Thread by @schm7dt

A while back I bought $700 Louis Vuitton shoes.

Why I tell you this?

Because if you're selling anything online and don't understand the subconscious "short circuits" behind my purchase (and how to leverage them in your own biz), you're leaving massive amounts of $$ on the table

"People buy on emotion, not logic" is something you've probably heard before. And it's true. But it's just the tip of the iceberg. Reality is there's a lot more going on beneath the surface.

Quick background:

At the time I was in AZ with @cbassg16. We were at the mall with a couple of his buddies, 5 of us in total. I didn't go there with any intention of buying anything. Yet I walked out with a pair of $700 shoes.

Why?

Couple reasons. And they're pure genius on Louis V's part.

Here's how everything went down.

One of the guys went to LV with the intention of buying some shoes. We all followed for fun. He bought the shoes. They brought out champagne for all of us. Pretty cool.

Then one guy said to another,

"Fuck it, if you buy a pair I'll buy a pair"

Then one of them said to me,

"Well shit, if you guys both buy a pair, I'll buy a pair if Nate buys a pair"

You can see how it spiraled from there. Everyone was buying LV shoes. If I didn't, I'd feel left out. I had just met these guys and I liked them a lot. I wanted them to accept me. I wanted to fit in.

That's reason #1.

I wasn't buying shoes. I was buying social acceptance.

Reason #2 is the experience. LV makes buying very enjoyable. They bring out expensive champagne, you get to feel like you're better than everyone, flex on IG, etc. If I didn't buy them, I would've missed out on that.

I wasn't buying shoes. I was buying the avoidance of FOMO.

Reason #3 is the "exclusive" factor. The sales guy really emphasized the rarity of the shoes. Their origins, how limited edition they are, how only X people have them, how there's only Y left in stock, etc.

I wasn't buying shoes. I was buying the fear of not owning the shoes.

Reason #4 is the "stand out" factor. Very few people have LV shoes. When you have them on, people notice. I get compliments on them all the time. The sales guy emphasized this as well.

I wasn't buying shoes. I was buying the attention of other people.

There's probably others, but those are the main ones.

#1: Social acceptance
#2: Avoiding FOMO
#3: Exclusivity/urgency
#4: Standing out

All very emotional factors.

I like the shoes, sure. They're sturdy, high quality, beautiful shoes really. But if it weren't for the emotional factors, I never would've bought them. Just not really my style to spend that much on shoes.

Were I blind to all this masterful marketing, now I'd go back and justify my emotional purchase with logical reasons. Because admitting I only bought the shoes for emotional purposes would cause cognitive dissonance. It'd be painful.

So, there ya go. Brilliant job by Louis V.

Figure out how to apply this kind of thing to your biz and you'll undoubtedly make more money.

Side note:

I'll be talking more about this kind of thing on my email list this week, so sign up here if this kind of thing is interesting to you --> nateschmidt.io