The "Science" of Sampling..Why using Samples Won't Really Make a Difference...

Hello Everyone and welcome to July!

Here in Arizona the weather heats up and the need for sunscreen or "Sun Protection" becomes even more apparent with my clients heading to the Colorado River, to California Beaches and even their own backyard pools...

With all of the formulations of products going 'round and not too many consumers even wearing sun protection, I get a lot of clients asking me for samples because people want to "try-on" my products. So, the topic of this month's blog? Samples...

Let Me Set the Stage

One evening I was out with my adult daughter and we were waiting to order dinner and a craft beer. My daughter and a few other people at the end of the bar grew testy because another patron was going through the "can I get a taste" routine. It went something like this.."Could I try a taste of that IPA? Oooh, too bitter. OK, how 'bout that Porter? Too boozy, hmmm. Lemme get...a...sip of the…Pilsner. Ummmm. You know what, I think I'll just stick with my Light Beer."

I also am known to avoid Costco testing like the plague! For one, I hardly see any of the people who are testers buying the products advertised. But it's like feeding time at the zoo. I think I also avoid them because I have heard people making comments pertaining to eating and giving no thought about the person who is offering the sample> The assumptions sounds like this...."they could care less if people buy," And Afterall, "its their job to hand out samples".

Lets go back to the bar incident.... Virtually no one goes to the bar for just a beer. We go for two or three, right? Or a few glasses of wine, yet we all still worry so much about making the "mistake" of over purchasing. Consumers don't like to suffer "buyer's remorse". Let me just say, It wasn't only my daughter that night who was miffed, there were many bar patrons who were writhing with loathe at this woman!! When I started a conversation about this with the bar mistress, she said to me that this woman's actions are maddening because "Our customers don't ask for a sample of anything else in our bar, because they would have to pay."

So, Is it basically what patrons/consumers/clients value where they will invest their money?

Investment in Yourself

My clients that know me know that I NEVER hard sell. I suggest products based on their concerns and then use those products during their treatments. What many clients learn from me is that you don't need to buy a farm in order for you to get the results you're looking for. But if you go home with a sample, and 75% of skincare success is at home, do you really believe a sample is going to make a difference in between treatments? Buying Kits of samples or full size products should be looked at as an investment towards the goals clients share with me. Plain and simple, if you are not worth your own investment in yourself, free samples are not going to get you any closer to your personal goals.

"But....I Want to See if the Product Makes a Difference"

I believe positive change in the skin happens like a habit. Good Habits form if continuously practiced beginning in 21 days. Aside from forming habits, different age groups absorb product and are affected differently according to their "skin's" age. Here, I think about clients that have gone through laser resurfacing and surgeries as well as those who smoke or professionals where their environment may be compromised. (For instance, all of my beautiful airline attendants and a lack of oxygen in a cabin of an airplane!)

Most samples DO make a difference when you use them because you are changing an element of your skin care routine. For instance, most of my clients start using serums consistently after visiting with me. The reason is two-fold... First, consumers are NEVER taught about why serums are important, but because a client is unfamiliar or has never been educated about serums, they are turned off by the cost of a serum and sampling seems to be the best way to get exposed at a minimal cost. Facial Food for Thought > It takes a lot of samples to keep up the initial change! If you are happy with the change, as many clients report they are, why are you STILL relying on samples? The "Costs" Associated with Sampling

There is a two-fold "problem" when it comes to sampling in skincare. But they both are about cost effectiveness.

Looking back at Costco, many of the shoppers that grab the samples are like, "Kirkland makes a lot of money and the samples don't link back to the person who is offering the sample, so they can afford for me not to buy". With skincare and adjunct personal care the consumer thought tracks are somewhat the same.

Of course, I want samples I give out to link the client back to my practice. I've got a mortgage to pay and college tuition to contribute to. I am VERY blessed too because most of my clients do link back to me without offering samples. But try this scenario on for size: say you go into an aesthy to have a "taste" at Micro-Needling. Because you ask, the aesthy gives you a sample of an active ingredient such as a Vitamin C Serum or Growth Factor You, the client, mixes the active ingredient samples with Over the Counter products and Voila!! You have bigger problems with your skin because you are using a sample that is not formulated to be used with your OTC ingredients. The aesthy "cost" associated could range from a client NOT returning to a client suing them for malpractice all because clients live on samples rather then investing in themselves. The consumer costs? They go in circles and maybe to a dermatologist trying to figure out how to resolve the toxic soup that they have applied to their skin! Facial Food for Thought > How many samples list the complete ingredient list or display expiration dates?

I offer samples but in Coordinated Kits! I have taken the time to limit the costs to both myself and the clients by formulating products with ingredients I know work!! I am confident in their performance because of testing and having the tests I conduct verified by formulators and chemists specializing in effective ingredients. On peels, micro-dermabrasion, Dermal-planing and MicroNeedling, I have told my clients that I will not guarantee results if they do not purchase Post Care treatments. Like most aesthys who have been in the business for over 10 years, we have the training and experience to know what works. So when my clients are disappointed that I don't give away samples, this is basically the reason. I have made an investment in a product like and in a client LOOONNNG before they come through the door!

And lastly, of course there is an investment issue on both ends. I don't hand out singular samples. I offer free or low cost consults. I don't know of anyone who vends samples to we professionals for no charge to entice clients. So, in my mind, I would rather offer 15-30 minutes of my time to help you make a decision about my services. if you are not willing to invest in a donation of time, yet will use a sample of a product without direction or the advice of a professional...well, you know the rest.

And there you have it. Although sampling may work for some, the true costs associated with sampling far outweighs the costs of things that might go wrong. And the cost, isnt always dollar related. *********************************** Speaking of Coordinated Kits, we just received our Men's and Teen Healthy Skin Kits which have been going out the door like hot cakes! These Kits offer a month's worth of product for a fraction of the full size products.

To Healthy Skin,

Angel

^j^