Purchase Motivation Primer: Exclusivity

Courtesy of Ha-Wee (flickr)

No one wants to be invisible.  No one wants to melt into the crowd.

Sure, there may be the occasional wallflower out there who has a tough time being the center of attention, but if you actually speak to that poor girl and find out what she really wants, you’ll probably find she’d love nothing more than to stand out as unique, special and superior in some way.

It’s just human nature.  And it’s not a matter of selfishness or a lack of humility.  At least, it doesn’t need to be.

But it is a powerful motivator, and one that can help people pull their credit cards out and pay for the privelage of exclusivity.

How to Use Exclusivity

You’ve probably seen a million headlines proclaiming something to the effect of “Be the First on Your Block to…” or “Forget Keeping Up With the Joneses, Now You Can BE the Joneses!”

Any sales message that helps the reader picture himself as the center of attention, the first, the fastest, the smartest, the sexiest, the best… it’s all really helping them tap into their inborn need to feel that they are special.  That they deserve to have the best, the newest and the most sought after of everything.

Another interesting variation of the exclusivity theme was made famous decades ago by American Express with one of the most effective sales letters ever to be mailed.  This letter was responsible for literally billions of dollars of income for American Express, and its entire message was one of exclusivity.

Basically, it said, “You might not be the kind of person we want in our club.  But if you are, and you’re willing to pay the annual fee we require to be part of our club, we’ll give you a try.”  And, of course, it painted a beautiful picture of what benefits come to those who manage to make it into the exclusive club of American Express cardholders.

So, if you can position your product or service’s main benefits in such a way that it can help an individual to feel personally special for having purchased it, you’re likely to appeal to a significant number of prospects.

As an example, if I’m marketing my copywriting services, (nudge nudge, wink wink), I could talk about how all your competitors are hiring professional copywriters to boost the quality of their content marketing strategies.  But that doesn’t do much to motivate you, just to stay neck-and-neck with your competition.

Instead, maybe I can help you see how each job I do is based on a customized interview process that serves to isolate and identify the one unique element that is guaranteed to help you stand above your competition, and how I plan to exploit that unique point in your copy.

Now THAT’s exclusivity.

Some Caution is in Order

While exclusivity is a very effective motivator, you need to be careful that you don’t alienate your prospect while trying to draw them in.

For example, don’t imply your prospects are stupid, ugly, helpless or hopeless by the way you urge them to get smarter, prettier or more empowered.  It may not be your intention to do so, but the slant of your message could easily cross that line if you’re not careful.  The key to walking that tightrope is empathy.  Make it clear that everyone wants and needs to improve in this area, but that your product or service makes it easier, faster and more satisfying to do so!

This is just one installment in a series called Purchase Motivators, brought to you proudly every other Sunday by Words That Begin With You!  If you’ve missed any of the other installments, check them out here!