So, you got an iPhone yet?
I'm asking you because in some parts of the world they are ridiculously hard to buy. We are talking so hard to buy that they are taking on an almost mythical quality. People are scouring the Web and placing orders on lists that are months long, all to get Mr. Jobs' latest market leader.
And well done Mr. Jobs, because we all know that the shortage is part of his brilliance. While he sits there plotting his latest moves, he knows the market more than anyone. Of course he could have arranged for enough iPhone units to be out there for everyone to be happy. He could have, but he didn't.
Reminds me of this beer story that I heard recently. There is a group of monks in Belgium who have made this beer that is apparently the best beer in the whole world. Belgian beer is generally regarded as the best anyway, especially the brands made by monks. But this one, well, it has an edge to it.
You see, they don't make much of the stuff and they only sell it once a month (remember that monks aren't exactly searching for the big bonuses when it comes to sales). This is intriguing enough. Then you find out that some customers will drive sixteen hours to pick up their two cases, because that is the maximum amount you can buy. Two cases.
And you have to call a special phone line to make an appointment to come and buy the beer. The monks don't advertize the beer either. All very exclusive. Now this is not some great business success story. The makers of the beer aren't after massive units. But they sell every last bottle every month. And their rationale behind all of this? Well, they just enjoy doing something well.
Now, the point of all this as regards to this post is simple. A marketing lesson can be learned here. These guys do what they love, first and foremost. That is their bottom line. They stick to basic principles. The referral marketing (i.e. word of mouth rather than advertizing) is very similar to the viral stuff that is going on at the moment. You may think that you can't translate no-marketing as a strategy to your business, but what they do is interesting to us because they stick to their rituals.
They have not changed any part of their business practices since day one. They have just concentrated on doing what they do best and sticking to it. This works for companies in the real world and online.
Take any major company who are web-based or do a lot of business online. Chances are if they have made it big they haven't changed much since their first year.
Take Google. The search engine still looks the same (for the most part) and always does the same thing. They are good at what they do and they love what they do. Seems so simple, yet brilliant.
The basic message here is that if you have a company that you believe in, you've already made it. Someone told me recently that the one secret to business success is belief in your company.
The monks (and Google) believe in their product, believe in themselves and love what they do. What more can you ask for?
Oh, and by the way, the beer is called Westvleteren. And no, I don't have the first clue of how to get it. If you do, grab us a couple of cases...
Tags: marketing, quality, technology, westvleteren