Employees who love their brand ? More likely than you think !

It wasn't difficult for us to define the topic for this blog. When it comes to employee's brand-building behavior, the grey salesman at Cartier store Geneva spring to our mind.

What we were impressed with and shared to each other the most from the Cartier visit ? Beatiful exhibits, well-designed interior, pleasant ambience and most importantly, kind staff.

He is definitely a “fan” with his extra-role behavior. We guessed that he has worked for Cartier for many years and we were right; upon asking him, he confessed working for the brand for more than 10 years. We found not only that he knows full well every product and service to explain in detail, but also that he has passion and enjoys his job. He is about more than 50 with grey hair, and he is super friendly, energetic, and enthusiastic and he is able to connect with young people. Although he knows we are students and hardly make a purchase, he is always patient to answer all our questions and voluntarily introduce to us many products as well as the stories behind them. His attitude went beyond delivering high service quality, which is very encouraging and makes us feel welcomed, connected and comfortable to explore the Cartier universe. Cartier sells not only the luxury jewelry and watches, but the luxury experience as well. His social graces strengthen the brand image, which is elegant, authentic and subtle. We believe that Cartier can build long-lasting relationships with closeness and trust thanks to this dedicated staff.

The behaviour of this excellent salesman was exemplary throughout our experience in the Cartier boutique. Knowing that through his work he represents the spirit of the house, he was able to remain himself, open and chic which are values that Cartier also shares. Since the sales staff are on the front line with the customers, they are largely responsible for influencing the customer's perception of the jewellery they are showcasing, as well as the brand image. Throughout the visit, he managed to make one of the iconic houses even more majestic and magical. Even though he already knew the house well, this employee managed to teach us more about the history of the house, the jewellery and the shop and made us love Cartier even more.

What appeared out of our meeting with this employee was his sincerity, we felt an earnest connection with the brand, its value and products, something that can only really happen when someone is comfortable with their work and moved by intrinsic motivation. This motivation is what makes the employee go the extra mile to make the customer happy, as he genuinely thinks that the company/the brand is worth the investment. Maintaining that opinion should be a key aspect of preserving that attitude, and for this transformational leadership is a very adequate tool.

Cartier sells not only the luxury jewelry and watches, but the luxury experience as well.

Instilling inspiration, pride for working with the brand, as well as stimulating any employee into their roles, making their job compelling to them. As the saying goes “if you love your job you will not have to work a day in your life”, and that is the feeling we want our sales representatives to get, and by domino effect, the customers will feel that love for the brand through the salesperson. Of course this will not magically appear with motivational speech, but thorough training of the employee and helping them find meaning – make sense – of what they will be doing. This training ought not to be too guided or definitive either, as the goal is to let the employee be authentic – something unique to each individual, and we would rather provide helping guidelines, giving feedback to assist the employee’s growth, and recognize the efforts and improvements they have made. Of course it is to apply in moderation, as is everything good in life.

If we were employees, well we wouldn’t ask for much; a good working environment where we are valued would certainly make us feel at ease and able to connect with the brand we would work with. Although we must admit that knowing for whom we work, feeling a connection and being able to internalize that what we do can be – and actually is – fulfilling will engage us beyond what is written on the contract. We would go the extra mile to do something we are proud of, as fans of our brand.

The Luxaholic Team

REFERENCES

Morhart, Herzog, and Tomczak. (2011). Brand-specific leadership: Turning employees into brand champions. Journal of Marketing, 73 (5), 122-142.