I was in the Rolex section of a jewelry store recently when the salesman offered me some water. “Sure,” I said. He handed me a sleek blue bottle of Fiji Artesian Water. Of course he did. In a Rolex store, they weren’t going to hand me a bottle of Costco water.
But here’s the truth: water is water.
We can all turn on the faucet and get it practically for free. Yet we’ll happily pay $8 for a bottle if it’s wrapped in the right story.
Fiji sells purity.
Evian sells the French Alps.
Smartwater sells sophistication.
It’s not what’s in the bottle that sells.
It’s what the bottle means.
We don’t buy Fiji for the taste.
We buy it because it feels like the kind of water a Rolex buyer would drink.
Before you sell anything, ask - what story does your product tell?
Because in business, just like with water, people don’t always buy the best.
They buy what makes them feel best.
P.S. If your business were a bottle of water, what would it say about you?
