“One of the hardest things for any human to do is to be human.” I came across this line from Simon Sinek while scrolling LinkedIn yesterday.
If being human is one of the hardest skills to master, shouldn’t it be a priority for any business to invest in it, especially if you aim to become the top in your field?
Yet, is that the case, though?
In a luxury context, “being human” often means the client-facing team’s ability to build meaningful, long-term relationships with customers. Over the past two decades, working with luxury brands and alongside client-facing teams, I have observed a recurring pattern:
Most organisations recognise the importance of clienteling. Yet no businesses manage to build consistent clienteling excellence at scale.
Here are five common challenges I observe that contribute to this gap:
1. Limited Self-Awareness and Communication Adaptability
Many organisations invest in product knowledge and sales technique training. Yet very few invest in helping their team understand themselves.
Without self-awareness, it becomes difficult for client-facing professionals to recognise how their communication style impacts clients. As a result, even with the best intentions, initial client discovery energies can be mismatched, leading to an immediate disconnect.
A client who needs warmth and connection might feel rushed.
Another who values efficiency might feel overwhelmed by unnecessary small talk.
2. Inconsistent Clienteling Standards
What does “good clienteling” actually look like in your organisation?
For many businesses, the answer still leans heavily on immediately quantifiable results – revenue, appointment numbers, client retention rates.
Before the results show, clienteling excellence is demonstrated in behaviours:
- The quality of questions asked.
- The lifestyle details uncovered.
- The thoughtful client follow-ups initiated.
Too often, clienteling depends on a few exceptional individuals rather than a shared, scalable standard that the whole team can learn from and grow into.
3. CRM Systems Without Leaders’ Behavioural Activation
I have seen more and more businesses invest in upgrading their CRM systems – the “what”.
Yet many still overlook the “why” and the “how” – Without the right mindset and behavioural frameworks, even the best systems remain underutilised.
More importantly, leaders are not always equipped to role model the right behaviours or to coach their teams in using these tools on a daily basis.
4. Revenue Concentration Without Strategic Client Development
Businesses often face two extremes of challenge: either revenue relies heavily on a small group of top clients, or it depends on a high volume of one-time customers.
Client development today requires a more intentional approach.
As one of The Clienteling Academy’s Ambassadors, Vanessa put it – regardless of whether you operate online or offline, your team needs to learn how to “go fishing” where your clients are.
Client Development requires a step-by-step blueprint:
- how to build personal lifestyle exposure,
- how to prioritise client potential,
- and how to strategise outreach.
5. Surface-Level Client Understanding
At the heart of every business is a simple truth:
Your clients are constantly choosing, and business grows only when they choose you – again and again. And that choice deepens through understanding.
For most businesses, client profiles still remain very superficial.
Relationships are progressive, and so is client profiling. It requires the skill sets to progressively understand your clients and move from transactions to meaningful relationship insights.
A Structured Clienteling Excellence Ecosystem
These challenges are exactly why I created The Clienteling Academy – to transform clienteling from individual talent to scalable organsational capability.
The Clienteling Academy focus on three interconnected pillars:
Build Capability
Through the Clienteling Excellence Certification Ladder
Diagnose and Align
Through the Clienteling Excellence Diagnostic Suite
Embed and Elevate
Through the Clienteling Embodiment Programme
The Clienteling Academy will officially launch on the 10th of April.
If you are looking to build client relationships that truly differentiate your business, I invite you to explore what we’ve created.
What challenges do you face in clienteling or growing your business today?
And what support would make the biggest difference for you or your team?
Reply to this email – I would love to hear from you and make it a priority for TCA to address.