EMERSON FRY | CYBER MONDAY SALE

Hells yeah- 20% off at Emerson Fry today! As you know from this post, I have been crushing on their latest collection, so I am losing my mind right now. What to get?!

Some of my top picks...

MUST-HAVE: TARTAN CHECK COAT | ASOS CYBER MONDAY SALE

If you are anything like me, you've been dreaming about this Stella McCartney coat, but this alternative from ASOS will definitely satisfy the craving without breaking the bank.

Even better, get 20% off today with code GIMME20 or wait until tomorrow to get 30% off with code GIMMEMORE, which lasts until December 4th. Check out some of my other ASOS favs here.

Get the look...

LIKE OMG... MEMORIAL DAY SALES

ph: Clueless

Here are some of the best Memorial Day sales going on. Enjoy!

+ ASOS: Get 20% with code TAKE20. Top pick- Deep V Cami

+ French Connection: Get 25% off with code S13MEM

+ Gap: 20% off with code GAPGIFT. Top pick- these Alaïa-inspired sandals.

+ J.Crew Up to $75 off your purchase using code SHOPNOW. Top pick- Vacationland blouse.

+ Joie: Shoe sale is on! Love these leopard flats.

+ Kelly Wearstler: 30% off select styles with code KWSUMMER. Top pick- this cheetah tee.

+ Last Call by Neiman Marcus : Get 35%+ off women's apparel

+ Les Novelles: 20% off new styles with code SPF20 // Extra 10% off sale items with code SPF10

+ Macy’s: 25% off purchase of $100 with code ICONS

+ Madewell: 20% off tees, tanks + shorts with code SUMMERNOW

+ Nordstrom: Save up to 40%

+ Paige Denim: 15% off any purchase with code RS15. Top picks- Skyline + Lydia.

+ Piperlime: Up to 40% off.

+ Rebecca Minkoff: Up to 60% off

+ Saks Fifth Avenue: Up to 40% off

+ Shopbop: New markdowns for Memorial Day. Top pick- B Brian Atwood Stud Pumps.

+ The Corner.com: 15% off S/S13 + sale items with code MEMORIALATTCSS13.

+ Topshop: 20% select items. Top pick- Gwenda Silver Pumps

+ Victoria’s Secret: Swimwear sale- up to 40% off select bathing suits.

Your Most Remarkable Emotional Tool: Surprise

This is one of a series of articles by Mónica Arias, "Excellence Expert" specialized in sales and customer service for luxury brands based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. These articles will focus on ways that sales and marketing professionals in the jewelry and luxury industries can improve their techniques.

If you are a good, experienced salesperson, chances are you love to continue your sales education. In fact, I believe that reading more and attending seminars and courses improves the quality of your customer service. However, it is not enough. Today, you need to learn more strategies. The main reason why you will be remembered by customers is what I call the emotional tool of surprise.

What do I mean? I will answer this question with some questions (after all, you already know of my passion for making them). How would you feel if you got something unexpected from a salesperson? Wouldn´t you agree that in such occasion your mind would probably make an effort to go back through its files and find the memory attached to the person who sent the surprise? Wouldn´t this simple act of being surprised make your day a happier? And because of that, wouldn´t you immediately attach this gesture with excellent service? Absolutely, is my answer.

Let me clarify. To send a surprise to your customers does not mean counting on a huge budget to do it. Nor does it mean hiring a detective to find out what each of your customers prefer (Once more questions are your best allies when it comes to learning about them).

Essentially, customers love surprises, and surprises can be strategically crafted for each of them. The more you know about them, the closer you will be to send the right surprise.

For example, years ago I used to have a client who loved dogs. She was single, lived on her own, and had two lovely dogs she bragged about all the time as if they were her own kids.

A few weeks after one of her purchases—and after having sent her my email acknowledgement to express gratitude for her acquisition—I decided to surprise her with something that would emotionally ring a bell in her brain and heart: I sent her two dog toys for both her “babies.”

Her response was amazing: She called me immediately to thank me for the presents, expressing her joy at watching her little pets playing around the house. She became one of my best customers for many years ever since. Budget? I believe I spent around 20 dollars for both toys (maybe less). Result? Outstanding: I managed to offer her my help for many years as a salesperson, closed fantastic sales, and build a strong and trusting long-term relationship that she still honors today.

Your surprises can also include beautiful crafted letters of acknowledgement you can enclose into lovely envelopes the color your customer adore, nicely arranged bunch of season flowers sent to office or home and useful desk accessories.

If you are the shop owner, your gifts will have to reflect this. Do not send 20 dollar gifts if you wish to make an emotional impact to your customers. I have met jewelry owners who did this (reputable, very well known ones, mind you) only to get logical, horrible responses from clients. I would suggest for example an original accessory like a fine pen—the one-of-a-kind- like that people adore—with your company´s logo and, if possible, the name of your customer engraved on it.

Love your customers. Make them feel they are special for you with surprises here and there and enjoy long-term happy clients and great results.

Mónica M. Arias
Excellence Expert: Helping you discover how to reach your next level through excellence.
contacto@monicaarias.com.ar
Copyright 2012

Crafting a Customer Database: Have Fun With It!

This is one of a series of articles by Mónica Arias of Excellence Consulting, a luxury sales and marketing consulting firm based in Buenos Aires, Argentina. These articles will focus on ways that sales and marketing professional in the jewelry and luxury industries can improve their techniques.

Your own sense of style, a smile and your creativity are the keys to crafting one of the greatest tools imaginable in your sales repertoire: the customer database.

It is no news that today more than ever customers in the worldwide luxury market are experts at searching the web for companies that match simplicity and excellence and offer superior items on a consistent basis. Moreover, luxury market customers have been networking through social media for years now and have learned to use social media to interact with those companies that get them inspired, effortlessly clicking the button to say “Yes” to the products they find irresistible and to recommend those products to their peers.

In this digital age your job as a salesperson has radically changed, as I have explained in previous articles. You now must move from the mindset “I know how to do my job pretty well” to “I need to learn more in order to serve my clients best.”

Don’t worry, though, there is no great mystery to this process. This is the secret: You must serve your customers in such a way that they feel and experience your excellent service during the sales process. More important, you must develop the ability to revive that experience of excellence long after the moment the customer visited your store or decided to purchase with you on line.

Start by asking each of your clients many questions (my favorite sales trick). Then, use the answers to craft a focused customer database that will help you immensely in providing superior customer service in the future.

An Excel or Word sheet will do as the place to store your data, but you might instead opt to hand write your own database on a beautiful and colorful notebook, probably posting there some encouraging phrases, shiny stickers or simply highlighted texts that can easily be retrieved when needed.

Let me share another secret: whatever means you use to craft your customer database, do it with grace and color; our brains work much better when our eyes are treated to lovely and beautiful images, especially if we create these images based on our own taste. Also, while you create your database, smile, even if you don´t want to. A key concept to remember and use: our brains do not distinguish between fake and real smiles, they just work much better the more we smile, even for no reason whatsoever (this of course is no news to seasoned sales reps).

Your Customer database is your best asset. Once you have crafted a list of each client’s information and have divided this valuable information into specific topic areas—name, address, language, likes, dislikes, family, product preferences, etc.—you will have an amazing tool enabling you to shine as the excellent service provider you are.

This gorgeous list, full of color and relevant information, is now your staunch ally, helping you to successfully pursue your unique "Emotional Strategic Campaign."

While enjoying the pleasure of crafting your unique customer database, think beyond the present moment to your of future fantastic sales. Fun guaranteed!

Mónica M. Arias

Excellence Expert & Consultant: Helping you discover how to reach your next level through excellence.

contacto@monicaarias.com.ar

Copyright 2012