Be Like Hermès — Your Wallet Will Thank You
Hermès Birkin Bag — what can you say except masterpiece and how do I get my hands on it?
Yeah, you, me, and about a couple of hundreds of thousand women.
But why would anyone in their right mind pay $10,000 (and that’s the low end) for a bag?
I mean, you could go on a shopping spree at Bergdorf Goodman, stay at the Four Seasons in Bali, dine at Blanca in NYC or something else way more sensible than plop 10G’s on a bag.
Then again, this is not just any bag.
What makes this bag the most coveted bag in history?
Craftsmanship & Exclusivity
Crafting these bags are no joke.
Each bag is crafted by a highly trained artisan. To become an artisan at Hermès, it takes 18 months in a special school for leather work and another 2 years in Hermès school working on smaller leather goods before even touching their first Birkin bag.
Talk about high level.
And no two bags are alike.
The textures of the animal skin and the artisan’s hand work makes each piece unique and a collectors item.
If there’s a defect (even a tiny one) on the bag — well, it get’s destroyed. Better to destroy the bag then their reputation.
The Birkin bags are a status symbol because not everyone can have it. Which makes people desire it even more. I mean, how many people would pay Birkin like prices for a Coach Purse? Yeah, that’s just nuts.
So what does Hermès have to do with you?
When you build your brand, craftsmanship and exclusivity are a must.
Craftsmanship = Value. Everything you do must have a purpose. From what you offer to the layout and design to the emails you send out. Think through how you can build in value in a way that is unlike others out there. And make sure you can back up your price.
Exclusivity = High Standards (in a good way). When you work 1-on-1 with someone, you don’t want to work with just anyone. Why? Because some people aren’t your ideal clients and can be a draining downer in your business. And it allows you to charge higher prices because only a certain number of people can work with you. If you have a product, you don’t want just anyone carrying your stuff do you? To be high end, you only want people who look the part too.
Assignment: Be Like Birkin — write down what makes you valuable compared to everyone else. Why would someone pay way more for your service than another coach or buy your products at a premium. Know this and you’re wallet will start thanking you when you start rolling in some moolah!
Photo Credit: Creative Common: Wen-Cheng Liu – Flickr: Hermes Ostrich Birkin in Film 30cm
