The one (and only) good thing to learn from Victoria’s Secret

November 8th, 2012 by Agent Kevin Miller

Now that the real news of Hurricane Sandy and the Presidential Election has passed (and us giving full access to Free Agent Academy membership and courses for only $5), our media has shifted back to the normal fodder. I make my income by appealing to the marketplace, so I check out USA Today and CNN daily, and today find much focus, unfortunately, on ‘Behind the scenes of the Victoria’s Secret Show’.

A lingerie company getting national attention like the Super Bowl. How did this happen?

You can do the same thing with your idea or product or service. Check it out…

Though real quick I’ll admit I’m not a Victoria’s Secret fan. Totally the opposite. My wife and I boycotted them years ago for the exact reason that’s made them famous. They are good marketers. Otherwise, I hope they go bankrupt. We don’t allow their catalogues in our home, nor do we visit malls with their naked images emblazoned on the walls for little (and big) boys to gawk at. It’s a shame.

But the one thing good thing you can learn from VS is…

You sell your product or service best, by selling it’s PERCEIVED benefits.

Did you get that? Not always its literal, factual benefits, but it’s perceived benefits.

VS sells lingerie. I guarantee you their materials or designs are not better than a LOT of other companies out there. They decided to promote a sexy image. But that had been done too. What hadn’t been done? ‘Classy’ sexy, as opposed to slutty sexy, and VS made it’s way into mainstream. They are selling porn, pure and simple, but they snuck under the label with some great marketing.

They’ve made their product synonymous with ‘classy sexy’. Thus they get national press for their fashion shows. People buy their stuff to associate themselves with this perception and ideal. Guys buy it for their girls because they have sex in their heads. Girls buy it cause they want to appeal to guys in that way. Does buying or wearing VS make someone anymore sexy, attractive, desirable and popular? Of course not, not unless they are already. Does buying a Porsche make a guy ‘sexy, attractive, desirable and popular’? Nope. But guys aren’t really buying $100k sports cars because they’ll do 0-60 in 3 seconds or top out at 170. They buy them to drive downtown or sit in gridlock and help them achieve an image they want.
*Disclosure: Admittedly I was once doing 140mph in my Dad’s Mercedes Coupe and got busted, there are always exceptions to my analogies…

On a relevant side note  it’s relevant to point out that maybe buying a Porsche can help a guy feel better about himself, and actually attract a Victoria’s Secret model to him and ultimately he becomes the very thing he bought the car trying and hoping to be! But that’s more another blog, so I’ll let it be…

How about me with Free Agent Academy, do I cater to this lesson here? Absolutely. It’s not called ‘Purpose in Work Academy’ or ‘Self-Employment Academy’ for a specific reason. We’re selling freedom. Self-employment is just the vehicle, not an end unto itself. Lingerie isn’t about clothing, it’s about sex. Sports cars aren’t about speed, they’re about status. You don’t want Self-employment, you want freedom. Joining today won’t make you free. You’ll have to do the work…

If you missed it, yesterday was our big announcement. Access everything we’ve got in Free Agent Academy for a $5 trial. The trial is normally 15-days, but join before 3pm Friday (about 24 hours from now) and you get a full month for $5. 24 new members and counting already as of this posting. Check it out here.

So what product or service are you selling (or do you have an idea to sell)? You may have heard before that you need to lead by communicating the benefits. However, often you can’t promise anyone will get the benefit just through the purchase. Joining a gym doesn’t make you fit. But you sell the perceived benefit. The possibility!

Want help figuring it out for your idea, product or service? Join us today for $5, dive into our Brand and Marketing courses, bring your specific questions to the live, weekly class with me. I can’t offer a better opportunity.

Do you know the perceived benefit of what you are, or want to sell? Tell us below.

P.S. For you guys, I use an internet accountability program to keep me accountable for what I view online. I had to email my three accountability partners and tell them I’d get tagged for looking at the definition of ‘porn’ for this post (the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter, i.e. Victoria’s Secret). I use Covenant Eyes, and have it on my kid’s computers too. I highly recommend it. It doesn’t restrict you, just reports. Maybe you’re a deacon and a saint and free from temptation online. I’m not.