“What we really focus on is the luxury concierge style of doing business. Really knowing those top 20% of your clients, knowing their tastes and not necessarily automating everything in your business, but having that human touch.” - Kathleen Cutler

Welcome to Brave and Boss! I’m Kristi Soomer. On this episode, I welcome Kathleen Cutler to talk about fundamental sales tactics and techniques.  If you're running an online business and you feel like your website or your customer experience is a little bit too impersonal, then stay tuned. 

Kathleen Cutler, a luxury sales expert for high-end brands, holds the key to turning affluent browsers into ready-to-buy clients who keep coming back for more. With over a decade of experience in the jewelry industry (and many more years in the high-end outdoor exploration industry), she has honed her skills with 7-figure brands to combine the conveniences of modern technology with the power of old school relationship-building. The results? Repeat clients, abundant referrals, and a solid business foundation that prevents sales from slipping through the cracks.

She lives by the mantra, the best clients are the ones you already have, with conversation and trust-building at the core of every sale. Her method, the Art of Legacy Selling, focuses exclusively on existing customers and connections, providing momentum in businesses through attentiveness. Her year-long program, The High-End Sales Society, extensively and actionably provides guidance on sales, marketing, visibility, and systems and teaches successful luxury businesses how to uplevel their sales with affluent buyer psychology.

As a writer and speaker she has been featured in Rapaport, NYCJewelryWeek, INSTORE, JCK, Jewelry Ecomm, Atlanta Jewelry Show, NYNow, and National Jeweler. She is GIA graduate and a member of Gem X and the Women’s Jewelry Association. When she’s not showing businesses their timeless value, Kathleen can be found living a grounded life with her high school sweetheart, young son, and their dog in an old Victorian house by the ocean in Maine. She enjoys hiking, cooking, gardening, and the luxury of a leisurely afternoon

[00:01]  Some Announcements and What To Look Out For With Digital Marketing  

• Facebook ads has had a major shift, increasing the cost of acquisition, impressions etc, while return on ad spend has gone down
  • If you’re an ecommerce brand owner and you’re feeling stressed out, join our FREE Facebook groupwhere we talk all sorts of ecommerce strategy

[03:02] Introducing Kathleen Cutler

• Falling in love with the relationship aspect of sales, Kathleen began moving away from digital ads and started to focus on a luxury-concierge-style of doing business of having that human touch 

[06:11] Clienteling; Selling with a Human Touch

• Clienteling
  • Identifying your most loyal clientele and starting to cultivate a one on one relationship with them
  • Ask the question: How can I actively invite them in and have it feel like a two-way relationship?
• A practical example of clienteling
  • Look at your top 20% of clients
  • Keep in touch by sending personalized emails
  • Following their social media
  • Making sure they don’t feel like just another number
• Affluent Client Psychology
  • Kathleen shares her thoughts on giving discounts to her top 20%
  • Depending on who your top clientele are, gifting may be the much better option 

[14:53] Managing Your Clientele Data  

• Tools that Businesses can use
  • Have a CRM
  • Have templated responses ready, but also leave notes and reminders for specific clients, so that when you send them an email, it’s personalized
• Spend time with your numbers to identify your top customers
• Your EIC’s become your best ambassadors for referrals
• This technique is also a great way to differentiate your business

[21:41] Selling Without Selling

• Remember that your clients are thrilled to have a relationship with you
• Reinvigorating legacy leads
  • Start talking about them first
  • Have micro conversations that builds intrigue by letting them glimpse behind the scenes
  • Be educational and talk about the benefits of your product
• Lead with an offer that brings value to that person's life versus a one off discount or free shipping  

[32:19] The Hot Seat!

• Learn how to sell to the affluent and join Kathleen’s free masterclass. Visit kathleencutler.com to learn more!
• What is one non-negotiable step in your morning routine?
  • Coffee
• If you had an extra $1000 in your business what would you spend it on?
  • Gifts for clients and colleague
• What’s your favorite podcast you’re listening to right now?
  • Marketing to Millionaires by Kelly O'Neil
• If you could wear only one outfit what would it be?
  • A wrap dress
• Final words

Key Quotes:

“The more we can prioritize this human connection, we really do see a huge increase in profitability.” - Kathleen Cutler

“The more we really understand who those EIC's are and start to develop those relationships they become our brand ambassadors. They can cheer us on in person or on social, but they can also become these megaphones of referrals.” - Kathleen Cutler

Connect with Kathleen
Visit www.kathleencutler.com and follow her on Instagram

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