Going Beyond: Solving the Problem You Didn’t Create
A client can love your brand, afford what you offer, and fully intend to buy, yet still have something standing in the way.
Some of the things standing in the way and costing your business sales have nothing to do with anything your brand has done wrong. They come from the increasingly complicated lives of your clients and a world that demands more of their time, attention, and energy. Even when the desire is there and money isn’t the issue, the effort required to move forward can keep a purchasing decision out of reach. You can wait for clients to work through those complications themselves, but there is a powerful opportunity in deciding that a problem your business didn’t create is still worth getting out of the way.
Doing so demonstrates a deep understanding of your clients’ lives, an awareness of the world they’re navigating, and genuine care for what they’re carrying. It also demonstrates good business leadership by recognizing what stands between your clients and the experience they want, and taking the initiative to move it out of the way.
When Loyalty Isn’t Enough
At one point in my photography business, I noticed a downturn in bookings from loyal clients. Many had been coming to me for years, and repeat business was always the first KPI I looked at. These relationships were the foundation of my business, so when regular clients were missing from the calendar, I wanted to understand why.
As I reached out to families who hadn’t booked when they historically would, two themes kept coming up: scheduling and clothing. They still wanted portraits. But getting everyone together and deciding what everyone would wear had become enough of a project that they kept putting it off.
That distinction mattered. More reminders about preserving memories wouldn’t make their calendars easier, and another beautiful portrait in my marketing materials wouldn’t resolve what to wear. I needed to help them get past the things preventing them from doing something they clearly valued.
Getting Everyone in the Same Place
My clients had extraordinarily full lives. Between careers, enrichment activities, sports, travel, and social commitments, finding a time when everyone could be together was difficult. Often, one person, usually the mother, carried the responsibility for coordinating it all.
I began working more closely with that person and, where appropriate, the family office. I also created a group family scheduler to make finding a common time easier. Instead of leaving the family coordinator to return with a date after doing all the work, I became more involved in helping that date emerge.
My business hadn’t created their scheduling challenges, but those challenges were affecting my business. Helping resolve them enabled my clients to get the portraits they wanted and made my business more stable. It also communicated something meaningful. I understood how much effort went into getting their family in front of my camera.
Helping Them Feel Ready
Clothing presented a different kind of obstacle. My clients were particular about how they presented themselves, especially in portraits that would hang in their homes for years. Although they knew I was happy to visit and help select clothing, many wanted new, carefully coordinated outfits for the entire family.
That meant shopping, comparing options, and worrying about whether everything would work together. I developed more substantial guides and inspiration boards, then added FaceTime shopping appointments. Clients could schedule time with me or try reaching me while they were shopping. I could look at what they were considering and offer suggestions while the decisions were being made.
The value was in helping them make decisions. Having access to my judgment at the moment of uncertainty made the entire undertaking feel more manageable.
Hospitality Begins Before Arrival
You can see the same thinking in hospitality. A family considering a luxury vacation may have every desire to go and still hesitate at the logistics of traveling with a baby. The packing alone can make staying home feel appealing. That’s why a trusted travel advisor is so valuable.
Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills offers baby care amenities that include bottle washers, sterilizers, and warmers, along with other family provisions. These address practical demands parents would otherwise have to manage themselves.
To me, the opportunity goes beyond having useful equipment available. Making those provisions clear before booking can help a parent imagine a trip that feels achievable. The hotel didn’t create the demands of traveling with young children, but helping relieve them can influence whether the family travels and where they choose to stay.
Retail Beyond the Dressing Room
In retail, the obstacle may be the customer’s existing wardrobe. Someone can appreciate a beautiful jacket and still hesitate because they cannot picture how it fits into what they already own. Buying it seems to create another assignment.
Nordstrom’s at-home services include styling appointments and closet consultations. Its stylists and alterations experts help customers evaluate what to keep, alter, or donate, and create looks using pieces they already have.
I see a valuable principle here for luxury retail. Understanding what surrounds a purchase can make the purchase easier. When someone can see how a new piece belongs in their life, there is less uncertainty to work through. The retailer becomes useful in the context where the clothing will actually be worn.
Look for the Unfinished Task
The same opportunity exists in interiors. Consider a client who wants a new dining table but keeps delaying because the existing one belonged to their parents. Finding an appropriate home for it carries both practical and emotional weight.
A designer or showroom could help arrange consignment, donation, or transfer to another family member. That is a potential service opportunity worth exploring when the existing piece is what’s holding up the decision. Another presentation of beautiful tables may have little effect until that unfinished task is addressed.
In the end...
The question I would encourage every luxury business to ask is: What must our clients figure out before they can enjoy what we offer? Listen closely when someone says they haven’t gotten around to it. There may be a specific, solvable problem underneath that explanation.
Your brand doesn’t have to cause a problem for solving it to become part of your value. Sometimes the most meaningful way to earn the sale is to understand what stands in its way—and help move it.
Jeffrey Shaw is a keynote speaker, luxury brand advisor, and author of Sell to the Rich, LINGO, and The Self-Employed Life. His perspective on luxury buyer behavior comes from more than 40 years serving affluent families as a portrait photographer. As he says, “I don’t just know this market, I was in their closets.”
Bring this perspective to your business.
Help your team better understand luxury buyers through a keynote or Sell to the Rich workshop, work directly with Jeffrey through advisory and consulting, or explore a deeper coaching partnership through High Achievers.
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