Luxury retailer Harvey Nichols asked a training company to develop new materials to train their Sales Advisors on customer service and selling techniques. The training company created a magazine called "Beyond Expectations" that looks like a fashion magazine and contains activities and articles on fashion history and designers. They also produce seasonal supplements and are developing a board game to accompany the face-to-face training. The goal is to create an interesting way to train and communicate with Sales Advisors.

1. Training Beyond
Expectations
Late last year, luxury lifestyle retailer
Harvey Nichols asked us to help them
develop materials for a new programme
for Sales Advisors, called Beyond
Expectations.
The idea was to create a new and
interesting way of training, developing
and communicating with Sales Advisors
about all aspects of customer service
and selling techniques.We were to
create materials that Sales Advisors
would use in conjunction with the
face-to-face training they were
completing.
We began by producing the
Beyond Expectations magazine – a
‘workbook’ with a difference.The
glossy, full-colour magazine reflects
the brand ethos of the high-end fashion retailer. It looks
and feels like a quality fashion magazine, and the content
is a combination of individual activities and informative
articles, including a brief history of fashion, the selling
process, and biographies of top fashion designers.
H A R V E Y
N I C H O L S
beyondEXPECTATIONS
AUTUMN/WINTER2009
Matthew Williamson’s meteoric rise from
fashion graduate to international success in
just 10 years makes him unique within the
British fashion industry.
Born in Chorlton, Manchester in 1971,
Williamson was offered a place at Central St. Martins
College of Art and Design in London when he was 17.
After graduating in 1994, his first job was a freelance design project with the
fashion house Marni. Williamson was then employed by British fashion company,
Monsoon and Accessorize, before founding Matthew Williamson Ltd in 1997 with
business partner Joseph Velosa.
Williamson’s debut show in September 1997 was called ‘Electric Angels’ and
included models Jade Jagger, Kate Moss, Helena Christensen and Diane Kruger. He
showed at New York Fashion week in February 2002.
The Matthew Williamson flagship store opened in London’s Mayfair in March 2004.
Williamson won Elle Designer of the Year 2004 and was awarded the 2005 Moet
and Chandon Fashion Tribute and the 2008 Red Carpet Designer of the Year at the
British Fashion Awards. He has also been nominated three times for Designer of the
Year at the British Fashion Awards.
In 2005 he took over as Creative Director at LVMH-owned Italian house, Emilio
Pucci, while continuing at the design helm of his namesake company.
In 2007, the label’s 10th year anniversary was celebrated with a one-off show at
London fashion week and an exhibition dedicated to his retrospective at the Design
Museum, London.
Williamson continues to show his collections at New York fashion week, and the first
Matthew Williamson US flagship store opened in New York earlier this year. Two
further free-standing stores are due to open in 2009, in Dubai and Kuwait.
The unique
MATTHEW
WILLIAMSON
18
Matthew Williamson’s designs are a riot of colour,
pattern and embellishment. The signature print style
consists of an outline – either black or white – which
is then filled with a flat or graded synthetic colour.
Celebrity fans include Cat Deeley, Sienna Miller,
Kelis and Cheryl Cole.
19
AshfordTailoredTraining Ltd

2. To complement the Beyond Expectations magazine, we are alsodesigning and producing seasonal fashion supplements (Spring/Summer2009 proved a great success, and we are currently working on Autumn/Winter 2009).
With the same look and feel as the central publication, thesesupplements contain articles about the new season’s trends,information about fashion brands and Harvey Nichols stores.They alsoinclude advice for the Sales Advisors on selling and customer service.
In addition to the magazines, we are currently workingon the Beyond Expectations board game, for use as partof the face-to-face programme.
Got it all
in the bag?
8
The designer handbag is a badge of style that reflects
a woman’s self-image and what she wants to project
to the world. It’s also a practical accessory that no
woman wants to be without. So, she needs to
look after it!
That’s why, when a customer buys one of our handbags,
it’s vital that you advise her to store it in its dust bag, so
it is less likely to get scuffed or scratched.
However, it is important not to be too obsessive.
Designer bags cost a lot of money, so customers
should use their bags and enjoy them. When you think
about it, designer bags are terrific value. For example,
compare a £600 bag that is used every day for a year, with an
evening dress that costs £300 and is worn only once or twice.
Look after it
When cleaning a leather bag, always apply leather conditioner
to a cloth rather than directly on to the leather, and only apply a
protector spray after conditioning the bag first. Apply cleaning
products in smooth, continuous, sweeping movements to avoid
concentrated areas of product that could stain the bag.
Many modern handbags have a great deal of hardware (zips,
buckles, metalwork and chains). This can be an integral part
of the design of a bag (think Chloe Paddington) and if the
hardware is looking a little tired, it may need cleaning. Using
cleaning fluids such as Silverware or Brasso is fine, but you
should always protect the leather or other material of the bag
by covering it with a protective layer of fabric.
Prove it’s genuine
Contralto cards are important extras that come with luxury
designer bags. Explain to customers that they should
keep the contralto cards, original tags and authenticity
cards inside the dust bags. Some manufacturers will
not repair bags without this proof of authenticity.
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AshfordTailoredTraining,Wallington House, 35AWaterside Gardens, Fareham, Hampshire PO16 8SD
Telephone: 0845 555 65 65 ● Fax: 01329 242931 ● Email: info@ashfordtraining.co.uk
Website: www.ashfordtraining.co.uk ● Registration No: 6545463