When I was at BMW, we designed a training program for the dealers that required them to stay at a Ritz-Carlton hotel. What the dealers experienced as Ritz-Carlton customers became the basis for their learning. We realized we had been asking dealers to deliver a luxury experience to BMW customers without them fully understanding what that meant. After their Ritz-Carlton stay, the dealers were able to articulate their expectations as luxury consumers, and in turn, they successfully translated that experience to their own customers. Training Magazine has just posted an article about a similar learning program conducted by the Turkish luxury supermarket brand Migros, entitled “Migros’ Luxury Perspective.”
The Migros’ training program was conducted in two phases: first was an in-class session, followed by a second phase that included a a trip to New York and London. According to the article:
The program includes competitor analyses, shopping experiences in luxury stores, experience sharing from world-famous luxury brand sellers, a session of listening to expectations from luxury customers, eating in luxury restaurants, staying in luxury hotels, and many other lifestyle experiences.
The entire experience was designed to help associates get “closer to the customers in terms of general culture and experience.” The result was an increase in customer loyalty from 6% to 15%,
What are you doing to help your sales associates better understand the luxury experience you’re asking them to deliver?
What’s it to me? Everything! If you can’t articulate why your product or service is important to me, you’ll likely not win me as a customer. Very often sales associates try to differentiate themselves by becoming subject matter experts. They then overwhelm potential clients with a litany of facts and product features with no regard for what’s actually important to the customer. In other words, what is the benefit to the customer?
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