Maintaining an H relationship

[papertiger]

Please focus on the title of this thread rather than each other, TY

If you find it very hard to ignore certain people, please feel free in adding them to your 'Ignore' list.

For advice on how to obtain a B/K/C please go to the reading room in the Reading Room The Newbie's HOW DO I GET A BIRKIN (or other bag) Reading Room

For advice on how to shop at your local store please do a search in Hermes Shopping sub-forum and look for your store/region/country.

 

[blushnbellinlvoe]

I also know for a fact — literally was casually informed that my profile is what H is interested in for a long term client bc H googled us

Why did H google you?

I am not saying if they do or don’t google, but in this day and age of digital footprints, shouldn’t we expect that everyone googles each other, everyone and their dogs anyway?

 

[periogirl28]

Need the members help for my current situation:

I have spent $35k in the last 3 months with my SA. In that time, I have been purchased a Birkin Shadow Clutch and a Della Cavalleria Elan which are both included in the total. The rest has gone for jewelry, shoes, etc.

I am waiting for a Birkin or Kelly in 25/28. Can someone give me a sense of where I stand in terms of my prespend ratio? Have I met it? Should I be more aggressive in asking for my QB?

May we ask roughly where you are located? It has a bearing on the answer to your questions.

 

[Zepbonded]

May we ask roughly where you are located? It has a bearing on the answer to your questions.

NYC

 

[Mrs.Hermess]

I am not saying if they do or don’t google, but in this day and age of digital footprints, shouldn’t we expect that everyone googles each other, everyone and their dogs anyway?

I guess. I don’t Google anyone bc I have zero level of care for anyone (comes with age 😂). I am not on social media except this forum. But they googled both my DH and myself and I was told H created our profile

Thank you for validating this point and sharing your experience! It very much is a test of spending limit and brand loyalty. But there’s a major upside in how H views the customer. I swear once I got my first exotic NQ, I was treated differently. Not that I was treated badly before but it was as if everyone at H was more deferent and more observant. And the same is true for an exotic QB.

Going in with an alligator constance and with my normal buying patterns (jewelry and RTW mostly), I’ve gotten offers at Sevrès and Madison and my own home store (SF) after nearly a year of not shopping there (didn’t have the best SA). Having the exotic piece signals that you can and will spend on things that you like and that it’s the SAs job to help you find things that you like (for example, a QB 🙂)

Why did H google you?

I was told by SM we were googled to update our profile and that they want to ensure we are properly taken care of at H - ie push more stuff bc I buy what I love. I think they wanted to ascertain we were legitimate and not fly by night shoppers. At a visit at H about two years ago, SM mentioned I lived in a very nice home. 👀. I know they have my home address but gezzz

To answer your question: they google customers to make sure their profile fits the H sales model. I was told I fit it and they want me as a long term client. This is directly from SM to me— this isn’t I heard someone or I saw a post.
H knows what I do for a living and I am told I am the lifestyle client they want to invest in ie reward with bags. I am not pampered at H. : I reject attending all events, I could care less for boxes, riboons, dust bags. I do NOT take care of any bags. But I’d love something, I text it and buy it on the spot. Hope this helps and fyi I never went in to H bc I thought I was not the right client for H and it was too fancy for me. Who knew? 😜

 

[Mrs.Hermess]

May we ask roughly where you are located? It has a bearing on the answer to your questions.

Thank you for validating this point and sharing your experience! It very much is a test of spending limit and brand loyalty. But there’s a major upside in how H views the customer. I swear once I got my first exotic NQ, I was treated differently. Not that I was treated badly before but it was as if everyone at H was more deferent and more observant. And the same is true for an exotic QB.

Going in with an alligator constance and with my normal buying patterns (jewelry and RTW mostly), I’ve gotten offers at Sevrès and Madison and my own home store (SF) after nearly a year of not shopping there (didn’t have the best SA). Having the exotic piece signals that you can and will spend on things that you like and that it’s the SAs job to help you find things that you like (for example, a QB 🙂)

Why did H google you?

But wait there’s more…
Yes! After exotic everything is different. And this comment I make with the caveat that my SA is awesome!!!!! And has always been awesome since the day we met.

 

[Mrs.Hermess]

Question for you both: in each of these situations, did you previously & explicity express interest in (or request) an exotic? Or did your SA randomly, out of the blue, offer you an exotic QB/non-QB?

Did you already have a high pre-spend and long relationship with your SA? Or was your pre-spend low and/or you hadn't been with your SA long?

Just trying to understand the backstory and the datapoints, to see how it would apply to the average customer.

Great question! I have never expressed or asked for any bag and I never mentioned any exotic leather. One day my SA texted me if I wanted a b25 exotic and without seeing it i replied yes I will take it. I had never considered an exotic as something to fit my style. Who knew?
Interestingly, she then said I want to make sure you know price… it is xxxxxx. And I was “yeah duh I will take it” I asked for it to be delivered to me and she suggested I come in to confirm I liked it bc of price point.

By the time I was offered the exotic I think I’d been shopping for 2-4 years (thinking back I may have been offered other nq exotic or exotic trim before which I have passed). I do not really keep track of my prespend as I know from my experience it is not a hard rule (been offered quota bags back to back with no spending in between). There are some periods when I have not spent any money or been in contact for 6-10 months and there are periods where I spent six figures (including bag) in a year. It really depends on what they have. Sometimes they have a lot they I love and other years I can’t find 1 item. I only go into H if I have already text me SA an item I want or if she has text me. By the time I go in there is a list of items I am getting. Most of the time I do not go in at all. My SA will text me and if I like it it is ordered sight unseen and shipped to me.

I see myself as the average customer! I went it to fix a necklace and really thought H was out of my league..then as the time passed and my SA r ship just flowed, I am texted items and it’s how it works for us. She is swamped and busy. We are not friends, she is only texting me to spend money and sell. I am only accepting items that I want to buy. She. It’s ugly I reply With a “hard pass hideous” regardless of what it is. No hard feelings either way. I hope this helps.

Based on my limited experience bags will come to all of us who are patient and maintain a shopping relationship irrespective of spending ratio. Nice and slow is just as effective as fast and furious.

 

[Midge Maisel]

I guess. I don’t Google anyone bc I have zero level of care for anyone (comes with age 😂). I am not on social media except this forum. But they googled both my DH and myself and I was told H created our profile

I was told by SM we were googled to update our profile and that they want to ensure we are properly taken care of at H - ie push more stuff bc I buy what I love. I think they wanted to ascertain we were legitimate and not fly by night shoppers. At a visit at H about two years ago, SM mentioned I lived in a very nice home. 👀. I know they have my home address but gezzz

To answer your question: they google customers to make sure their profile fits the H sales model. I was told I fit it and they want me as a long term client. This is directly from SM to me— this isn’t I heard someone or I saw a post.
H knows what I do for a living and I am told I am the lifestyle client they want to invest in ie reward with bags. I am not pampered at H. : I reject attending all events, I could care less for boxes, riboons, dust bags. I do NOT take care of any bags. But I’d love something, I text it and buy it on the spot. Hope this helps and fyi I never went in to H bc I thought I was not the right client for H and it was too fancy for me. Who knew? 😜

This has to be so hard to do for several reasons:

• It's not always easy to Google someone--plenty of people have very common names
• On that note, it would be easy to deem someone a good or bad fit, only to have the wrong person
• Someone's online footprint may be very tiny (as yours appears to be)

Also, imo, it was totally unprofessional to make any comment on your home!

 

[addiCCted]

lso, imo, it was totally unprofessional to make any comment on your home!

Total stalker move

 

[Angiebbb]

As someone with two exotic NQs (the first I got from the sales floors, the other one offered) I do think it’s used to gauge how much you can spend. I don’t think it’s a concession piece. It signals to Hermès that:
1. You value the brand’s pieces for their aesthetic value, not their resale value.
2. You’re a customer with higher long term value as you have the money to spend.
3. You like exotics which puts you in a different (more favorable) category of clients.
I’m telling you from experience that having an exotic NQ can be used as leverage to get QBs especially while traveling. If you actually like exotics, exotic NQs are worth getting. If your main goal is to maximize QB offers while minimizing pre spend then no, they’re not worth it.

I have a friend who is a mega VIP client outside the US who agrees with you, she thinks it is offered to see how much one can spend. After that, she also thinks you get profiled as someone for those bags, and she gets offered lots of them all the time. If you wear them, they are really gorgeous and well made. My mom has some vintage ones and told me to take any bc she loves them. But she is very flashy (lots of skins and big jewelry), while I am not. I ride a motorcycle, I always dress very sporty unless I am at work which is very conservative and austere and you wouldn’t be using anything very fancy there. I go to very fancy events for my other job, and I travel a lot abroad (ard 6 months a year). Unless it is an exotic bag I can wear at very fancy events it doesn’t work with my lifestyle unfortunately. So exotic KP or MK would work well, otherwise not. My mom would take the huge croc or any other skin/color BKC etc.

 

[Angiebbb]

Fair questions. I had explicitly asked for ostrich kellys previously and had been offered an ostrich Kelly that I then purchased. I had not asked for alligator or croc anything but have always liked exotics.

My prespend at the time of getting the ostrich Kelly was 1.2:1 but keep in mind that’s with an ostrich Kelly 28 (on my wishlist). Absolute pre spend was higher than most clients. I think I’d been with that SA for 7 months.

Getting an exotic NQ as leverage to get a QB only works if you actually like exotics and are willing to spend on them. If an SA offers you an exotic (NQ or QB) where you haven’t expressed interest in one before and haven’t outright rejected the idea of accepting an exotic, it’s a test of your spending max and brand loyalty. If you pass the test (i.e buy the bag), you will net out favorably at H. It will get you more offers, more chances for an SO, more invites to events even with a bit less prespend than before.

I think this is valid more for Europe (excluding London with very high spenders) than the US. I got offered 3 NQs before, one the associate (not current, another store) was mad I didn’t get it, the other was abroad, I would have taken it if smaller, but it was huge, and the third I got. I was offered a big QB croc recently but passed, I didn’t even ask which color. My mom really wanted the bag but I already gifted her 2 bags (the exotic Constance and a Kelly) in less than 6 months so now she can wait until her birthday. I told the SA I will bring her over next she comes to the U.S. so she can get a big bag on her profile.

 

[Mrs.Hermess]

Mostly agreed, but not all amazing bags by H are QBs.

This has to be so hard to do for several reasons:

• It's not always easy to Google someone--plenty of people have very common names
• On that note, it would be easy to deem someone a good or bad fit, only to have the wrong person
• Someone's online footprint may be very tiny (as yours appears to be)

Also, imo, it was totally unprofessional to make any comment on your home!

Thank you for this! Unfortunately in the world of Google, our last name is not common 😭 so if you just type our last name even without first names we both come up immediately. My husband has a significant digital and social footprint but I am not active on any social platform (have fb and insta but haven’t gone in in years). And I get it they have our addresses and ship to my home often but still.

 

[Midge Maisel]

Thank you for this! Unfortunately in the world of Google, our last name is not common 😭 so if you just type our last name even without first names we both come up immediately. My husband has a significant digital and social footprint but I am not active on any social platform (have fb and insta but haven’t gone in in years). And I get it they have our addresses and ship to my home often but still.

See, if you type in my name, all you get is some show about a housewife who becomes a comedian.

(I kid, of course)

In all seriousness, I have a relatively common name and if someone tried to Google me, they might not get me. I'd hate for someone to make a snap judgement on me based on one of the other people with my name!

But on the subject of Hermes specifically, I get Googling, I guess, for business purposes. It's the telling you that they Googled you that I feel verges on stalkerish.

 

[Angiebbb]

I agree with this. Hermès is renowned for leather and maybe silks (and maybe equestrian still, but I have no experience there). The luxury consumer market regards H bags as standing in a class of their own in comparison to other luxury options (I'm excluding bespoke makers here). I don't think that can be said about any other H product. IMHO, even though it offers some very nice things, it is not pre-eminent in other métiers, and unlike bags, those products don't sell themselves. To me this is evidenced by the mere fact that SAs need to encourage exploration of other métiers as part of newer clients building a relationship and working up to a bag.

ETA: The thing I find confusing in other métiers is the difficulty of sourcing the product. For example, if you are trying to position your homewares as pre-eminent, you shouldn't be making it so difficult for committed clients to complete china or crystal sets. I'd never embark on building a collection of anything without knowing I would be able to acquire all the pieces I want, so I just don't go there, and I limit myself to homeware items that are "one-offs" (ie not part of an incomplete set). If you are serious about shoes, you need to carry sizes across the full range of colours and styles you choose to stock. These are lost opportunities for Hermès. The H practice of individual stores curating their inventory makes this worse. To stay on topic, I have some sympathy for the SA who wants to consolidate relationships with clients and keep loyal clients happy, but is unable to source the products those clients would like to buy.

My dad has a horse farm and many of his students have been in competitions around the world, he shares some instructors with an Olympic gold medal winner (his neighbor) and although Hermes saddles are incredible high quality, nowadays they are much more a luxury item. I think their saddles are more widely used in dressage than jumping, but the price is much higher than you would find for the top saddles in dressage if buying new. Their riding boots are not made for riding (but are fabulous). The clothes are comfortable, but there are a number of high quality specialized equestrian brands with better pricing. I have some of their equestrian clothing and I love the jackets. My dad has a few of the vintage saddles but he would’t buy one nowadays. The quality is amazing but not everyone’s cup of tea.

Items are hard to find because each store has its own budget and only buys what they think will sell, so there isn’t enough budget for all stores to stock all shoe sizes. They rely on transfers and/or ordering for the client from the website. In Europe they don’t do transfers like other brands, as Chanel, where you can transfer from any country within the EU. It is limited to the particular country.

 

[Deleted 793791]

My dad has a horse farm and many of his students have been in competitions around the world, he shares some instructors with an Olympic gold medal winner (his neighbor) and although Hermes saddles are incredible high quality, nowadays they are much more a luxury item. I think their saddles are more widely used in dressage than jumping, but the price is much higher than you would find for the top saddles in dressage if buying new. Their riding boots are not made for riding (but are fabulous). The clothes are comfortable, but there are a number of high quality specialized equestrian brands with better pricing. I have some of their equestrian clothing and I love the jackets. My dad has a few of the vintage saddles but he would’t buy one nowadays. The quality is amazing but not everyone’s cup of tea.

Items are hard to find because each store has its own budget and only buys what they think will sell, so there isn’t enough budget for all stores to stock all shoe sizes. They rely on transfers and/or ordering for the client from the website. In Europe they don’t do transfers like other brands, as Chanel, where you can transfer from any country within the EU. It is limited to the particular country.

This is very insightful! Thank you, @Angiebbb.

 

[Veritybelle]

Items are hard to find because each store has its own budget and only buys what they think will sell, so there isn’t enough budget for all stores to stock all shoe sizes. They rely on transfers and/or ordering for the client from the website. In Europe they don’t do transfers like other brands, as Chanel, where you can transfer from any country within the EU. It is limited to the particular country.

Yes. This buying structure imposes a local scarcity that maybe can be justified for bags given the demand, the production process and the quality (and we all know what a successful strategy that has been for H), but IMO just isn't warranted for the shoes which are not in the same league. And I can't understand it at all for a product that many customers would want to acquire as part of a set. Clearly I would be a hopeless marketer lol