19 To Newer Low The Bar

Anoi knew very well that those who had money, were willing to pay extraordinary amounts of it for two things. First, for quality. It's in one's nature to seek better, more extraordinary goods, that showed both the workmanship of the producer and the good taste of the buyer. And second, for prestige. There existed a great number of people, who would buy no matter what, useful or useless, in case it fulfilled their desire to be special. People wanted a sense of belonging, but those with high enough power, self-discipline or impudence, wanted to feel like they were a part of something special, like they belonged to elite themselves, even if they didn't.

Humans tend to think of themselves as a complex, always misunderstood creature. The truth is, they aren't as complicated as they wish to be. Once classified, human behavior falls under certain categories, which allows the easy yet deep analysis of one's personality. Although there was virtually millions of combinations and variations, the emotions that one can experience can be limited. Thus, as long as one's behavior pattern is understood, or rather, classified, one can be easily classified as well; and therefore, manipulated.

Whilst Anoi was telling this to the two sitting in front of her, she could see the astonishment showing through their features.

"As I just mentioned, people want a sense of belonging. But, they don't want to feel just any type of belonging. They of course won't be satisfied if they are to be told that they belong to the class of mediocre, or average mass. They want to be special, but in a special kind of way. That is, they want to form a part of an admired minority. In the case they are told that they are normal, they won't feel satisfied with themselves, and moreover, they won't feel satisfied with the one who tells them the news.

For that reason, the customer isn't allowed to feel "standard".

This is what will lie at the base of my company".

"And how exactly do you plan on achieving that kind of thing?" Shadd asked half-curiously, half-doubtfully.

"Of course, by exploiting the market trends. No matter what era, the trend follows the most successful part of the populations, meaning, the cream of the society. If we are able to establish ourselves as a company that is popular amongst the best, then even the lowest of individuals will strive to possess something produced by us. If even the richest prefers our production, is there anything more to say about the quality? And if even the richest buys us, then won't that make the buyer feel special for being able to afford the "products of the elite"? "

"I see," Shadd nodded, "then do you intend on concentrating on the richest at first, and then, spreading your production, and lowering the bar so that more middle-class people can buy from you?"

Anoi shook her head.

"Wrong. The point is to never lower the bar. This is perhaps the most enticing part: the company sells only to the best; if we lower our standards so that we can sell to more folks, we lose the credibility as the exclusive producer amongst the rich. There is something special about owning a thing that you know is hard to buy."