Advisor: definition and types of professional profile

Advisor is a term that is increasingly used, and very often in completely different contexts, ranging from banking, to fashion, to cosmetics.

Relatively recent professional profile in the business and especially retail sector, but which is increasingly used, especially because it is included in the name of one of the most famous communities in the world, Trip Advisor.

But who is it and what exactly does the Advisor do? Starting from the English term from which it comes, we can summarize by saying that the Advisor is the professional figure that “advises“.

Initially, it indicated the bank consultant who advised customers on the type of investment to be made: it then evolved throughout the retail sector to define the figure that, unlike the salesperson, offers an additional consulting service, given the in-depth knowledge of the field of reference.

The Advisor is therefore not simply the one who promotes the sale, but also knows how to guide the customer in defining the most inherent product to what the consumer wants, on how to best use it, and often remains available for further information even after the sale.

He then becomes a figure halfway between sales assistance and customer care. Usually, therefore, this figure is used by brands that put at the center of their corporate policy a high degree of customer satisfaction.

The Case History par excellence in this case, as often happens, comes from Apple: due to the high technological level of the Apple product, the salesman must be properly trained, until he is more like a High-Tech Advisor, able to understand the needs of the customer to propose a fully customized solution.

The same happens in sectors where a knowledge of the sector is always necessary due to the specificity of the products or services promoted: this is the case of cosmetics, where the Beauty Advisor, also known as Beauty Consultant, is the figure halfway between the Clerk and the Make Up Artist, precisely because he is able not only to show the customer the correct use of the product, but also to give that extra advice for the enhancement of the customer’s image.

The same figure applies to perfumery, and in this case it speaks of Fragrance Advisor.

The big fashion business is no exception: it is no coincidence that at the famous H&M chain sales staff are not called “clerks” but Sales Advisor, properly to highlight the service of “stylistic consultancy” offered by its employees.

There are cases in which the two figures are distinct as in the case of the Zara chain, where you can have a personalized service of Personal Shopper, also called Shopping Advisor, or in other chains, at events, as in the case of Desigual. On the other hand, the figure of the Image Consultant is increasingly in demand and the interest is also demonstrated by the numerous dedicated television programs.

In short, the list is long and certainly will not end here: certainly the emerging profiles are those of the Food Advisor, born from the rediscovery of slow food in recent years, as well as the Wedding Advisor, able not only to plan the event but also to design it in the manner most appropriate to the style and personality of the bride.

This professional profile develops together with the birth of a wider and more differentiated market of goods, where the customer needs the famous “expert opinion” to choose the best product for his needs.