The idea of exclusivity in sales may seem counterproductive. Why would you want to have an exclusive customer segment if your desire is to make as much profit as possible? Simply, exclusivity gives your product/service an attractive edge. There is pride that comes when owning your product/service. Apple, Facebook, Supreme, and many colleges have mastered this concept.
Apple
Apple makes its products exclusive by having its software available through their devices only. For example, iMessage, Facetime, and Final Cut Pro are exclusively available on Apple products. If a customer wants to use Facetime, they will have to purchase an Apple product. This has allowed Apple to sell devices because of included software—not just because of the device itself.
Facebook is built on the idea of “social exclusivity”. This was its main differentiator factor from mySpace. Essentially, Facebook allows users to share content with their friends only. Through this, digital “exclusive circles” can be established. They have replicated this same model with Instagram, which is one of the fastest-growing platforms existing thus far.
Supreme
Supreme makes its products exclusive by offering them at limited times via “drops”. These “drops” occur infrequently and the products they include will rarely be offered again. Supreme’s customers will often buy their entire stock within minutes of a new drop release.
Colleges
Exclusivity is considered throughout the college prospecting process. This is particularly true with selective colleges. They pride themselves on their low acceptance rates and tight, holistically crafted communities. In reality, this is selling on exclusivity. Studies have validated this approach has increased applications. Harvard’s class of 2025, for example, had 57,435 applications while their class of 2024 had 40,248 applications. This is over a 40% increase in applicants.
Clearly, exclusivity is a powerful tool that can be used in sales. It can make customers feel special and more attracted to your brand. How do you go about adding exclusivity to your product? There are several ways companies do this:
- Offering products with limited availability/capacity (e.g. Supreme, Colleges)
- Offering access to features with their products only (e.g. Apple)
- Offering products that allow customers to be exclusive with each other (e.g. Facebook)
Although exclusivity can be difficult to implement, it can produce rewarding results.
testacr22
Hi Liam, I think you’ve addressed some interesting points in your post. Although “exclusivity” can seem counterproductive, there are many examples of how it can be effective in sales. Personally, I’ve used Final Cut Pro, and while it’s not a software designed for the average video editor, for those of us who are passionate about video editing, Final Cut Pro’s detailed features can be a selling point.