Striving to deliver the best at every moment. That’s living LUXURY.

By Cindy Novotny, Master Connection Association

Trends are beginning to blur – hotels, restaurants, retail and even event venues tend to fly on the heels of the latest, greatest, best idea.  But when it comes to LUXURY it’s about classic experiences.  In luxury, leadership must ensure their employees and their branding are unique and their leadership style must reflect the same.

It is all about communication.  Recently, I have seen several companies re-brand themselves and although their marketing and advertising strategies were brilliant – they missed the mark on educating their employees to live the same message.  The values and brand must evolve with the staff – there is no room for error.

You get one chance to make a first great impression.

Think about a luxury boutique who prides themselves on exclusive luxury and impeccable service.  When a client isn’t satisfied who handles that complaint?

This is your one opportunity to make a difference and win a client for a lifetime.  You must inspire your team of employees to recognize how to make this difference – marketing and advertising schemes are only as good as the last campaign.

Recently, I took the Virgin Atlantic Train (First Class) from London to Manchester, England.  We have all heard Sir Richard Branson’s passion for what he does is infectious; in fact, he says it’s the secret to his success.  He always brings a notebook wherever he goes so when he interacts with customers and the staff of his various companies, he gets their feedback – the guy doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to better his endeavors.  He always strives to be the first to try something new and isn’t afraid to take risks.  Well, I thought I would test this on the train.  We paid a lot of money for the first class tickets (I am not kidding, it is more expensive than the flight on BA from London to Manchester) and I intended to enjoy myself.

I was not let down.  The staff was engaging, creating a great experience.  The beverage cart was first class, the dining was also beyond compare.  We had four choices for dinner.  I made a comment to the server about Sir Richard Branson – I said, ‘So have you met your boss – Richard Branson?’  The server smiled and said, ‘Oh yes, I was just at his home this weekend for an employee night as we just won several awards and he wanted to congratulate us.’

This is luxury – this is living the life and making this luxury brand a new adventure every time.  It is not about a fad, a trend or the next coolest thing.  It is about always striving to deliver the best at every moment.  You can’t strive to be number one in luxury when you are not in touch with reality.  True luxury is authentic – from the first marketing and branding campaign to the final touch of the client.

There are no short cuts in this world and always remember you only get one chance to make it the best!