Cover A truly luxurious experience, whatever it may be, should be well considered and tailored to the client (Photo: Getty Images)
A truly luxurious experience, whatever it may be, should be well considered and tailored to the client (Photo: Getty Images)
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Luxury expert Daniel Langer looks at the importance of training staff to be ambassadors of brands in an evolving luxury market
Asia is evolving as luxury’s number one region. Markets from Singapore and Hong Kong to Japan and China and beyond are seeing all time high luxury sales with an increasingly demanding and sophisticated clientele. Yet, selling luxury is hard. It requires a deep emotional connection with each individual client. This means understanding their emotional triggers, aspirations, insights, and desires. While intellectually this seems intuitive at first glance, providing a luxury selling experience in practice requires utmost precision.
Many companies train their sales staff on aspects like smiling, repeating a client’s name three times within the first few minutes, or other more generic tactics. While these are not wrong, they are—in luxury—the bare minimum. A smile is expected, great customer service is expected—but they are hardly sufficient to set a brand apart from others, to inspire clients, and to activate around the emotional triggers.
In many recent luxury sales training sessions in Asia and other regions in the world, the author of this column could observe that even very experienced salespeople in luxury have difficulties connecting with their clients on an emotional level, and tell their brand stories effortlessly and with situational awareness. In many cases people would rather make assumptions than create emotional empathy. The result can be catastrophic for luxury brands and services: the difference between a salesperson able to activate emotionally to someone who can’t, can be two to ten times in sales. In fact, the number one salesperson for one of the top 20 luxury brands in the world attributed his success in being able to deeply connect with his clients on an emotional level, giving him unprecedented access and client loyalty. His personal P&L exceeds US$100 million in sales per year.
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As luxury is changing faster than ever before, sales training becomes a critical success factor. Training is rapidly emerging as the secret weapon that can make or break a brand’s success in today’s market. And most brands significantly underinvest in training. They don’t hire the right experts, they don’t train enough, and they often don’t focus on the right aspects to train. The result: many brands underdeliver on client experiences, having failed at creating enough desirability at the point of sale; and they lose clients. The uncomfortable truth is that your most loyal clients are the first to break up with you should there is a flaw in their client experience.
Luxury training needs to go beyond the traditional norms of customer service, because luxury is about “never seen before” moments. Importantly, it is about crafting an experience that resonates with the brand’s identity and values. In an era where consumer expectations are sky-high, and experiences are valued over mere products, luxury training becomes the game-changer in delivering unique and inspiring customer experiences.
The core of luxury training lies in understanding the nuances of luxury. It’s not just about product knowledge or sales techniques. It’s about instilling a mindset that embodies the ethos of luxury—understanding the art of storytelling, the subtlety of customer engagement, and the ability to create a sense of exclusivity and uniqueness. And it is in instilling the ability to connect with clients on a deeply emotional level.
Brands that excel in luxury training understand that their staff are not merely employees but ambassadors of the brand. They are responsible for the emotional response of each client. Moreover, luxury training is not a one-time exercise but a continuous journey.
The luxury market is fluid, with trends and consumer preferences constantly shifting. Ongoing training ensures that staff are up to date, not just with product knowledge, but with the skills to adapt to these changes, ensuring that the brand remains relevant and top-of-mind for its clientele.
Furthermore, the impact of effective luxury training extends beyond customer satisfaction. It translates into brand loyalty, repeat business, and ultimately, a stronger bottom line. In the highly competitive luxury sector, where brands vie for the attention and loyalty of a discerning clientele, this can make a significant difference.
Luxury training is one of the most critical factors in the success of luxury brands and one that is often undervalued. It's a strategic investment that pays dividends in terms of customer experience, brand loyalty, and overall brand strength. As the luxury market changes faster than ever before, brands that prioritise and excel in luxury training will gain a significant competitive advantage.
Named one of the “Global Top Five Luxury Key Opinion Leaders to Watch”, Daniel Langer is the CEO of the luxury, lifestyle and consumer brand strategy firm Équité, and the executive professor of luxury strategy and pricing at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He consults many of the leading luxury brands in the world, is the author of several best-selling luxury management books, a global keynote speaker, and holds luxury masterclasses on the future of luxury, disruption, and the luxury metaverse in Europe, the USA, and Asia.
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Named one of the “Global Top Five Luxury Key Opinion Leaders to Watch”, Daniel Langer is the CEO of the luxury, lifestyle and consumer brand strategy firm Équité, and the executive professor of luxury strategy and pricing at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He consults many of the leading luxury brands in the world, is the author of several best-selling luxury management books, a global keynote speaker, and holds luxury masterclasses on the future of luxury, disruption, and the luxury metaverse in Europe, the USA, and Asia.
