Training is critical when it comes to serving your most affluent and selective customers. As luxe consultant Pam Danziger, owner of Unity Marketing, puts it, “When you’re selling $500-to-$1,500 frames, you’d better behave and be dressed the part.”
How can you train staff to serve luxury clientele? That’s what we asked the leaders of three luxury eyecare businesses:
→ Ruth Domber, cofounder of 10/10 Optics in New York City and luxury optical expert with nearly five decades of experience
→ Justin Elmini, owner of Gleek & Howard in Montclair, NJ
→ Adam Ramsey, OD, owner of Socialite Vision in Palm Beach Gardens, FL
The Starting Point
Domber agrees with Danziger about looking the part. “If you’re selling a Porsche, you have to look and sound different than the guy who’s selling a Chevy.”
Elmini adds, “We look for a certain personality and the ability to present yourself.” That, says Dr. Ramsey, is “because you can’t train demeanor, disposition, etc.”
The Process
Once you’ve found the right person, training is a three-tier process.
“It starts with a culture that communicates verbally, visually, and aesthetically,” says Domber, emphasizing the need to educate staff on the designer’s legacy. “You’re selling a story with a history, not just a product.”
Dr. Ramsey agrees. That’s why, when he brought in the Chopard frame line, he took his staff to the Chopard Boutique at a nearby Saks Fifth Avenue. “I wanted them to see how it carries through to other Chopard product. Touching and feeling are important.”
“Learning never ends,” adds Elmini. “We try to learn brand and designer history, manufacturing techniques, materials, design specifics…anything that helps us understand brands better. The more we know, the better the experience will be for luxury clients.”
Training Resources
What resources help them enhance that experience? Elmini encourages ECPs to take advantage of everything available, from workshops and clinics to YouTube videos. “Sales reps are instrumental—they provide the foundation of brand information. We love trade shows, and we use the Luxury Eyewear Forum online to ask questions and gather feedback,” he explains. “We encourage our staff to be sponges.”
Before he brings in a new line, Dr. Ramsey says, “I need the vendor to educate my staff not just about the specific line but [also] about luxury in a broader sense. For example, if this is a 23-karat gold frame, how is that different from an 18-karat gold one? And, if the frame has a five-barrel hinge, how is that better than a three-barrel one?”
That’s just the beginning, however. “We carry 40 brands of incredible frames, but lens styles, materials, coatings, and add-ons are equally, if not more, important,” concludes Elmini. “Putting the two together for clients—that’s luxury.”