The RMI is a game-changing luxury new hire/employee assessment created by top neuroscientists that Measures the 5 critical Behaviors empirically proven to increase sales and build lasting relationships.
It is a roadmap for more targeted development in Relationship Mastery.
Luxury Industry Problem: Low Front Line Employee Productivity/High Turnover
•Non-specific employee training and development —> low productivity / high turnover —> top-tier client relationship disruption / attrition = $$$ millions lost annually
•Average Turnover In Luxury: - Retail Finance – 30% - Retail – 35% - Automotive – 50% - Hospitality – 80%
The Empirical Research Breakthrough
•Proprietary database of 23 years of qualitative/quantitative research with tens of thousands of Affluent/HNW/UHNW consumers who identified attributes/behaviors they require to establish a trusted relationship with a luxury brand ambassador.
•Proprietary database of 23 years of methodologies/results from training thousands of luxury professionals who identified what top sales associate attributes/behaviors drive trusted client relationships.
•Analytics from both groups converged on the 5 Pillars of Relationship Mastery that Luxury Institute has successfully executed in its training programs with dozens of brands:
•Trustworthiness
•Expertise
•Kindness
•Empathy
•Creativity
proof the 5 pillars drive sales results…
Research-Driven Framework: The RMI Tool is built on Luxury Institute’s 5 Pillars, developed from a database of extensive empirical multi-year research with Affluent/HNW/UHNW luxury consumers who told us what inspires them to purchase more and build lasting relationships.
Proven Business Impact: Luxury and Premium Brand Client case studies empirically/consistently prove that training teams with the 5 Pillars of Relationship Mastery achieves measurable increases in sales.
…across all luxury / premium categories
TIER 1 PERFORMANCE LEADER, PORSCHE NORTH AMERICA "Porsche Cars North America have adopted several key elements of The Luxury Institute’s 5 Pillars of Relationship Mastery System, helping the brand achieve consistent top-three finishes in JD Power's benchmark Customer Service and Sales Satisfaction Index surveys, including #1 in both surveys in 2025."
CRM HEAD, BOTTEGA VENETA “The implementation of Luxury Institute’s global training system that included the 5 Pillars of Relationship Mastery, was instrumental in doubling Bottega’s sales in 3 years”
CEO KNOT STANDARD “The system provided not only an increase in sales performance – 54% increase in sales and 11% increase in average order value in six months – it also provided a consistent management platform to facilitate expansion into new markets”
CEO AT LAURA MERCIER Our #1 Market (NY) went from flat to 15% and increased retention in one location by 50%. The program enabled our sales, education, and artistry group to create daily rituals, behaviors and metrics to deliver the client experience mandated by our company culture.”
The Solution: The Relationship Mastery Index
•RMI is the game-changing RELATIONAL INTELLIGENCE employee assessment that evaluates new hires and employees across the 5 Pillars and quantifies each individual’s propensity for the Pillar behaviors that build trusted relationships.
•The results of the RMI identify how to develop each individual for optimal performance.
•By using the RMI to prioritize targeted training, you can streamline onboarding, focus development, and accelerate the timeline to client readiness.
•The RMI shines by turning vague feedback (like “be more empathetic”) into concrete, trackable insights that guide coaching, support career development, and improve performance conversations over time, when repeated.
RMI SCIENTIFic Validation
•Personality tests attempt to measure who you ARE as a person, your “Innate Talents”, but the science says you cannot improve them.
•RMI measures what you actually DO, the “Behaviors” that build trusted relationships, and coach you to brilliantly execute the skills of Relationship Mastery.
•RMI algorithm was designed by top Neuroscience team to identify new hire/employee propensity to exhibit the 5 Pillar behaviors.
•RMI was scientifically tested/validated with associates at a top luxury brand: - Matches or exceeds most best-in-class, state-of-the-art assessment tools for reliability and validity - Statistically correlates with individual employee KPIs/total brand KPIs - Aligns with EEOC and UGESP requirements and demonstrates NO BIAS
Relationship mastery index (rmi) faq
What is the Relationship Mastery Index (RMI)?
The RMI is a performance diagnostic designed to measure your propensity to demonstrate five relationship-building behaviors that clients consistently say they need before giving a brand their loyalty. It’s not a personality test – it’s meant to show how you show up in client and workplace interactions.
Why does the RMI matter?
In markets where products can feel interchangeable, human connection becomes the key differentiator. The RMI focuses on the behaviors that strengthen relationships, support retention, and help earn long-term client and colleague loyalty.
What are the five Pillars of the RMI?
The RMI is built on five Pillars that act as the “critical infrastructure” of strong professional relationships:
Trustworthiness: Following through and being a reliable anchor
Expertise: Demonstrating knowledge that makes clients and colleagues feel confident
Empathy: Seeing issues through your client’s or colleague’s eyes to address real pain points
Kindness: Creating warmth and psychological safety through basic decency
Creativity: Delivering bespoke solutions that competitors may miss
How is the RMI different from traditional assessments?
Traditional assessments often focus on internal traits and can feel abstract. The RMI is different because it’s focused on external relationship building requirements and is designed to be highly actionable and tied to real outcomes like revenue and retention.
Is the RMI a test?
No—RMI is a diagnostic, not a test. A test grades what you know; a diagnostic reflects what you currently do. There’s no “100%” or “fail”—it’s a mirror of current habits.
What does “self-reported” mean—and why is that important?
The RMI is based on your own reporting, so it depends on honesty and self-awareness. The purpose is professional development: helping you spot current proficiencies and potential blind spots that may be making business relationships and work harder than they need to be.
Are my results permanent?
No. The results are a snapshot, not a fixed label. Relationship Mastery can be described as a muscle—it can be trained and strengthened over time.
How should I interpret my scores?
A helpful way to think about it is a “volume knob”: everyone possesses all five Pillars, but we tend to turn some up and others down based on habits. A lower score does NOT mean you “don’t have” that Pillar—it signals an opportunity to use it more intentionally.
Is the RMI a performance review?
No, the Relationship Mastery Index:
is NOT a performance review (not to be used to gauge raises/reprimands)
is NOT a fixed label (you’re not permanently just “the Trust person,” etc.)
is NOT a competition (everyone needs a healthy mix of all five Pillars)
What’s the best way to introduce the RMI to employees or teams?
The RMI should be positioned as empowerment rather than judgment – a tool that helps people understand their relationship strengths, close gaps that may be stalling progress, and build “bulletproof” client and colleague relationships. It can also be framed as a “Behavioral GPS” that shows where you are now so you can map a route forward.
What’s a simple way to explain the RMI in a meeting?
Describe it like a business diagnostic (similar to a health check): it shows which Pillars you lean on most and which you may be under-utilizing – and because these are skills, they can be sharpened over time.