Trusted Consultants in Luxury Retail

SHANKER INC.
For more than 25 years, Shanker Inc. has helped accelerate sales for global luxury brands through its Relationship FIRST TM Method.

Improving Your Business Through Your People

The Shanker Inc. Relationship FIRST TM Method is founded on the premise that relationships are the new currency for staying relevant in the digital era.

Our behavioral approach, combining neurosciences and emotional intelligence, sets us apart. We provide sales teams the knowledge and skills to outperform the competition and exponentially improve volume and profit. Clients see immediate results following the program.

Facing Today’s Challenges

Social media and e-commerce have forever changed today’s luxury client. The power is now with customers who no longer think they need sales advisors in the same way. Friends and digital influencers have replaced sales advisors as their go-to inspiration. Luxury retailers risk becoming less relevant and ultimately losing revenue.

Reskill to Reinvent

The old way of selling is not just outdated, it’s actively damaging brands. In response to the continually evolving luxury retail customer, we identified a solution to close the relationship gap between clients and their sales advisors. It’s time to reimagine sales advisors’ ability to create desire for your brand.

Who We Are

Consulting experts developing global luxury retailers and wholesalers:

  • Sales Teams
  • Retail Management
  • Leadership

Our bespoke solutions:

  • In-person and virtual training
  • Assessments
  • Executive coaching and sales coaching
  • Job benchmarking
  • Keynote talks
  • Consulting

Global reach through our network of HR, L&D and Sales Training affiliates.

What We Can Do For You

32% Sales Growth 7% Gross Margin Increase 91% Manager Improvement

What The NY Times Says:

“Shanker has made a career out of researching the disconnect between customers and sales professionals and coming up with unique, individual solutions for enhancing the customer experience. This is imperative because this gap damages not only sales but also the company’s brand”.

About Martin Shanker

Martin Shanker, founder and president of Shanker Inc., has more than 25 years of experience helping global brands accelerate sales and profit by growing their business through their people. He has maintained multi-year relationships with premier global retailers and wholesalers including Burberry, Cartier, Chanel, Estee Lauder Companies, Lane Crawford, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, Ralph Lauren and Van Cleef & Arpels.

Martin’s developed the Relationship FIRST TM Method as a solution to the challenges luxury retailers face staying relevant in the digital era. His behavioral approach applies neurosciences and emotional intelligence that helps sales teams transform relationships and re-establish relevancy. Martin’s trademark has become a purpose-driven venture to unlock the potential in advisors and managers while enabling brands to outperform their competition.

Born into an apparel manufacturing family in New York City, Martin graduated with a business degree from the University of Miami before joining Macy’s East Executive Training Program. At Macy’s, Martin rose to Vice President for Accessories and Shoes, and served as President of the Wholesale Handbag Division of Sarne Corporation.

Martin’s continuous study into how today’s high-net-worth clients think and make decisions reveals why some associates and organizations succeed and others do not. These crucial insights prompted him to found Shanker Inc. in 1992 with the mission of helping leading global brands grow their business through their people.

The current gap between the way sales professionals treat customers and how customers actually prefer to be treated led The New York Times to acknowledge Martin’s unique insights on this topic and credits him as a “behaviorist”.

Martin is a frequent keynote speaker at conferences such as Luxury Daily and a lecturer at both FIT and Parsons in New York City. Martin is also a board member of the Aspen Brain Institute.

Martin frequently crosses the globe developing sales teams for luxury brands. Follow his travels on Instagram or connect on LinkedIn.

About the Team

Ismael Fernandez

Consultant EMEA

Marisol Zimbron

Consultant Americas

Frances Powell

Consultant Americas

What Sets Us Apart

“We Measure Our Success by the Success of Our Clients.”

Our Values

Unlocking Potential

Unlocking Potential:

  • Holistic, strengths-based
  • Personal accountability
  • Self-awareness
Driving Results


Driving Results:

  • Experience and research
  • Sustainable results
  • Data-driven
Fostering Partnerships

Fostering Partnerships:

  • International standard
  • Relationship FIRST TM
  • Long-term success partner
Elevating Experiences

Elevating Experiences:

  • Bespoke, personalized
  • Quality in every detail
  • Emotional connection

Global Reach

Shanker Inc. has the capabilities to deliver our consulting services and learning programs across 29 countries and 11 languages.

Companies doing business internationally recognize that delivering a consistent brand of customer service across global markets is critical to their success. Such companies look for international partners that have the capability to design and deliver training and consulting services in multiple cultures.

Shanker Inc. answers this call to action. For more than 20 years, our clients have looked to us to establish an international standard of behavior for their sales and management teams that achieve distinctive global brands of service and leadership.

North America South America Europe Asia Pacific Africa
Canada Argentina Austria Australia South Africa
United States Brazil Belgium China
Mexico Czech Republic India
France Japan
Germany Korea
Hungary Malaysia
Italy Singapore
Latvia Taiwan
Netherlands Thailand
Poland
Russia
Spain
Sweden
Ukraine
United Kingdom