In a post at the Church of the Customer Blog, Ben McConnell tells the tale of Westvleteren, a Belgian beer made by an order of Trappist monks, which has achieved cult status by being excellent—and nearly impossible to obtain. According to McConnell:

• You must make an appointment to buy the brew by calling the Beer Phone. "Yes," he writes, "it's called the Beer Phone." The monks, who otherwise have taken a vow of silence, are allowed to speak on this special phone.
• The beer is unlabeled and sold only once a month, with a two-case limit per customer.
• Production is capped at 60,000 cases per year.

"They embrace scarcity as a necessary component of quality, thereby ensuring future value," writes McConnell. "Just as the Wii is a cult hit because it is an excellent product that's not easy to buy, so too with an unlabeled beer that's been religiously produced for 170 years."

Seth Godin comments on McConnell's post in his own blog: "By changing the way the product is created and distributed, they add a religious and spiritual element to the process (even if they weren't monks). Second, they're not trying to sell the most. That's critical."

Your Marketing Inspiration: Depending on the scope of your product or service, restricted availability might actually improve your image and your bottom line.

More Inspiration:
B.L. Ochman: Social Media Marketing: Who's the Real Deal?
Paul Williams: Toxophilite Guide to Innovation
Suzanne Lowe: I Should Hate David Maister

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