• by Lisa Dolan , August 18, 2014

Grabbing the attention of a niche population can be challenging, but when you’re able to target and ultimately occupy that niche, the rewards can be immense. In all honesty, grabbing the attention of the affluent male is a 24/7 job. But like marketing for any business, the first step in the process is to first understand, to the best of our ability, everything about this target.

Coming from the world of finance, a predominantly male profession, I had the opportunity to experience and interact with this target firsthand. Most notably, these men not only expect, but also demand elite service. With a very limited amount of time in their personal lives, the professional and elite man requires an efficient service, in addition to a service tailored specifically to his needs.

Any service business is like a favorite restaurant. Many of us can have one good meal at a restaurant, but it’s the restaurant that continually provides its patrons with good food and excellent service that is the one that we return to time and time again. The same rules apply in business. We know that the main elements of service are quality, reliability and consistency. In this vein, the idea of specialized service is something that this audience is accustomed to. However, the level of service required to target the professional and often affluent male must be superior. To achieve that superior service, one must provide a quality product. 

Also, it is equally important to manage expectations. The key is to inform clients of your scope and bandwidth. It is up to you to be realistic in your ability and not over-promise. If in the upfront engagement you share what can be done, and done extremely well, then you have achieved success.

The professional and affluent male understands what it means to be the best, as they – whether in their profession or in their craft – have worked hard, and are dedicated time to establish themselves as the best. You must recognize this, and understand the value of his time.

In short, to market effectively to the affluent male, one must strive to deliver service that meets or, ideally exceeds expectations. Your goal should always be to have a clear understanding of those expectations and institute the ways in which to consistently fulfill them.

Often, the most likely source of future clients is a referral from extremely satisfied current clients (word of mouth). This general statement would probably hold true for many service businesses catering to the affluent male.

So dive in, and immerse yourself in the affluent male audience. Do your best to truly understand who they are and what they desire (what makes them tick). Because the upfront investment will surely drive an initial return on your investment, that over time will only grow as your expertise is shared all throughout the member of this exclusive club.