The #1 Skill Luxury Advisors Struggle With

A Conversation That Stuck With Me

Not long ago, I had coffee with a friend who is global luxury client. She described her latest luxury escapade with these words, “The boutique was beautiful, the service was polite, …but honestly, it all felt so transactional.”

That stayed with me. Because this wasn’t about product knowledge or the efficiency of the sales process—the store had ticked every box. What was missing was something harder to measure: an emotional connection. And it’s a story I hear over and over again, across markets and brands: advisors struggle with the ability to connect with luxury clients.

Yes, they know how to welcome a client with a greeting and the customary “How may I help you?” But beyond that, many encounters are purely transactional. The advisor talks about the item, runs through features, and hopes the product will do the selling. What gets lost? The human connection.

When I speak to luxury customers, they often say: “I got everything I needed, but something was missing.” That “something” is the advisor’s ability to create a bond of trust and relatability.

Why This Happens: Lack of Skill and Relatability

The difficulty in building deeper connections looks different in various markets.

In newer luxury markets, advisors lack adequate training and aren’t adept at rapport building. They may not even realise that customers are looking for connection.

Then there are some cultures where sales advisors are accustomed to ‘serve’ opposed to ‘relate’. Call it an invisible class divide or genuine lack of empathy and understanding of the luxury customer’s world that holds the advisor back from forging a human connection.

In more mature luxury markets, advisors may relate better with luxury customers and be adept at small talk but it remains as surface-level rapport. Whether its lack of intent or pressure to close the sale, they stumble when it comes to creating genuine bonds, specially whether it’s following up, engaging socially at VIP events, or maintaining trust outside the store.

What Great Advisors Do Differently

Over the years, I’ve met a few extraordinary advisors who stand out because they put relationships before transactions. I’ve seen loyal clients fly across continents just to be served by their favourite advisor.

Interestingly, many of these star performers don’t come from a retail background at all. I’ve seen advisors from hospitality and aviation excel in luxury. Why? Because they understand service at its core. Their instinct is to care, not to sell.

This proves an important point: luxury is not just about knowledge of the product. It’s about the confidence to engage as one human to another.

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Luxury is more competitive today than it has ever been and offering clients a personalised experience is key to converting sales and building loyalty.

Without the human connection, personalization is impossible. If I don’t know my client as a person, how can I help them visualize how a handbag or a piece of jewelry fits into their lifestyle? Without trust, brand storytelling feels one-sided. Without empathy, follow-ups feel like spam.

This is why brands must invest not only in training but also in nurturing advisors’ confidence and emotional intelligence.

The Remedy: Mindset Before Skillset

When clients ask me to train their sales teams, they often want techniques: how to start a conversation, what to say in small talk, how to follow up. These are important, yes—but the most important transformation comes from mindset.

Advisors need to shift from seeing themselves as salespeople to seeing themselves as individuals offering a human experience. Only then can their personality come through, and only then can personalization begin.

In my work with clients, I’ve found that confidence doesn’t just grow in a classroom — it comes from experience. That’s why I use practical tools like customer personas to help advisors truly understand who they’re serving and think deeply about how to connect with different types of client. I always recommend sending them out as mystery shoppers to step into the client’s shoes and facilitate self reflection and realisations about what the luxury customer is looking for.

Another approach that works well is designing immersive, experiential trainings that stimulate the emotions of a luxury customer experience. When advisors feel valued, respected, and part of the luxury lifestyle themselves, they gain the confidence to relate naturally to clients — not as salespeople, but as trusted partners.

As we know the employee experience is mirrored in the customer experience, and investing in the sales team is a sure shot way to stand out.

Closing Thoughts

Transactional experiences might get the sale today, but they won’t secure the loyalty of tomorrow. Emotional connection is what transforms a customer into a lifelong client.

As brand managers, training managers, and retail leaders, the question we must ask ourselves is: are we equipping our advisors only with product knowledge and service etiquette, or are we helping them develop the confidence and mindset to truly connect?