If you want to sell more products or convert prospects to team members, learn how to use exclusivity and scarcity as marketing strategies. These are powerful marketing strategies to persuade your prospect to take action. The more exclusive your product is the more scarce and desirable in your prospect’s mind.

“In a nutshell, opportunities of all kinds seem more valuable to us when they are less available.” Copyblogger.

An “exclusive” story

A friend of mine is a successful sales consultant for a line of somewhat high-end women’s clothing that you can only buy at a home party.

Unlike the ease and accessibility of finding other direct sales opportunities, her company has created an aura of exclusiveness as part of their branding strategy.

The exclusivity and scarcity marketing strategies add mystique, creates demand for the products and the opportunity, simply because you can’t just click on any consultant’s website and voila, you’re a new distributor.

If you want to be a consultant, you submit a lengthy application, go through an extensive phone interview with corporate office, and if there are no openings you’re put on a waiting list until one becomes available in your area.

As a result of this marketing strategy, she’s consistently booked for home parties through out the year. It has also created a list of people waiting to become a sales consultant because there’s a scarcity to the number of reps allowed.

What’s the big deal about exclusivity?

As a marketing strategy, it’s incredibly powerful because it plays to our psychology. Marketing is more about human psychology than pure economics. Exclusivity and scarcity play to our hard-wired desire to belong (exclusivity) and loss (scarcity) in a powerful way.

Think of people that live in upscale neighborhoods or owners of Porsches. There’s an air of exclusiveness in belonging to that particular neighborhood or driving a Porsche. The same thing applies to brand-name designer clothes, handbags, and even where we shop for groceries.

Let’s consider Wholefoods. If you’ve ever shopped there then you know it’s an entirely different experience than shopping at a regular grocery chain. Not only are exclusive products sold at Wholefoods but there’s a social aspect that one feels exclusive to when you’re a regular shopper.

In the case of my friend’s company, the company releases new lines of clothes twice a year. And to take full advantage of this, my friend host a big summer fashion gala before the fall line is available. You’re there to preview a few items from the upcoming fall collection. You can look and touch but you can’t buy those items.

This creates even a stronger desire for the items. Knowing that you have to wait a couple months before you can buy the clothes, builds up the excitement.

This is “launching” a product at its best. The anticipation of having to wait a few months makes many women get in line to host parties. Amazingly, she has a long list of hostesses, often booked for the rest of the year.

How to use exclusivity in your business

Obviously, most direct sales companies aren’t structured like this. But with creativity, you can create your own exclusive club that makes your customers feel special.

For example, if you’re building an email list, make it known that you only share special product discounts or valuable business tips to your email subscribers. Or host a party for VIP customers by letting them know that “you’re receiving this VIP invitation because you are … “

Jeff Walker, a master at product launch training, releases his training once a year and for only three days- talk about creating exclusivity and scarcity. Because his training has value and demand, if you miss his training, you have to wait another year. That’s a real scarcity especially if it’s something you really want.

So think about how you can use these powerful marketing strategies to make your potential customers feel exclusive and at the same time, create a real sense of scarcity.

’til next time,

Janette

p.s. To learn even more success strategies: grab my FREE 9 Powerful Strategies for Turning Your Passion into Profit. Available now by subscribing by email below.

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