One way to use Local Lead Finder. Local Lead Finder is a $10 Google Sheets template I built that turns any Google Maps search into a lead list: every business, with phone, website, rating and reviews. This post is one use case for it: selling a new product to salons and spas on consignment. I’m not a product maker; this is the playbook I’d follow if I were, run for real with the template. Other ways to use it are listed at the end, or see all 18 lead generation ideas.
You’ve made a razor pack built for shaving underarms, and you want it on counters where people already think about grooming. Better angle, a blade that doesn’t drag, an impulse price. Search for how to sell on consignment to stores and page 1 explains how consignment works, mostly for secondhand clothes, plus generic tips for handmade goods. Nobody tells you which shops to walk into. The usual routes cost you: walking door to door for weeks to cover one city, or a wholesale platform or distributor taking a cut of every pack before you know anyone wants it.
This is door-to-door sales, but digital. It’s exactly what I’d do if this were my razor, and I ran it for real in Chattanooga with Local Lead Finder, a $10 Google Sheet I built that pulls every business on Google Maps into a spreadsheet. You’ll leave with the 55 spa, nail, wax and beauty shops to pitch, the wax studio I’d call first, 159 small independent salons for the next round, and the consignment message I’d send them all: I leave 12 packs on your counter. You pay me only for what sells.
TL;DR
- One “hair salon” search across 73 Chattanooga areas found 325 results, and 55 are spa, nail, wax, brow, lash or beauty shops.
- Pitch where the razor fits: wax studios and spas first, then the 159 independents rated 4.5 or higher with under 50 reviews.
- Don’t pitch barbershops or chains. Take out all 16 of each before you send a single message.
Who this is for
- Grooming product maker: you get a list of every salon, spa and wax studio in your city that could put your product on the counter.
- Consignment seller: you can pick shops where your product fits what guests already came in for, instead of walking in cold.
- Body care brand founder: you can test real retail demand on consignment before you commit to a wholesale order.
- Beauty product sales rep: you get phone numbers, ratings and review counts for every spa and salon in your territory.
- Handmade body care maker: you can find local counters to sell from, and track units shop by shop in the same sheet.
Before you start
- A Google Places API (New) key (how to get one free)
- Local Lead Finder set up in your Google Drive (setup guide)
- Enough stock for 12 packs per shop, plus a sample for each owner
- Your consignment terms written down: retail price, your share, when you get paid
- A city to search
Don’t have a Places API key yet? How to get one free. Haven’t set up the sheet? Setup takes 5 minutes.
Step 1: Every salon in the city, in one sheet
Region: Chattanooga, Tennessee. Find Areas pulled 73 areas, from downtown Chattanooga out to Hixson, Ooltewah and Ringgold, Georgia.
“Hair salon” in Search in All AREAS returned 325 results with phone numbers, addresses, ratings, reviews and websites.
Step 2: Narrow it to shops that sell body care
A razor doesn’t belong in a barbershop or a kids’ haircut chain. It belongs where people already go for skin and hair removal.
55 shops have spa, nail, wax, brow, lash or beauty in the name (after taking out barbershops, suites and chains):
=SUMPRODUCT(REGEXMATCH('hair salon (AREAS)'!A2:A326,"(?i)spa\b|nail|wax|brow|lash|beauty|esthetic|skin")*NOT(REGEXMATCH('hair salon (AREAS)'!A2:A326,$H$1)))
Here they are, sorted by reviews:
Honey Bunny Authentic Brazilian Wax has 913 reviews. That’s a wax studio. Every guest is there for hair removal. If they like your razor, it’s the easiest yes on the list: something for guests to use between appointments.
The rest are a mix of salon-and-spa combos, nail bars and beauty lounges. Matching by name misses some. A salon called “Studio 59” might do waxing too. But it’s a strong first list.
Step 3: Then the small independents
After the spa list, I’d go to the 159 independent salons rated 4.5 or higher with fewer than 50 reviews. They’re smaller, often owner-run, and a consignment offer is easy to say yes to because there’s nothing to buy.
“When you’re David, you don’t play Goliath.” (Gary Vaynerchuk, Ask GaryVee)
The big razor brands are in every drugstore. You can’t beat them there. A small counter in a salon where the stylist says “try these” is where a new product wins.
Step 4: The consignment message
Set this as the WhatsApp message in SETTINGS:
Hi! I make [brand], a razor pack designed for shaving underarms. I’d like to leave 12 packs on your counter on consignment: you only pay for what sells, and I’ll restock. Could I drop off a sample for you to try first?
Offer a sample for the owner before anything else. If they like it, they’ll sell it.
Work down the spa list first, then the small independents. Mark each one Outreached as you go. When you come back to restock, the Outreached list doubles as your route.
Step by step
- Get a Places API key and set up Local Lead Finder.
- Set your city and run Find Areas.
- Search “hair salon” in all areas.
- Remove barbershops, salon suites and chains.
- Filter for spa, nail, wax, brow, lash and beauty in the name. Start with wax studios.
- Then add independent salons rated 4.5+ with under 50 reviews.
- Send the consignment message. Mark each shop Outreached.
- Track units left and sold per shop in the sheet, and restock on a route.
Common pitfalls
- Pitching barbershops or chains: a razor for underarms doesn’t fit a barbershop, and chains decide product at headquarters. Take out the 16 barbershops and 16 chains first.
- Trusting name matching alone: a salon called “Studio 59” might do waxing too, and the name filter will miss it. Skim the independents list for shops that list waxing before you skip them.
- No written consignment terms: agree on retail price, your share and when you get paid before you leave a single pack. Put it in the message or on a one-page sheet you leave with the stock.
- Not tracking units per shop: if you don’t log packs left and packs sold per shop, you can’t bill or restock. Add two columns next to each shop in the sheet.
- Not marking Outreached: without it you’ll message the same shop twice. Outreached rows turn green, copy to the OUTREACH tab, and become your restock route.
- Searching before Find Areas finishes: Find Areas takes a minute or two. Wait until the AREAS tab is filled (73 areas here) before you search.
Learn the Google Sheets formulas in this post
- 3 Ways to Count in Google Sheets: the counting basics behind the 325, 55 and 159 in this post.
- How To Sort A Filter: sort the spa and wax list by reviews so Honey Bunny lands at the top.
- 200 REGEXMATCH Examples in Google Sheets: the pattern that matches spa, nail, wax, brow, lash and beauty in salon names.
- REGEXMATCH Formula Generator for Google Sheets: build the exclude list for barbershops, suites and chains without writing the pattern by hand.
- How to Create a CRM in google sheets w/ Dashboard: track units left and sold per shop once your packs are on counters.
Better Sheets has hundreds more tutorials like these. If you want to get better at Google Sheets, join Better Sheets.
Other ways to use Local Lead Finder
- How to Get Your Product Into Salons: a new shampoo, 284 salons: for beauty product makers who want their product on salon shelves.
- How to Sell to Coffee Shops: 83 independent cafes in Boise: for roasters, commercial bakeries and suppliers pitching local cafes.
- Wedding Hair Group Deals: salons open to booking the whole shop: for wedding planners booking hair for a whole bridal party.
- How to Find Social Media Management Clients: salons using Facebook as their website: for social media managers looking for businesses that already post.
All 18, grouped by who they’re for: Lead generation ideas: 18 local businesses to sell to.
FAQ
How does selling on consignment to salons work?
You leave product on the salon’s counter, they sell it at a retail price you agree on, and they pay you for what sold, usually monthly. Unsold product comes back to you. The salon takes no risk.
Which salons are best for consignment?
Independent, owner-run shops where the product fits what guests are already there for. For a razor, that’s wax studios, spas and beauty lounges.
Why pitch wax studios before hair salons?
Every guest at a wax studio is there for hair removal, so a razor for between appointments is an easy fit. Honey Bunny Authentic Brazilian Wax, with 913 reviews, is the first shop I’d call.
Should I pitch barbershops or chain salons?
No. A razor for underarms doesn’t fit a barbershop, and chains like Great Clips and Supercuts decide product at headquarters. Independents can say yes in one conversation.
How do I find salons and spas near me?
Search “hair salon” (or “spa”, or “wax studio”) in Local Lead Finder for your region. Every result comes with a phone number, rating, review count and website in your Google Sheet.
How much does a search cost?
Each area is one Google Places request per results page, on your own Places API key. Google gives up to 1,000 searches a month free, and the sheet shows the most a search could cost before it runs.
Can I track who I’ve already contacted?
Yes. Mark a row Outreached and it turns green, copies to the OUTREACH tab, and stays green in every future search.
Get the sheet
Local Lead Finder is $10, and free for Better Sheets lifetime members.
