Article by Daniel Langer, originally published in Tatler Asia
Asia is evolving as luxury's number one region. Markets from Singapore to Hong Kong, from Japan to China and beyond are seeing record luxury sales with an increasingly demanding and sophisticated clientele. Yet selling luxury is hard. It requires a deep emotional connection with each individual client. This means understanding their emotional triggers, aspirations, insights, and desires. While intellectually this seems intuitive at first glance, providing a luxury selling experience in practice requires utmost precision.
Many companies train their sales staff on aspects like smiling, repeating the client's name three times within the first minutes, or other generic tactics. These are not wrong, but in luxury they represent the minimum expected standard of interaction. A smile is expected. Great customer service is expected. These basics are not sufficient to set a brand apart, to inspire clients, or to activate around emotional triggers.
In luxury sales trainings across Asia and other regions, I have observed that even very experienced salespeople have difficulty connecting with their clients on an emotional level and telling their brand stories effortlessly with situational awareness. In many cases people make assumptions instead of creating emotional empathy. The result can be catastrophic for luxury brands and services: the difference between a salesperson able to activate emotionally and someone who cannot can be 2x, 5x, or 10x in sales. The number one salesperson for one of the top 20 luxury brands in the world attributed his success to being able to deeply connect with his clients on an emotional level, giving him unprecedented access and client loyalty. His personal revenue exceeds $100 million in sales per year.
As luxury changes faster than ever before, sales training becomes a critical success factor. Training is rapidly emerging as the capability that can make or break a brand's performance. Most brands significantly underinvest in it. They do not hire the right experts, they do not train enough, and they often focus on the wrong aspects. The result: many brands underdeliver on client experiences, fail to create enough desirability at the point of sale, and lose clients. The uncomfortable truth is that your most loyal clients are the first to leave if there is any flaw in the client experience.
Luxury training needs to go beyond the traditional norms of customer service, because luxury is about creating moments that feel unprecedented. It is about crafting an experience that resonates with the brand's identity and values. In an era where consumer expectations have never been higher and experiences are valued over products alone, training becomes the deciding factor in delivering unique and inspiring client experiences.
The core of luxury training lies in understanding the nuances of luxury. It is about instilling a mindset that embodies the ethos of luxury: understanding the art of storytelling, the subtlety of client engagement, and the ability to create a sense of exclusivity and uniqueness. And it is about instilling the ability to connect with clients on a deeply emotional level.
Brands that excel in luxury training understand that their staff are ambassadors of the brand. They are responsible for the emotional response of each client. Moreover, luxury training is not a one-time exercise but a continuous discipline. The luxury market is fluid, with trends and client preferences constantly shifting. Ongoing training ensures that staff stay current with the skills to adapt to these changes, ensuring that the brand remains relevant and desirable for its clientele.
The impact of effective luxury training extends beyond client satisfaction. It translates into brand loyalty, repeat business, and ultimately, a stronger bottom line. In the highly competitive luxury sector, where brands compete for the attention and loyalty of a discerning clientele, this can make a significant difference.
Luxury training is one of the most critical factors in the success of luxury brands and one that is often undervalued. It is a strategic investment that pays dividends in client experience, brand loyalty, and overall brand strength. As the luxury market changes faster than ever before, brands that prioritize and excel in luxury training will hold a significant competitive advantage.
About the Author
Daniel Langer is the Founder and CEO of Équité, a global luxury brand strategy consultancy. He is Executive Professor of Luxury Strategy at Pepperdine University Graziadio Business School and NYU. After two decades of industry leadership, he founded Équité to bring academic rigor, proprietary research, and operational precision to the way luxury brands build equity, set prices, optimize their strategies, and deliver extraordinary client experiences. He and his team advise some of the most iconic luxury brands in the world across fashion, fine jewelry, watches, automotive, hospitality, airlines and private aviation, wealth management, and wellness. He is a sought-after global keynote speaker and leads executive masterclasses on luxury strategy. He serves as a board member of MOIQ Capital in Singapore. His education includes Harvard Business School, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in luxury management. Featured in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times, The Economist, Forbes, Vogue, and Robb Report. Follow him on Instagram, Linkedin and his substack. Visit his personal website.
