Source: Creative commons – Anya Kvitka (#6166) by mark sebastian
Hi all,
Exchanging with my clients made me realize how painful it was for them to go through the sales process. Is it because you made the piece and you fear others’ judgement ? Are you afraid that the price of your pieces may not reflect their inner value ? Well, when it comes to selling, most fashion designers are reluctant and dream of a magic agent who would do that for them. However, you may not be able to hire one for the moment.
And yet, you may operate a shift in your sales just by changing your focus. What if you stopped focusing on your fears and just thought of the reason why you started designing at the first place and created your pieces ?
People are not buying a mere item. They are buying an idea.
Selling luxury fashion is a matter of emotion.
Passion.
So after our article about marketing tips revealing 7 secrets to sell luxury pieces, here are a few tips from “Selling to the New Elite” by Stephen Kraus, James Taylor and Doug Harrison to help you communicate your passion to your customers.
- Demonstrate your customer you love showing them your fashion pieces. Share your authentic passion for what you do and for your products. An interesting way to practice and prepare is to remember your most satisfying interactions with customers. Also describe what you sincerely like in the products and services you sell, go into the details of the fabric, the draping, the cut, the way the color stands out…
- Master the art of storytelling. Practice by crafting detail-rich stories about :
- you and the origin of your brand.
- The origin of a collection and specific pieces. Why not share the ideas you had when you made your moodboard ?
- What makes your high-end pieces different from mainstream products. Maybe it’s the technicity of a certain stitch they have been traditionnally doing in your culture ? or the way you use a certain pearl you can only find in one region of the world ?
- How your company treats customers and employees extremely well. Maybe you also pursue an old family tradition that you implemented in the way you interact with people ?
- Look for a shared interest to deepen the relationship. Observe your customers, try to understand what they may be into, notice what they wear, the stories they tell. Make a discrete self-disclosure and observe whether it is reciprocated.
- Present your atelier, your boutique or your showrom, the way a museum docent would. Offer your clients a tour. Show them objects that mean something to your brand and tell them the stories behind. Place your story in the historical context, highlight the origin of the pieces you created, go into the fabrics, the materials and the techniques you used.
- Create a ritual of celebration when your customers buy a piece. As they described in Selling to the New Elite by Stephen Kraus, James Taylor and Doug Harrison « Consider Hermès. Sales associatesdon’t slap your purchase in a bag and hand it across the counter casually. It is carefully wrapped in a signature orange The sales associate typically comes out from behind the counter. He or she presents it to you respectfully, with both hands, and expresses happiness for your purchase. »
- Ask questions that show your passion and enthusiasm :
- Do you want to see something you can’t see anywhere else ?
- Do you want to know what really makes this brand different from other ones ?
- Do you want to see something truly exceptional about this dress ?
- Do you know what first excited me about this fabric ?
- Be happy. A Harrison Group and American Express Publishing survey of affluence and wealth in America in 2010 showed that 71% of the affluent describe themselves as happy. Your customers do not shop to be happy, they shop because they are happy. And the best way to reach out to them is to be happy yourself.
*******************************************************
Find out how to build a cohesive sales strategy and other tools to write your fashion business plan, with the number one FXF guide. “The Fashion Business Plan” by Bako Rambini is available on Amazon.
*******************************************************
To receive more fashion sales and marketing articles and fashion designer tools, follow us
