Selling Anticipation

“The two happiest days of a boat owner’s life are the day he buys a boat and the day he sells it.”

I am in the process of buying a sailboat. I owned one for years but sold it when I moved back to Rochester, NY. Now I am in the market for a sailboat again. What is more fun for a sailor than researching sailboats and fanaticizing about which one he will own? I get to go to fun places like Newport, RI, Annapolis, MD, Marblehead, MA and Southwest Harbor, ME. I get to talk with yacht brokers and yacht racers and people who have sailed their boats around the world. One boat I am looking at has won dozens of national and international yacht races. Contrast that to the reality of an electronics failure, packing gland leaks, teak that needs attention, worn out sails, a head that won’t flush properly and loose shrouds and stanchions. When fanaticizing about a sailboat purchase, one can filter out the mundane aspects of boat ownership.

Consider another product category – men’s shirts. Robert Graham has a created a Collectors Club for people who purchase its clothes. If you purchase $25,000 worth of Robert Graham clothes, you get to select and name a limited edition shirt. If you spend $50,000 on Robert Graham clothes, you get invited to closed door, by invitation only Master Collector events in exotic locations throughout the world and you get a “free” crested sweater or sports coat.

How are you fanning the flame of fantasy associated with the purchase of your brand? Anticipation of the purchase is often the most fun part of purchase or ownership.