Selling Strategies for Natural Perfumes and Essences

By Terry Johnson, IPF Chair USA and Busines and Marketing Expert

Competition in today’s markets has never been stronger.
​Yet, I continually see examples of natural perfume and natural essence businesses that have not made many adjustments to their sales efforts to overcome the fierce competitive headwinds brought on by a deadly pandemic, numerous supply chain issues, and high inflation. These conditions have seriously changed consumer perspectives and require frequent reviews of sales and marketing strategies to reflect current realities rather than relying on consumer preferences and priorities that no longer exist.
You and everyone working with you should put on their selling hats for a while and focus on how to get consumers needing to purchase your products at premium prices, not just wanting to.

In the High-Value Natural Perfume consumer market, the first order of business is to identify every potential value feature of your products and incorporate those value features into selling benefits for consumers justifying premium pricing you need to charge. 
When consumers see something for sale that appears attractive to them, they determine the level of value that the product could provide them, and then they check the price. If the level of value is above the price, they are more likely to buy. If the level of value is below the price, they are less likely to make a purchase. 
Selling the value and benefits of your products greatly increases the likelihood of closing the sale profitably.

Here are 7 solid tips on strengthening and updating your Natural Perfumes and Essences selling strategies:

1. Focus on value to overcome consumer resistance to the premium prices you need to charge. If you build value that consumers consider benefits, they will respond despite higher prices.
2. Identify and sell higher income consumers in your local community that will be better able to budget for higher priced products they need.
3. Identify what you think high value consumers should consider valuable about your products. Examples of this could be sourcing from growers and producers who grow and produce with care by not using GMO seeds or synthetic pesticides, and utilizing sustainable packaging.
4. Avoid lowering prices. Consider charging for shipping but occasionally offering free shipping for a period of time as a way of discounting without having to lower your price.
5. Recognize that the most important sale is not the initial sale, but the second, third or twentieth sale. Effective selling creates lifetime customers.  And remember, it is always much less expensive to sell to an existing customer than to find a new one.
6. Move your selling strategies from discretionary sales (things that consumers may want, but don’t need) to necessary sales. Everyone needs the health benefits of natural essences.
7. Sell solutions to consumers problems. Natural essences reduce stress, improve immune systems, and promote well-being for everyone!  

Good Selling!

Terry Johnson is teaching and consulting at The Natural Perfumery Teacher's Academy. If you want to learn more about Business and Marketing in the Natural Essences World, you can follow his course or contact us for consultancies.