Selling Luxury – Connect With Affluent Customers, Create Unique Experiences Through Impeccable Service, and Close the Sale Connect with Affluent Customers, Create Unique Experiences Through Impeccable Service, and Close the Sale

Proven principles and tactics for successful selling in the expanding luxury goods market

Customers of high-end products hold extremely high expectations in terms of customer service. Unlike typical consumers who face a need and go to the market to find something to fill that need, luxury buyers make their purchasing decisions based on much less practical considerations like passion and emotion. It's up to the sales ambassadors to create that emotion and the will to buy. After all, no one actually needs a $10,000 bracelet or a $20,000 wristwatch. Sales ambassadors to this market must master specific customer relation skills, like the ability to listen to the customer, build long-term customer relationships based on trust and loyalty, subtly appeal to the customer's emotions, and deliver personalized service from start to finish. Selling Luxury is for frontline salespeople in the luxury goods market who want to perform at the highest level.

Robert w. Lent (Paris, France) is a Senior Consultant at AC3, a Paris based training company that works worldwide. He has led seminars in more than 22 countries in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Genevieve Tour (Paris, France) is a Training Director for Cartier and a long-time luxury sales specialist.

Selling in a luxury universe is full of magic, passion, and emotion. The customer, the creation and the Sales Ambassador all enjoy an exchange of views that is just as important as the luxury item itself, and its beauty. The sales ambassador therefore plays a critical role. He or she is the living brand for the customer and should embody the brand and serve as the "Ambassador" to the lifestyle that the brand represents.  In order to be an Ambassador, it requires a multitude of skills, personal energy, and subtlety. This book presents 88 principles and tactics for understanding luxury customers, providing breathtaking customer service, and closing on high-ticket sales. This book explains to luxury sales ambassadors: The importance of listening and observing Building a relationship of turst and loyalty Luxury is in the details The emotional side of the sale The powerful impace of personalized service How to astonish customers and close the sale

Foreword by Alain-Dominique Perrin. Acknowledgments. Introduction. Part One: Initial Thoughts. 1 The Vital Role of the Sales Ambassador. 2 In the eyes of the customer, the Sales Ambassador is the brand. 3 Loyalty begins with the fi rst contact. 4 Keep in mind how you like to be treated. 5 There are customers behind customers. 6 The incredible loss from one lost customer. 7 The emotional side of the purchase. 8 The island vacation or the earrings? 9 The price is only one of the factors. 10 The Wow comes when you go beyond expectations. 11 Discretion and confi dentiality. Part Two: The Frame of Mind of the Sales Ambassador. 12 Be a person before being a Sales Ambassador. 13 Turn every contact into an experience. 14 Get inside the customers story. 15 Congratulate customers. 16 Compliment your customers. 17 Every complaint is an opportunity. 18 The other competitor. 19 Service costs nothing. 20 The great danger of prejudices and preconceived ideas. 21 Work as a team player. 22 Relationships and mistakes. Part Three: The Savoir-Faire of the Sales Ambassador. 23 The successful selling style. 24 Life is a celebration. 25 Use each contact to inform and educate. 26 The power of timing. 27 Time is a precious sales tool. 28 The art of using silence. 29 Music as a metaphor for selling. 30 Select the words you use carefully. 31 Tones, rhythms, and volumes. 32 The competition, your customers, and your advantages. 33 Personalize your service. 34 Pleasure comes from consistency. 35 Maintain your energy. 36 Make someones day. 37 Each telephone contact is another opportunity. 38 Analyze the sale you made. 39 Analyze the situation when the customer did not buy. Part Four: Preparing to Sell. 40 The impact of the right atmosphere on customers. 41 Luxury is in the details. 42 Keep the service level up even when things are busy. 43 Prepare your selling tools. 44 Know what you have in stock. 45 Learn how each creation was crafted. 46 Know what is happening in your city. Part Five: Welcoming and Discovering the Customer. 47 A greeting needs a smile. 48 Your body language speaks louder than words. 49 Listening with your eyes. 50 The importance of discovery. 51 The gift purchase. 52 The power of questions (quality over quantity). 53 Be a careful listener. 54 Find out how your customer feels about your brand. 55 Make statements to obtain information. 56 Introduce yourself. 57 Just looking. 58 The art and importance of reformulation. Part Six: Proposing, Romancing, and Handling Objections. 59 Keep your proposals simple. 60 Create curiosity. 61 Handle everything you sell as a precious object. 62 Position the offer. 63 Make clever use of the light. 64 Romance your creations to enhance the emotions. 65 Storytelling. 66 Invite the customer to try on the model. 67 Wrap the price as if it were a gift. 68 The art of exploring Let me think about it. 69 Prepare for dealing with objections. Part Seven: Concluding and Making Additional Sales. 70 Be aware of buying signals. 71 Tips to conclude. 72 Suggest the best solution. 73 The importance of reassuring when concluding. 74 Picture the purchase. 75 Advise customers about maintaining their purchase. 76 Suggest ways of offering a gift. 77 The additional sale. Part Eight: Building Customer Loyalty. 78 Loyalty comes from offering gifts linked to the purchase. 79 Offer two business cards. 80 Make a good last impression. 81 Every departure is a preparation for another visit. 82 Loyalty comes from remembering your customers. 83 The database is an essential tool. 84 Celebrate the newborn. 85 Build loyalty by staying in touch. 86 Ask for a referral. 87 Customer after-sales service and the broken dream. 88 The ideal after-sales service scenario. Outcomes of the Eight Stories. Conclusion. Index.