Impressions are important- a good impression of your business can be vital to securing the loyalty of your clients and customers. The way in which we interact with our external stakeholders plays a pivotal role in creating these impressions, as well as cultivating relationships with them. This not only applies to PR pieces and advertisements, but also the interpersonal conversations that take place between the stakeholders and brand representatives.
Cartier’s Client Relations Centre for Europe is home to over 40 ambassadors that interact with clients over 7 European markets, such as Spain, Italy, Benelux, France, United Kingdom etc. During my internship I have had the pleasure of being able to shadow the ambassadors for the UK and observe the manner in which they interact with clients, there are some very useful tips in communication that you can learn from them!
- Watch the tone of your opening line! When greeting a client or any other external stakeholder for the first time, it is important that the tone of your greeting is matches the brand you are representing. It may sound strange at first, but Cartier ambassadors always greet their clients in a gentle and friendly tone. In this manner they mimic the elegance that Cartier as a brand is known for. A way to apply that to a different context- if your company or brand’s image is that of a startup, you would do well to greet new stakeholders with a more upbeat or cheery voice!
- Be flexible in your communication style! I have noticed this a lot with the ambassadors- as soon as the client responds, they will try and match the manner in which they are communicating with them. This means that after delivering your opening, friendly, jovial clients are also met with some jokes and laughs, whereas more sombre clients are matched with a level of reserve and seriousness. This has yielded in clients feeling more comfortable with the ambassadors!
- Communicating is mostly listening! The ambassadors do this best. Noticing everything that your client says goes beyond their overt requests and statements; it involves noticing and gauging underlying concerns and attitudes. As you listen you build your next words and delivery in your head, being aware and sensitive towards the client in front of you as an individual goes a long way! With some practice, one will be able to figure out ways to balance upholding the image of the brand as well as meeting the client’s attitude best.
The manner in which Cartier ambassadors interact with their clients is fascinating, watching and learning the nuances of balancing a brand image and the client itself is not an easy task. However, I have seen how it pays off! Many times I have seen returning clients call and request for specific ambassadors by name, going an extra mile to thank them. Having such relationships leave very positive impressions of you as a brand representative and of your brand as a whole. Th e
It has been an interesting experience to shadow these ambassadors, and pops important questions of how brand management can be structured even at these interpersonal levels, while the above mentioned tips are from my own observations, are there certain techniques that we can use no matter who we are interacting with? A question for future adventures!