One marketing lesson from Hermès that could help your brand attract high-quality leads

Too busy to read? Here's one marketing lesson Hermès has for your business:

Focus only on your ideal customers 

Here's the whole write-up for you:

Hermès sells luxury fashion accessories including leather handbags, belts, watches, silk scarfs, and more.

Their excellent products use high-quality leather sourced from reputable hide houses and feature meticulous designs with outstanding craftsmanship.

Beyond these attributes, they've incorporated a subtle yet powerful marketing technique to distinguish themselves and attract the right customers:

They don't sell their products to everyone!

To purchase their coveted leather goods—such as their flagship Birkin bags—one must sign up for a lottery appointment. It may even require multiple signups to secure an appointment with their associates.

Once granted an appointment, customers may undergo an interview, where they're asked about other Hermès products they use. Following this qualification process, they're allowed to browse and select a product.

Ironically, even for products that cost hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, customers may have to face a minimum waiting time of six months. Still, customers go for it.

Hermès has implemented a robust lead qualification system that draws in only serious buyers for product evaluation. While this may result in fewer leads, it increases each lead's likelihood of making a purchase.

This approach also enables their sales team to dedicate their attention and energy more fully to attending to and creating a customized experience for each individual customer.

This results in enhanced buying experiences and a smaller but more devoted clientele—customers for life.

While this approach may not be universally applicable, every business can benefit from a robust lead qualification system, as it prioritizes a focused approach toward serious customers who are more likely to do business with you.

If you're looking for a powerful marketing platform that qualifies leads and enables you to prioritize your most sales-ready prospects, check out Zoho Marketing Plus: a unified marketing platform that enables you to streamline and manage all your marketing efforts in one centralized place.

If you're interested in learning more about the marketing practices of your favorite brands, leave their names in a comment and we'll explore and possibly write about them for you.