Marketing to the Affluent: Become an Expert

I do some PR and marketing consulting for Fernando Paredes, a personal trainer whose clients, by the nature of the service he provides, tend to have significant disposable income. At $100 an hour to be pushed, pulled and stretched, it’s not in everyone’s price range.

Fernando’s Fusion Fitness Studio is generally busy but we’ve been kicking around ways to jump start his marketing plan for 2009. One of the resources we’ve come across is Dan Kennedy’s “Marketing to the Affluent,” part of the No B.S. Series published by Entrepreneur Press.

The book is chock full of great insights about reaching people who are motivated differently from the great majority of the population. Affluent customers, for example, would rather be recognized than rewarded for referring a new customer. They are more likely to be attracted by – and willing to pay dearly for - the prospect of a unique experience. Exclusivity is another trigger – affluent customers like to feel that not everyone can qualify for the product or service they receive.

One recommendation we’ll act on immediately is positioning my Fernando as an expert in the field of personal training, which, of course he already is. According to Kennedy, “the more affluent the customer and the more significant the purchase or its price, the more likely perceived expert status will play into the decision.” By positioning Fernando as an expert in the field of personal training, he should gain “competitive differentiation and advantage, create support for charging premium prices and fees, make himself more attractive to the affluent customer and lay the groundwork for media acceptance and publicity, according to Kennedy.

So, how are we going to accomplish this goal? Kennedy says there are three paths to expert status:

Publication. We’re going to write an e-book about Fernando’s unique training philosophy and offer for free on his website. We’re also going to offer membership – not a subscription, another Kennedy suggestion makes for marketing to wealthy clients – in a group that receives a monthly newsletter.

Promotion. We’re going to make a point to promote Fernando as an expert in personal training, as opposed to marketing his training programs. The former will lead to the latter.

Publicity. We’ll create opportunities that play off of Fernando’s status as an expert and an author.

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