"Harry Potter."
Billions in Revenues.  A Lesson For Salespeople.

Article Date: July 17, 2006

The success of the Harry Potter franchise is unprecedented.  The magic of the formula is complex, but there is one thing in play we should all understand as salespeople... the "scarcity principle."

People often want what they can't have and they value things that are hard to get.  Harry Potter is not a weekly TV show.  It's not a serialized comic book.  Once you read a Harry Potter book, and get hooked, you have to wait at least a year for the next one.  The build up in anticipation is almost unbearable to the true believer.

The same dynamic is in play with The Sopranos and Star Wars.  Some with the Beatles in their heyday.  So when selling, whenever the opportunity presents itself, make things a little "hard to get."   ("I have one more ticket left to our client conference.")  May the force be with you!

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