Veronica Manlow , Assistant Professor of Business, Brooklyn College

1. Luxury Sales associates: Impact of training, expertise, management and workplace culture on customer service and career satisfaction Veronica Manlow, Assistant Professor of Business, Brooklyn College David Loranger, Floor Manager, Men’s Designer Collections, Bergdorf Goodman Fashion Colloquia/IFFTI London College of Fashion, September 11, 12 2013

2. Collaborative GoalS For project • Veronica Manlow is a sociologist and professor and has conducted research on luxury customer service from the consumer perspective; she has looked at the experience of luxury shopping in flagship stores, taking into account the form and function of the luxury flagship, and she has an interest in luxury brand management and the branding process. • David Loranger is the floor manager of the men’s designer collection at Bergdorf Goodman and approaches the study of luxury salespersons from a managerial perspective having overseen the training, supervision and direction of many salespersons. • We are interested in finding academics and industry professionals interested in analyzing the work luxury salespersons perform in relation to customers from a sales, management and brand perspective. • We believe our research will be enriched by taking a multidisciplinary approach and by including the perspective of those involved directly in luxury retail. • We see the Fashion Colloquia/IFFTI as a means for forging such a collaboration

3. Objectives for the project • A consideration of professional identity formation, development and performance of luxury salespersons • From the perspective of luxury salespersons • skills brought to the workplace • traits • experience • role of formal training in building skills • role of organizational culture and interpersonal communication • contribution from management • From the perspective of luxury store managers • role of prior experience • role of formal training • role of development • Role of organizational culture and interpersonal communication • How do practices differ across brands? • How practices differ in a variety of global cities?

4. Research questions concerning salespersons • What constitutes good practices in luxury sales? • Do management, executives and salespersons have a different view? • How is knowledge and expertise acquired by luxury salespersons? • Role of individual vs. organizational contributions • What role does personal and professional experience play in developing expertise in luxury sales in the context of one’s current situation? • What traits do successful salespersons possess? • Personal characteristics • What situational factors contribute to excellence in sales in a luxury environment? • Support from management • Training and development provided by brand • Relationship with other salespersons • Brand values • Characteristics of the work environment • Compensation • How do luxury salespersons approach their work? • Role of prior experience • Contribution of brand and corporate policies

5. Research questions concerning management • How can one characterize management practices and ideals in relation to salespersons? • Direction and control • Timekeeping, dress code, floor standards, scheduling, conflict resolution • Support • Daily issues with clients, approvals • Training and development • Productivity standards, clienteleing, special incentives • Morale • Mining for and developing feedback, developing relationships with salespeople and their customers • Team building • Establishing and fostering partnerships, networking across categories, initiatives and participating • Connection to corporate management • Establishing guidelines, diffusing ideals

6. Method • Literature review. • We will begin by considering two important articles focused on luxury salespersons, one by Henri Peretz (1995) entitled “Negotiating Clothing Identities on the Sales Floor” and another drawing on the work of Arlie Hochschild on emotional labor entitled “Using Emotional Labor to Create and Maintain Relationships in Service Interactions” by Mary Godwyn (2006). • Depending on who is involved in the project we will decide on next steps and will conduct • Ethnography: participant observation and drawing on professional experience in the luxury sector • Survey research of luxury salespersons • We have developed a series of survey questions for luxury salespersons • Interviews with salespersons and managers

7. COLLABORATION, Discovery, dissemination, application Interested in participating? Research • The research will be both theoretical and applied • It will have a qualitative and quantitative approach • It will have an industry and and academic focus. • This study has the potential to advance understanding of best practices in luxury sales and to further knowledge on how individuals who work in luxury sales see themselves professionally. • Contact Veronica Manlow • veronica.manlow@gmail.com