A uniformed doorman welcomes with a smile, plush carpet underfoot, a relaxed ambience, tasteful décor highlighting the luxury creations on display; welcome to the world of luxury where the affluent shop for everything from an upmarket saloon to an investment timepiece. And for the world of luxury, nothing but the best service is permissible, which means that traditional salespeople are out, and the Ambassador of luxury is in.
The luxury customer has an agenda that goes beyond functionality, rationality and economy, they are looking for the elite customer experience, and with this comes Ambassadors with a different skill set who understand the luxury buying process and are thus able to engage effectively with their customers. The traits one would normally associate with salespeople like assertiveness and competitiveness would be counterproductive in the luxury environment, at once jarring and incongruent, the Ambassador is more subtle but eminently more effective.
The Ambassador has four key traits, alone each is ineffective, but combined they transform, and an unrivalled customer experience becomes inevitable.
Empathy: For the purveyor of luxury, empathy is the leveller. It matters not that the Ambassador’s life and the customer’s life might be quite different, empathy strips away the accoutrements of life and allows them to engage person to person, and from here a deeper understanding can emerge of the true wants of the customer.
Confidence: Sitting far from arrogance is confidence, an assurance that Ambassadors possess that speaks not of a desire to sell, but a desire to enhance their customer’s experience. Ambassadors have poise, a calmness that inspires and a demeanour that encourages trust and develops rapport, they have an image that is aligned to the luxury products that they represent which ensures a confidence that speaks even when they do not.
Intuition: The Ambassador knows that not everything that is communicated is said, and that sometimes it is what is unsaid that communicates the most. Awareness, observation and a strong understanding of the instinctive and sometimes unconscious habits of people gives Ambassadors an intuitive approach to their luxury customers.
Responsiveness: The traits of empathy, confidence and intuition are bound together with responsiveness, a willingness to assist customers, an alertness and an intention to accompany the customer throughout the entirety of the customer experience, from pre purchase to post purchase and repeat purchase.
