Why I haven't walked into a Myer or David Jones store in over a decade.

Everyone in business understands that we have to do the best we can to attract new customers.

But we can't serve everyone. And we may not want to serve everyone.

This article is about the concept of “repulsion marketing” that helps you to not only attract the right people to you, but to?not?attract the wrong people to you.

Let's go!

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I haven't walked into a Myer or David Jones store in more than a decade.

I remember being a kid and regularly being taken by my parents to department stores like Grace Bros and Myer.

In the early-to-mid 80s, these stores were pitched at everyone. They weren't fancy.?

There was no Kmart, Big W or Target yet. And the “Dollar Stores” had not yet arrived in our shopping centres.?

The major department stores were where you went to shop for a good deal. You could negotiate discounts on prices when you paid using cash.?

Today, they are a very different beast.

Which is why I haven't walked into a department store purposefully for over ten years.

By the way Myer and David Jones advertise themselves, by the brands they stock, and by the price point they pitch, they have made themselves clear that they are not a store for me.

I am unapologetically a bargain shopper.?

I don't place any value in clothing brands or fashion. I don't see the point of paying $90 for a t-shirt that is essentially the same as one I can get elsewhere for $10.

While Myer and David Jones will spend millions on advertising and brand positioning every year, none of that advertising is for me.

By positioning themselves as premium stores selling premium things, they are attracting a certain kind of customer who expects a certain kind of experience.

And this ensures that I will probably never walk into their stores again.

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But, this is a very good thing.

This technique of marketing is called “Repulsion Marketing.”?

It runs right alongside “Attraction Marketing.”

You may not realise you are doing it But once you understand it, you will see a great deal of value in it.

Repulsion Marketing happens when you focus on both who you?want?to attract to your business and who you?don't want?to attract.

An example of a line of ad copy that perfectly sums this up is:

"Three months' salary that lasts forever."

This is the basis of DeBeers Diamonds are Forever campaign that has run for nearly 100 years.?

In the 1930s it was one months' salary. This became two months' salary in the 1980s. Now in 2022, it's considered that a diamond engagement ring should cost at least 3 months' salary.

I personally think it is ridiculous to spend 3 months' salary on an item of jewellery. I am repulsed by the idea of engagement rings as status symbols.?

But I am not DeBeers target customer in the slightest.

And they know it.

They are never going to convert me to a believer in expensive jewellery as desirable?in my life.

So they don't even try to win me over. Because it would be a waste of time and money to even attempt it.

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How do you repulse some without repulsing all?

This is the trick that many large brands spend untold millions on trying to achieve.

How do we attract the right people without attracting the wrong people?

It starts with knowing who you are and who your ideal customer is.

You can form an idea of this by looking at who your average customer is now. Or by taking the time to define who you would prefer your customer to be.?

Let's say that you want to work with professional women with a solid disposable income who are not particularly price-sensitive when it comes to their personal and professional development.

Then your personal development event could be promoted like this:

For women from all backgrounds to connect, grow and thrive.

This is attraction marketing in action. You want to attract all women in the hope that some women will be able to afford and benefit from what you're doing.

Repulsion marketing looks more like this:?

For professional women who are ready to invest in their future selves.

This is a very different message.

You are clearly disqualifying some women from attending the event.

First, you are stating this is for “professional women.” That disqualifies anyone who doesn't identify as “professional.”

Second, you are asking that they are “ready to invest.” This immediately indicates that the event will come at a cost. This disqualifies those who are very price-sensitive.

Third, you are mentioning that the investment is in their “future selves.” This disqualifies the “workshop hoppers” and “conference junkies” who want a quick fix and immediate results.

Just one sentence can dramatically change everything.

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The additional benefits of Repulsion Marketing

Apart from disqualifying those who don't fit your target market, this kind of marketing lets those who do qualify know that they are not only going to the right place or buying the right thing.

It lets them know that the other people in that shop, at that event or in that course, will be people like them.

This might sound a little like discrimination. Here's why it isn't.?

Anyone is welcome to the event, to the store, or at the course. But once they get there, they will likely find nothing of value to them, or they won't be able to afford anything there. It will be a bad experience for them.

With Repulsion Marketing you don't just ensure a good experience happening for those who fit your target. You prevent a bad experience happening for those who don't fit.

And when you create an expectation that something is out of someone's reach now, you create a new form of Attraction: Aspiration.

This is because we can't help but want the things we can't have.

The Mercedes Benz. The diamond ring. The $90 t-shirt. The top shelf gin.

None of these things are for everyone right now. But we can all dream of having them.

Repulsion Marketing is also less expensive than Broad-Stroke Marketing.

You are only paying to reach the people you want to reach, rather than spending wasted money on reaching those who will not be able to afford you.

With digital platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Google and TikTok you can now provide lists of your current customers as a guide to what kind of customer you are after.

The social networks then go and find the right people to deliver your message to.

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That's all for this weekend. Just one short read about the idea that you're more likely to attract the right people by also repulsing the wrong ones.

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See you again next week.

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P.S. When you're ready, here's a few ways I can help out.

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