I spent most of my Labor Day with the Parrot Heads at a Jimmy Buffet concert at the Nissan Pavilion. Kari and I aren’t huge Buffet fans (with the exception of a few songs) but my Mother-in-Law, Patsy, is a Parrot Head. We got the tickets for Mother’s day, and Jimmy Buffet on a holiday weekend ain’t such a bad thing.
I had never been to a Jimmy Buffet concert before, and I have to say, I was quite impressed. I wasn’t impressed so much with the music, Jimmy isn’t the best singer or guitar player, but the atmosphere is great. Jimmy Buffet is in his 60’s, and the guy sells out wherever he goes. Everybody is there to hear the same 4-5 songs, the rest is just filler. But still, the place was PACKED. I’ve been to shows at Nissan Pavilion before, and I have never seen that many people.
How does Jimmy do it?
How does he do it? How has Jimmy managed to sell out everywhere he goes, for decades, singing pretty much the same songs. People travel the world to see him, and people are fanatical about it.
Being at the concert made it obvious. Jimmy Buffet isn’t selling music. Jimmy Buffet is selling a lifestyle.
Sure, his songs are all kinda the same, and his best ones were written decades ago, but it doesn’t matter. People don’t listen to Jimmy Buffet for the songs, they listen to Jimmy Buffet songs because it takes them someplace they want to go. It helps them escape their daily lives, it puts them in a state of mind that they wish they could hold on to forever.
More power to ya, Jimmy.
Why selling lifestyle is important to you
Here’s the thing. You and your business can benefit from selling lifestyle, too. As agents, sometimes we get very wrapped up in selling the features of a home, the location of a home, the number of bedrooms, the upgraded kitchen, the great value it represents. . .
Sometimes we forget, however, that people aren’t just buying a structure. They are buying a home. The difference between a house and a home is the lifestyle that goes with it. Sure, they want a great location, but that is because that location allows them to live a certain lifestyle. Sure, they want a great kitchen, but that it because it enables them to live a certain lifestyle.
If you can sell the lifestyle that comes with a house, then it makes it that much easier to sell the features that make it all possible.
Maybe you have a listing or two that aren’t the fanciest homes on the block. Maybe they don’t have all the bells and whistles. Well, maybe you can focus on the lifestyle that those homes will provide for their new owners. Focus on what that home will be like when it is filled with family and friends, what it has to offer the new owners aside from appliances, bathrooms and bedrooms. There is value there for people, you just have to show it to them.
(the post image comes from jahdakinebrah, and is a photographic representation of famous Jimmy Buffet songs and lyrics. All of them are tagged here)
