Conclusion

Abstract

The five Olympic rings of sales force-brand relationships allowed us to get to the heart of salespeople’s motivation and personality, as they revealed how close they felt toward the brand they represented. In numerous quotes, salespeople shared what made it possible for them to develop strong emotional ties with their brands:

• Why they fell in love with the brand.

• Why they could identify with it.

• Why they decided to trust the brand.

• Why they felt so proud of it.

• What gave them the recognition to feel close to the brand and hold on to it.

Based on my results from intense interviews with top managers and salespeople, I then developed 18 heart-winning strategies, which together can be described by the term Luxury Relationship Branding Strategies. They can be seen as recipes for all managers who want salespeople to develop close relationships with their brand and become its most enthusiastic ambassadors. The ingredients are perfectly adapted to those who want to kindle a passion in the hearts of salespeople, those who want to avoid losing their precious people to a higher paying competitor and those who want to create more stability within the corporation in the long run.