Book excerpt: Selling high-end luxury creations requires a different set of skills than does traditional selling. Clients have high expectations for the service they receive and base their purchasing decisions more on emotion and desire than practical need. Whether you are selling diamond bracelets or sports cars, the key to concluding the sale lies in how well you sell rather than what you sell. In Selling Luxury, Robin Lent and Geneviève Tour explore every component of luxury sales and offer proven, practical strategies for connecting with customers. Rather than sales associates, the luxury market calls for “Sales Ambassadors” who represent the brand with distinction. Sales Ambassadors understand how to connect with customers by discovering their unique motivational desires. This requires a multitude of specialized skills: passion, perseverance, empathy, daring, and curiosity. Through personalized service each and every time, Sales Ambassadors are able to build trust, brand loyalty, and lasting customer relationships. If you want to succeed in the luxury sales universe, Selling Luxury is for you. You’ll pick up the skills and approaches that work everyday in a multitude of situations. You’ll learn how to: Connect emotionally with customers Exceed your customers’ expectations Turn every customer contact into a brand experience Personalize your customer service Learn about customers through observing and discovery Create the desire to purchase Deal positively with customer objections Build a relationship of trust and brand loyalty The universe of luxury is no place for traditional hard-sell tactics. Instead, you have to subtly adapt to your customer in a deeper way. Doing so takes a truly personal touch. Selling Luxury shows you how to develop these skills and make them a key part of your own unique selling style.