IS IT SO HARD TO SELL LUXURY PRODUCTS IN LUXURY CUSTOMER SEGMENT?
To answer that question, I assert that “Yes! It’s very hard!” but it’s also “Easy, very easy! Too.
With any product which is luxury or not too luxury, all of them need to fulfill criterias to sell: the quality of the product, the quality of the service, the quality of after-sales support,… But in the luxury customer segment, all those criterias not only necessary but also must be carefully polished in order to when it comes to the customer, it would be in perfect quality.
In addition, there are 2 important factors decide the difference between normal products and luxury product:
The first factor, the Representative for the product. For example, when we buy a flower on a roadside for 10.000 VND, surely what we have is just a flower. But if we buy a flower at a luxury store, decorated with luxury, that flower could be worth 10$ and of course, the service that comes with that 10$ flower is totally different. It comes from the consultant, choosing the best flower and giving it to the customer’s hand. So, when you are selling a premium product, you have to consider your image is luxurious enough to be a representative of the product. We know that we can’t use the person who “looks” not luxury to be a representative for a luxury product or luxury service.
The second factor, what luxury products need to care about is good customer service, thoughtfulness, and meticulousness. For example, in luxury real estate, when the customer comes to visit a model house, try to see if you have completed these little things:
- Welcome customers at the door?
- Support customers to check-in?
- Follow your customers, please sit, bring water, give thoughtful instructions, have you always “Smile – Say hi – Say thank you” to your customers?
- …
Your answers are the factor that creates the difference for luxury products. Like I said, Whether high-end or affordable products need to achieve the same quality of services and products, but for the high-end customer segment, all factors must be perfected at the highest level.
To this point, you don’t define “luxury customer” as something extremely formidable. Some customers are very rich, very successful but they still want simplicity and rusticity. To serve them the best, “professional” is the key factor. Sometimes for certain services and products, I think I am also an “upper customer”, but I love the simplicity and comfort when being consulted. I don’t want to be too complicated and fussy. I believe that you have heard someone in the consulting field once shared: there are some customers when they come to buy a luxury product like a watch or a car which is a limited edition, but they just wear a T-shirt, shorts and sandals. They are not too formal and just want comfort. With this type of customer, the way you approach no need to be too formal, you don’t have to try to pretend that you are very “classy”. You just need to show professionalism in greetings, in the words you use with customers, in the way you greet guests with a smile, the way you invite guests to sit, the way you graciously greet them when you leave. What I want to emphasize here is not to make the meaning of the word “professional” too complicated. You just need to be professional in the way you treat your customers, understand the product/ service/ company information that you consult, listen to the needs of customers, show them your brightness, enthusiasm when consulting,… All is as simple as that.
WHAT IS THE PORTRAIT OF THE CONSULTING SPECIALIST IN LUXURY CUSTOMER SEGMENT?
Firstly, in the customer’s view, “first impression” is very important. Always remember, we have only 7s to establish the first impression, the next 90s is to highlight that first impression. Even if you haven’t opened up the conversation, whether you like it or not, your external appearance is the very first thing your customer feels. Your external appearance doesn’t tell who you are but it determines how you respect yourself, remember important things you have to make sure you are neat, clean, tidy when meeting your customer.
Secondly, you have to master the basic and mandatory business manners and etiquettes. In business, there are communication etiquettes, greetings, handshakes, giving name cards, smiling, answering your customer. Even the way you sit with the customer, how you stand when presenting are the plus in your customer’s eye.
Thirdly, one of the immutable things is your “core”. You must be thoroughly knowledgeable about the information, service that you represent. When you are a consulting specialist, representative but when the customer asks about the product, you don’t know, you don’t understand about the service. Believe me, no customer will trust you or your company’s products/ services.
And lastly, is your attitude, sincerity and your concern for your customer. Always sell with a mind that you are sharing a product that is suitable and necessary for the customer, not forced in any way your customer to buy.
Remember the secret of selling luxury products/ services:
“DON’T SELL, MAKE THEM WANT TO BUY”
Many young Salespeople ask me: “ So what do I have to change to suit this type of luxury customer?”
My answer is: “Don’t change, what you need is adjustment”. You don’t have to change anything. If you are a successful salesperson in the affordable customer segment with your sincerity, your enthusiasm, always answer enthusiastically to customers even if the price of that product is not high, this is definitely a great thing that you must always keep, do not change. However, in different customer segments, there are different characteristics, you actively adjust yourself to suit them. For high-class clients, appearance is imperative and I won’t repeat why, you need to better understand the etiquette of high-class clients because for them you always have to start with stories of sharing, caring, not talking about their products/services. Understand clearly about product information, about the needs of your customers you are going to meet to give the best solution to them.
If you understand and adjust the things I listed above, I’m not sure 100% you will succeed in selling to the high-end segment, but it will help you to break out of your narrow standards, your mindset will also change to be more meticulous and more professional. These things unintentionally help you to improve yourself to be more “high-end”. And when you are premium enough, then you are “enough” to be representative of luxury products/ services.
Good luck!
