The Luxury Life: Case Study 2.4

The article reviewed for this blog post was on selling to the luxury customer/clientele and how to communicate in the correct and appropriate manner with these high society individuals. The best way to connect with this consumer is to make it about the experience as opposed to the overall sale. We learn about a sales associate for a luxury brand retailer and how he connects with his consumer by learning about their life, their preferences, and how they can work their style into their lives. He likes to know them on a personal level and treat them to lunch or go to Galas outside of work with them. The luxury consumer does not want to be sold to as the masses would, they want to have a personal stylist or an assistant that would help them shop as well. For the highest of the luxury pyramid, they would typically have their clothes either custom made, bespoke or tailored and delivered.

5 Tips for Working in Luxury Sales

1. Dress the part: Because a customer does not expect for the sales person to have the same lifestyle as they do, there is no need to have the whole look from page 82 on Vogue magazine. Small details like wearing a deliberately placed brooch, a nice watch or a pair of pearl earrings will work nicely. While you should look sharp, well groomed and current, the sales person should never upstage the client or customer.

2. Know your stuff: This does not only apply to fashion but it is important to be well rounded and knowledgeable about current happenings in society. The newsstand is your best friend. Reading the daily local paper or picking up magazines (fashion or pop culture) to keep you up to date. Quality over quantity is important here. It makes you look good if you happen to know a little information about a lot of things and what the customer is interested in. By doing this, you can have a great conversation while making the customer feel welcome and because you've made an impression, they are racking up a huge bill. Also, asking the customer something about themselves works well. People love to hear their names and talk about themselves, but nothing too personal. For instance, my job is in Hollywood where a lot of tourists come. I'll ask them how to say thank you in their language. Not only do I learn something, but they feel as if they've given me value by teaching me something.

3.The wealthy are people too: There is a stigma that people who shop luxury are snobby, demanding and over-bearing. Most of the time the client is happy and grateful for the assistance of the sales person. The customer wants to talk about clothes and get the opinion of the sales person, this is why they come in. Offer them advice about how to wear a particular piece or make suggestions about where to go or where to stay. One crucial differentiation between regular sales and luxury sales is that you are not only selling a jacket, but you are selling the lifestyle of the jacket.

4. Be a social magnet: VIP tickets to events or charity functions are not unusual gifts from customers. Always say yes to any opportunity to interact with the client outside of work. Even though you may be uncomfortable, fake it til you make it! This is also a chance to gain any referrals and also make deeper connections with your client outside of work. The author has found that most people who shop luxury want to share their lifestyle and experiences, so take a chance and make a friend.

5. Never forget the sale is bigger than the purchase: The pieces you sell are not just clothing, they are esteem and worth. Is a $10,000 jacket really necessary? No, but the customers want a sense of luxury and exclusivity. Maintaining your relationship is important. Think about a hand written thank you note or remembering to call them on their birthday will ensure longevity from your client.

The Nordstrom Point of View

While Nordstrom is not the highest level of luxury (Bergdorf Goodman or Saks Fifth) they still engage in selling the main luxury brands. They are a retailer that sells lower price point luxury while maintaining the ideal that the customer is the most important part of the entire store. Nordstrom instills in their employees that the customer should always feel welcome and happy when shopping or even entering a store. They want the customer to not only enjoy their purchases, but make a personal connection with the sales associate helping them. While working at Nordstrom, I have a book of

clientele whose information I keep on file, such as their birthday, their favorite designers, and what I have helped them with before. For major sales, trunk shows, and special rewards days, I refer back to this back to let my customer know what products will be showcased and how we can update their wardrobe with a few new key pieces. I definitely have learned these five main points in working at Nordstrom by making sure to truly get to know and connect with my different customers. Some of those customers have become close friends, and others have also taken me to events as well! These rules really work!!

Luxury Lifestyle Living (The 3 L's)

While helping the luxury based lifestyle consumer, most of their items seem to fit flawlessly together. Their lifestyle items are heavily incorporated into their surroundings and allows them to feel at ease in the places they are commonly found. Most of your luxury lifestyle consumers live the lifestyle of luxury including art, cars, fashion, food, drink, interior design, experiences, and travel amongst other things. They find that they want to be surrounded by an atmosphere that most could only dream of. The interesting concept mentioned above is that these tips will apply to any luxury lifestyle component. For the luxury car salesman, take Rolls Royce for example, they customize the car to the specific customer. In fact, one cannot buy a brand new Rolls Royce and drive it off the lot, rather, they have to wait about 6 months to receive a car that is perfectly tailored to them and their wants/needs. The luxury industry is about bespoke and customization to make sure the clientele is unique and has their wants fully fulfilled. 

On the idea of trends, luxury is more in a niche or subculture category, where trends are not as relevant in their lifestyle. While most luxury consumers are always up to date with the latest fashions, they tend to not fall for the items that look too "trendy." This also separates the idea of old money vs. new money and the luxury consumption pyramid. Not getting too heavily into this topic considering I could go on for hours, it also depends on the type of luxury consumer you are dealing with. If you are dealing with old money, chances are they will stick to their classic Chanel dress or Hermes bag. They do not want to adapt to the latest changes and some would rather maintain a level of classic style. On the other hand, the new money is all about luxury based trends and would probably gravitate more toward a Tom Ford jacket or a pair of Louboutins. While these four brands are all very high luxury, the latter two draw more of a futuristic or popular style and tend to not be as classic. A pair of louboutins are commonly seen, and most old money wants to stand out while not attracting direct attention. 

Relating this concept to the Macro and Micro level theory, the luxury consumer definitely falls within the macro category of tradition vs. change. Once again, our old money luxury would be a lifestyle of tradition, while the new money would be a lifestyle of constant change and the next best thing. The generational trends would be the old money family who has a heritage of studying at Harvard, starting companies or corporations, and living with the best but in complete privacy. The new money luxury consumer would be the population trend where they travel and explore with their new found wealth, most heavily documenting their lives through social media and not maintaining that idea of privacy necessarily. Within the macro level, each person experiences this whether luxury or not! We all have individual taste and likes of how we clothe our bodies. This idea depends more on your consumer than the societal background they come from. 

This idea of dealing with the luxury consumer is very tailored and a different experience than the masses. It is vitally important to be aware of the consumer you are dealing with and adjust yourself accordingly. But hey, being surrounded by luxury all day sounds like fun! Who knows, maybe you'll even get an invitation to an exclusive event and experience this high life for yourself!