Choosing Which Customers To Lose

Thu, Jan 21, 2010

Credibility & Trust

BeautifulPeopleMarketingTwo weeks ago, online dating site BeautifulPeople.com made national news after it booted 5,000 members who gained a few extra pounds over the holidays.

Yep, you read correctly.

You see, the self-proclaimed sexiest website in the world maintains a high standard of beauty, and will grant you membership only if you are deemed to be physically attractive. After registering, existing members of the opposite sex vote to determine each applicant’s fate.

Said Robert Hintze, founder of BeautifulPeople.com, “As a business, we mourn the loss of any member, but the fact remains that our members demand the high standard of beauty be upheld. Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded.”

Ouch!

Now, I realize what many of you are thinking: The founder’s comments are tasteless, hurtful and politically incorrect. Furthermore, BeautifulPeople.com perpetuates society’s artificial and lofty beauty standards, all of which drive low self-esteem and unhealthy behaviors. And in no sane and just world should this type of business be permissible.

Yes, I agree.

But now that we’ve got that off our chest, let’s agree to move past how you and I feel about the company and discuss what we can learn from it.

Are you clear-eyed and objective? Okay, let’s move on.

By choosing which customers to lose, BeautifulPeople.com creates a point of differentiation that’s needed to successfully compete against juggernauts eHarmony and Match.com.

Remember, your company’s success is related to standing out – not fitting in.

BeautifulPeople.com gets it. The company understands that adopting a liberal admission policy would only dilute the exclusivity it hopes to build. So to protect its credibility, the company made the correct decision when it exiled overweight members – no matter how unpopular and politically incorrect that decision might be.

Do you agree? Are you willing to do the same for your company and choose which customers to leave behind? Let me know what you think.

FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY: Sign up for my FREE newsletter (located on the right sidebar of my site) and I’ll mail you a FREE copy of Currencies That Buy Credibility. (No strings attached. Limit one per person/mailing address. Supplies limited.)

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This post was written by:

Tom Wanek - who has written 68 posts on MarketingBeyondAdvertising.com.


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  • Tom, I love this.

    Not just the exclusivity angle (which only increases the interest and potential adoption).

    But imagine the Diet and Weight Loss back-end sales opportunities that could come with this...?

    "Didn't make the cut at BeautifulPeople.com?

    Here's how to make the cut in less than 30 days, even if you're a porker extraordinaire. Yes, even if deep fried Twinkies and Cheese Sticks make up the bulk of... you."

    Operators are standing by.

    Think on this. Nerve.com is looking for a couple, man and woman, who are interested in sharing their sexual explorations as "furries": people who dress as forest creatures and get it on.

    In comparison, the BeautifulPeople.com gig is relatively tame (sic!).

    (Actual Journalist Request from Nerve):
    Seeking furries for sex advice interview (Nerve.com)
    Category: Entertainment and Media
    Media Outlet: Nerve.com

    Deadline: 07:00 PM EST - 27 January

    Query: You did indeed read that right. I am trying to find one woman and one man who self-identify as Furries to participate in brief interviews offering sexual advice to the masses. Interviews are to be included in a feature for Nerve.com's Sex Advice From series. Subjects must be willing to have their picture, age and first name printed alongside the interview.
  • Sure Jess, maybe it was just a pr stunt. But it still serves as a good example of why a business should choose which customers to lose.
  • It was pr stunt - c'mon you don't honestly think they were telling the truth do you?
  • LOL! Are you kidding me? They would never grant me entrance - not in a million years!
  • Is that the site where you and Lydia met?
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