moisturizer because they dislike how cream feels on the face. A mist sidesteps that. There is nothing to rub in and no shine left along the beard line. Spray one pump on the back of his hand first so he feels the cool finish before anything goes on his face. If your service allows it, a light spray at the end of the cut lets him feel the product while he is still in the chair.

Language that lands

• Say "wash" and "spray" in place of "cleanse" and "hydrate." Then say "two things, about a minute."
• Describe the feel: clean and comfortable after rinsing, cool and light after spraying.
• Name the moments he will use it: after the gym, midday at a desk, after a shave, or before bed.
• Skip the ingredient list unless he asks. If he does, "EGF and guaiazulene, the blue compound best known from chamomile" is enough.
• If he mentions shine or breakouts, point out that the mist is made for oily and blemish-prone skin routines and leaves no oily finish.

At the counter: "Wash with this in the morning, spray this after. That's the whole routine, and neither one has added fragrance."

Setting up the shelf

• Place both products side by side at eye level by the register or the station mirror, with one mist tester out.
• Add a small printed card that reads "Step 1: wash. Step 2: spray."
• Sell them as a pair first. A client who likes the pair is the right person to ask about a cream on a later visit.
• Write the purchase date on his client card. At his next cut, ask how much is left in each bottle and plan your reorder from the answers you collect.

Both products are listed with their case packs. Browse them in the wholesale catalog, or apply for a wholesale account if you are new to the desk.