ROBIN LENT is Senior Consultant at AC3, a Paris-based company that specializes in training and communications. Robin has been working for eighteen years in the field of luxury. He can be reached at [...].

GENEVIÈVE TOUR is a Training Consultant at a top luxury firm and a luxury specialist. She has spent many years as a Sales Ambassador in the United States and France. Geneviève has an MBA in luxury brands and twenty years of experience in marketing and communications. She can be reached at [...][...].

Foreword by Alain-Dominique Perrin xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

Part One: Initial Thoughts 1

1 The Vital Role of the Sales Ambassador 3

2 In the eyes of the customer, the Sales Ambassador is the brand 5

3 Loyalty begins with the fi rst contact 6

4 Keep in mind how you like to be treated 7

5 There are customers behind customers 8

6 The incredible loss from one lost customer 9

7 The emotional side of the purchase 10

8 The island vacation or the earrings? 11

9 The price is only one of the factors 12

10 The "Wow" comes when you go beyond expectations 13

11 Discretion and confi dentiality 14

Part Two: The Frame of Mind of the Sales Ambassador 17

12 Be a person before being a Sales Ambassador 19

13 Turn every contact into an experience 20

14 Get inside the customer's story 21

15 Congratulate customers 23

16 Compliment your customers 24

17 Every complaint is an opportunity 25

18 The other competitor 26

19 Service costs nothing 28

20 The great danger of prejudices and preconceived ideas 29

21 Work as a team player 30

22 Relationships and mistakes 31

Part Three: The Savoir-Faire of the Sales Ambassador 35

23 The successful selling style 37

24 Life is a celebration 38

25 Use each contact to inform and educate 39

26 The power of timing 40

27 Time is a precious sales tool 42

28 The art of using silence 44

29 Music as a metaphor for selling 45

30 Select the words you use carefully 46

31 Tones, rhythms, and volumes 47

32 The competition, your customers, and your advantages 48

33 Personalize your service 49

34 Pleasure comes from consistency 50

35 Maintain your energy 51

36 Make someone's day 53

37 Each telephone contact is another opportunity 54

38 Analyze the sale you made 56

39 Analyze the situation when the customer did not buy 58

Part Four: Preparing to Sell 61

40 The impact of the right atmosphere on customers 63

41 Luxury is in the details 65

42 Keep the service level up even when things are busy 66

43 Prepare your selling tools 68

44 Know what you have in stock 69

45 Learn how each creation was crafted 70

46 Know what is happening in your city 71

Part Five: Welcoming and Discovering the Customer 73

47 A greeting needs a smile 75

48 Your body language speaks louder than words 76

49 Listening with your eyes 77

50 The importance of discovery 79

51 The gift purchase 81

52 The power of questions (quality over quantity) 82

53 Be a careful listener 84

54 Find out how your customer feels about your brand 85

55 Make statements to obtain information 86

56 Introduce yourself 87

57 "Just looking" 88

58 The art and importance of reformulation 90

Part Six: Proposing, Romancing, and Handling Objections 93

59 Keep your proposals simple 95

60 Create curiosity 96

61 Handle everything you sell as a precious object 98

62 Position the offer 100

63 Make clever use of the light 102

64 Romance your creations to enhance the emotions 103

65 Storytelling 104

66 Invite the customer to try on the model 106

67 "Wrap" the price as if it were a gift 108

68 The art of exploring "Let me think about it" 109

69 Prepare for dealing with objections 111

Part Seven: Concluding and Making Additional Sales 113

70 Be aware of buying signals 115

71 Tips to conclude 117

72 Suggest the best solution 119

73 The importance of reassuring when concluding 120

74 "Picture" the purchase 122

75 Advise customers about maintaining their purchase 123

76 Suggest ways of offering a gift 125

77 The additional sale 126

Part Eight: Building Customer Loyalty 129

78 Loyalty comes from offering gifts linked to the purchase 131

79 Offer two business cards 132

80 Make a good last impression 133

81 Every departure is a preparation for another visit 134

82 Loyalty comes from remembering your customers 136

83 The database is an essential tool 137

84 Celebrate the newborn 138

85 Build loyalty by staying in touch 140

86 Ask for a referral 142

87 Customer after-sales service and the broken dream 144

88 The ideal after-sales service scenario 146

Outcomes of the Eight Stories 149

Conclusion 153

Index 156