MarketPlace

What people selling luxury ought to get right all the time

posche

The way a brand new Porsche is sold illustrates presentation and choice perfectly. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Only one type of person exists who would give you advice for buying a yatch. “There are two times that you’ll get a wonderful feeling when you own a boat,” the Succeeder would say “and that is on the day that you buy one, and on the day that you sell the blasted thing!”

According to Y&R’s 4Cs (Cross Cultural Consumer Categorisation) there are seven types of people in the world and the Succeeder profile if full of people who have self actualised.

They are ambitious and work hard to realise their dreams and thus tend to occupy positions of power in the corporate world, in government and even the Church.

Succeeders are very attractive to brands because they are prepared to pay a premium for what they believe to be the best, and it is more about quality than quantity.

People tend to buy brands that reflect their personality and status and Succeeders are no different whether or not they have stacks of cash to splash. So, what do you have to do with your product in order to convince the privileged few that it is exclusively for them?

Firstly, drop the clutter and learn a trick or two from the top designer labels with their method of kitting out their retail stores which is dominated by the ‘less is more’ concept.

Unlike shops for the masses that aim to impress patrons by the sheer quantity of products, they display each item as if it was a piece of fine art in an exclusive gallery exhibit.

It makes it look thoughtful, indicating that intelligent design has been applied, not only in the product creation but also in its presentation, because the power of appearance is one of the strongest impulses that we have as human beings.

Each idea or concept must be given its space to fulfil its purpose and make a statement, with enough room to breathe, to stand out and to be appreciated. It is a perfect mirror for the humongous ego and sense of self importance that the Succeeder bundles around.

The second critical thing is to provide ample choice. As their core motivation is control, any brands offered must allow them to employ that power.

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Henry Ford had inspired insight when he introduced the Model T, which ‘came in any colour as long as it was black’, because he was determined to shift the motor vehicle from being the preserve of the rich and famous, and into the hands of The Mainstream.

Mainstreamers don’t mind if you make the choice for them because they just buy things that everybody else buys.

The way a brand new Porsche is sold illustrates presentation and choice perfectly. The showrooms are so clean that you could perform open heart surgery in them, which is welcoming to the Succeeder and incredibly intimidating for everyone else.

Then, all that they give you for the opening price is the shell, and you have to buy every other piece of equipment that goes into it, including essential things like a dashboard, a steering wheel and an accelerator pedal.

This level of control is exactly what the Succeeder wants, yet it drives the Mainstreamers up the wall.