What I Shared with The Straits Times About Winning VICs’ Loyalty

The article touched upon both the grand gestures and the over-looked human factors. The grand gestures – extravagant fashion shows, events, private apartments often catches the attention first. But what I like to share with you today (that I highlighted in my interview) are the often overlooked human factors  — the ones every industry leader should act on now to stay ahead in the relationship economy over the next five years.

Here is a snapshot of how the idea of focusing on “VIC” – the Very Important Client – has evolved over the last two decades:
2010: When I built Burberry’s private-client function, “client-centric” thinking was still new and rare. Most brands primarily focused on the “what” – the product and the transaction, not the “who” – the client.
The last decade: More brands began talking about clienteling, appointment culture and VIC experience – while still focusing almost entirely on the top 1 to 5%.
The last three years: As aspirational demand softened, brands realised that protecting the business means cultivating the loyalty of existing clients and expanding focus beyond the top 1% to top 10%. The ones that piloted a broader client-engagement strategy are performing better overall, while those that didn’t are still struggling.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀: 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀?

Almost no top client is loyal to a single brand anymore. Their lifestyle spans fashion, jewellery, yachting, wine and hospitality – and every house wants a seat at their table.

Beyond the products – which luxury clients often have more of than they need – what else about your brand resonates with and holds their attention? That “what else” is clienteling: the human connection that differentiates your brand experience.

I once had a top client chose to join our brand’s international high jewellery event over every competitor’s, because I knew she loved pandas and I created a series of pandas animations to engage her – A panda carried her name on the invitation. One waited on the plane with a mini suitcase just like hers. One sat in her room wearing her favourite pink T-shirt. One greeted her at the venue holding snacks from her hometown, Chengdu.

She didn’t come  just for the jewellery. She came because she felt genuinely seen.

Some examples from my consulting experiences:

• A menswear house turn its top clients into “inner members” who host closed-store breakfasts, so the client becomes the host, not the guest.

• A yacht company took its best clients on an offshore picnic and then a private screening of a build that hadn’t been released yet — closeness to the craft, not just the product.

The way brands take care of the top 1% is actually very applicable to everyday customers who walk into a store. The savvier brands now think about how to apply those relationship skills and clienteling ability — not just for the very few, but for everyone who walks through their doors.

Greeting a client with sincerity. Being curious about what they need. Remembering them, and inviting them back when it’s relevant.

None of that costs the brand extra – yet it means everything to the client.

Relationship-building isn’t a gift. It’s a skill — and like any skill, it can be taught.

How are you equipping your client facing team to make clienteling a discipline not a well-kept secret by a few top performers?

If upskilling your client-facing team is on your agenda this year, I would love to start a conversation.

Whenever you are ready, here are the ways we can support you (or your business) to thrive in your industry:

• Review Your Customer Loyalty Strategy

• Design a Clienteling Learning Ecosystem

• Elevate Your Clienteling Capability

• Master The Art and Science of Clienteling™

• Deliver an Inspiring Keynote

• Support Your Leadership and Communication Development