SPONSORED
Samantha Dlabich understands salons from the inside out, and KEVIN.MURPHY MID-ATLANTIC knows exactly how to put that experience to work. Raised in a salon and licensed early in her career, Samantha moved from behind the chair into leadership roles overseeing services, HR, and retail before stepping into marketing. Today, as Marketing Lead for KMMA (a Rule Breaker Awards winner in the Distribution Disruptor category for redefining distributor–salon relationships) she helps salons translate luxury retail strategy into real, profitable action.
In this conversation, Samantha breaks down how salons can “steal” proven tactics from Sephora and LVMH: using consistency, storytelling, and education-driven retail to elevate the client experience, strengthen brand identity, and drive smarter growth.
Background + Industry Journey
The Tease: You apprenticed, earned your license, and later oversaw salon & spa services, HR, and retail movement in your family’s business. How did those early roles influence how you market professional products now?
Samantha Dlabich: Most people don’t get the chance to understand salons from the inside out before they’re even old enough to hold a round brush. I did. I learned which tools salons struggle to access, things like promotional-cycle planning and ready-to-use marketing assets. So now, when I market professional products, I focus on making resources simple, accessible, and easy to implement.
The Tease: What inspired you to step out from behind the chair and into a career in marketing, and how did you make that pivot?
Samantha: The pro-beauty world is massive, and I’d always been curious about what existed beyond the four walls of a single salon. When I had a shoulder injury, the timing lined up with an opportunity to take everything I’d learned behind the chair and apply it with my distributor.
Stepping away from the salon, especially my family’s, was terrifying, but it also opened the door to a whole new side of the industry. I realized I could make just as much impact supporting salons from the outside as I did working inside one.
Marketing Mindset for Modern Pros
The Tease: You often talk about how stylists should be “stealing” their marketing tactics from LVMH and Sephora. From your perspective, what are the biggest marketing habits beauty pros can adopt that cost little, but change everything?
Samantha: Honestly? It looks exactly like what those retailers do, just scaled to salon life. I always tell salons there are three low-cost habits that truly change everything: consistency, social media presence, and promotional planning. For salons, that means routines your team can rely on: simple scripts for add-ons, a rotating promotional calendar, and predictable touchpoints that keep clients engaged. When consistency becomes part of your culture, stylists build stronger habits and clients start to anticipate and get excited about what’s coming next. Social media is also a necessary play: it gives potential clients a preview of your craft, your culture, your vibe.
Beyond the first two, integrative promotional planning is the next critical key. A six-month promo strategy sounds big, but it makes consistency effortless and you don’t have to build it from scratch. Your distributor should be excited and prepared to help with this; our team at KMMA has plug-and-play promo cycles, assets, and in-salon strategies ready to go.
The Tease: How important is it for stylists to share their POD (Points of Difference) beyond posting beautiful hair photos? What does that shift unlock?
Samantha: Sharing your salon’s POD is basically creating a dating profile for potential clients. Gorgeous hair photos are the profile picture, they grab attention. But the real magic happens when people scroll.
Your culture, your experience, your vibe… that’s the “long walks on the beach” that helps clients say, ‘This is my place.’
If you don’t share what makes your salon your salon, you blend in with every other guy holding a fish in his dating profile. When you share your POD, you unlock clarity, connection, and clients who feel aligned before they even book. POD posts help clients pre-choose you before they ever sit in your chair.
The Tease: As the marketing lead for a distributor, how are you enabling salons to elevate their marketing game specifically?
Samantha: I focus on giving salons everything they need to market with confidence, without the guesswork. That means equipping our team with clear promotional strategies, from what’s included to how to merchandise it. It means providing ready-to-use social assets so salons can showcase their products as beautifully as they showcase their work. And it means refining our promo offerings so there’s always a simple, step-by-step way to take what you purchase from us and bring it to life in the salon.
Product Quality, Education, & The Right Partners
The Tease: Why is pairing high-quality products with high-quality education so essential, and what should pros look for in a distributor who provides both?
Samantha: You wouldn’t pair caviar with gas-station sushi, right? The same goes for products and education. High-quality products can only reach their full potential when they’re supported by high-quality education. When a stylist truly understands a product (the why, the how, the techniques that make it shine), the client experience elevates from ‘they use great products’ to ‘my stylist is incredible.’
When choosing a distributor, look closely at their education offerings. You want a mix: virtual classes for convenience, and in-person or hands-on education to really build skill and confidence. Great brands should come with great education, and the right distribution partner will make sure you have access to both.
The Tease: For stylists looking to communicate product value through social media, what language strategies or first steps do you recommend?
Samantha: Start by hitting the product story from all angles. If you’re posting a beautiful color or blowout, don’t just talk about the look, call out the products that made it happen. Create a caption that teaches clients why the look works and makes the product part of the magic. When in doubt, simplify. Clients don’t speak stylist, they speak results.
Retail + Revenue Strategy
The Tease: Retail is one of the biggest missed revenue opportunities in beauty. Where do you see stylists leaving money on the table compared to Sephora and Ulta?
Samantha: Every salon needs retail because retail is part of the service, not an extra; but what needs to be reiterated is that stylists shouldn’t sell; they should educate. Stylists leave money on the table when they skip the education piece. Clients come to us because we’re the experts on their hair. If we’re not educating them on what they need to maintain their look, we’re not offering a full-service appointment.
Sephora and Ulta win because they’re always teaching: ingredients, benefits, routines, results. Clients walk in curious and walk out informed. When stylists stay quiet, clients will simply go learn and buy from someone else. If you don’t educate your client, Sephora will. Be your client’s hair expert and show them why they choose you.
The Tease: LVMH invests massively in messaging, merchandising, and retail experience. How can a small salon replicate that energy, even without a huge budget?
Samantha: You don’t need an LVMH budget to create an LVMH-level experience; you just need to look at your client journey with fresh eyes. Is booking smooth? Is your front desk warm and welcoming?
Walk through your salon like a client. What do you hear, smell, see, and feel? Do your retail shelves look fresh and intentional, or dusty and forgotten? Sit in your styling chairs, what would a client notice after an hour that you might overlook day-to-day?
Regularly auditing your client experience keeps small details from slipping through the cracks. Pay attention to great and not-so-great experiences at other businesses. If something impresses you, or bothers you, use it as a cue to elevate your own salon. It’s not about a big budget; it’s about being intentional, observant, and proud of the moments you’re creating.
The Tease: How should stylists approach seasonal retail feature displays, and what roles do distributors play in supporting retail activations?
Samantha: First of all, I love a feature display. They immediately signal to clients that your salon is a place to shop, not just get serviced. The key is rotation. Most clients visit every eight weeks, so your displays should change on the same cycle. Fresh visuals keep the space feeling exciting, even if the products featured aren’t what that specific client needs.
If you’re unsure where to start, lean on your distributor partner. Your distributor should be a resource for helping you design displays that draw attention and boost engagement, no matter the size of your salon. They’ve seen what works, they know the brands, and they have a whole team behind them to help bring ideas to life.
And trust me, I know the instinct to hide when a rep walks in (I did it too when I was behind the chair!), but the right partner isn’t just there to take orders. They should be a tool you can lean on for strategy, merchandising, education, and support.
Social Media + Storytelling
The Tease: What are some simple changes beauty pros can make today to level up what they’re doing online?
Samantha: First, mix up your content. Don’t post only hair, only products, or only promos. Second, stop comparing yourself to big hair influencers and put your face on your grid. Influencers have a full-time job creating content for massive brands, yours is creating great hair for people in your town and telling people about it. If you hold yourself to their standard, you’ll never feel ready.
Just post the video. Seriously. Stop overthinking it. Clients don’t want perfection; they want authenticity. Showing your face, your process, your personality, even just occasionally, builds trust in a way a photo of gorgeous hair never can.
