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

Chapter 61. Handle everything you sell as a precious object

Scenario 1

On a mystery visit in New York for a luxury brand, we observed an Asian woman with her daughter shopping at the counter next to us. The women pointed to a handbag that was on the display just behind the Sales Associate, who turned around and with one hand, pulled the handbag off the shelf. It started to slip from her hand, so she grasped it tighter, making the handbag momentarily become deformed and lose its shape. She held it out to the customer, who was reluctant to take it but then seemed to do so out of politeness. After looking at the handbag and making a few comments to her daughter, she smiled, set the handbag on the counter, and left.

Scenario 2

We replay the tape. After seeing and verifying that the handbag was indeed what the customers were looking for, the Sales Ambassador puts on a pair of white gloves. She prepares a tray on the counter, in front of the two women. She then carefully and securely picks up the handbag with two hands and sets it gently down on the tray. There, she carefully opens it so the customers can appreciate the workmanship and also imagine what will be put inside.

Comparing the two scenarios, we can easily see that they are as different as night and day.

By awkwardly picking up the creation to be shown to the customer, the Sales Associate turned off the potential customer. In the first example, there was no hope for a sale. Her approach reduced rather than added value to the model. ...