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March 9, 2005
Lexus Sales Meeting
I was walking past the meeting rooms last night of the hotel I was staying at, and one of the rooms was reserved for the "Lexus Sales Meeting". I was trying to imagine what was discussed there, but could only think it would involve pandering to potential customers' desire for luxury and status. It reminded me of a conversation I recently had with a friend - one to whom the purchase of any car is a cash transaction, and unlikely to influence his bank account significantly. We had touched on the subject of new cars when he launched into a diatribe against expensive cars, describing them as "an utter waste of money". I was impressed that someone of his means would even notice, let alone have an opinion on the true value of a luxury car. On reflection this idea seemed less isolated, and more a general trend in our society.
A number of luxury brands have been struggling, but the thing that caught my eye recently was Whole Foods Market's new efforts to kick the grocery business up a notch. Their concept is "food is fun", and they plan a Wall-Mart size store featuring a mix of food preparation and sales, raw, partially prepared, and fully cooked for consumption either on premises or at home. The key idea here is "try this at home, and here's how".
I think this will resonate well with people weary of the roller-coaster ride we've been on for the last few years (economy, war, etc.). The nation is hungry for comfort food, and the Lexus in the driveway just isn't doing it for folks like it use to. Not that we as a nation don't want nice things, but I suspect we're more interested in Target than Saks at this point.
So I think that it's a good thing if the Lexus sales team has to struggle a little to sell their product. Good luck guys.
Sent from: Paul Gutwin
Posted by pgutwin at March 9, 2005 7:25 AM