Are Louis Vuitton purses really worth the money?
When you're trying to decide whether or not something is a good purchase, you need to assess that product's value.
And, no. I don't mean you need to estimate the street value of the materials used to make Louis Vuitton purses. Value is relative.
When making a sizable purchase, you can assess value by determining how buying that product will affect your financial standing.
Are you putting Lois Vuitton purses on a credit card?
Will you have to postpone the family vacation?
After spending thousands of dollars on a purse, will you have anything left to keep in it?
What are you Willing to Sacrifice for Louis Vuitton Purses?
If you have to make a sacrifice in order to buy something, you obviously can't really afford that item. In this instance, you have to decide whether or not the Louis purse is worth the resulting financial headache.This is exactly what I mean when I say “value is relative”. The value of a product is relative to the toll it takes on the consumer.
If you're affluent enough to drop mad crazy cash on Luis Vuitton purses, then by all means go for it. Unfortunately, this isn't a luxury most people have. If you're like most people, spending thousands of dollars on a product out of your price range would lead to a few sleepless nights.
So how does the average person go about buying Louis Vuitton purses without sacrificing sleep or a family vacation?
I recently took my amazing wife out for some afternoon shopping at the Galleria. While we were doing our thing at the mall, Mrs. Tam decided to pay the Louis Vuitton store a visit. Needles to say, she left that store with a designer bag in hand and a smile on her face.
Knowing how expensive Louis Vuitton purses are, my marketing mind started moving a million miles a minute….
Tons of different purses are sold at the Galleria mall. Why Louis Vuitton?
AND at what point did it become acceptable to spend thousands of dollars on a purse? At what point does that value translate to money?
After I thought about this more, I applied this thinking to my professional life. I actually get this all the time.
“Lawrence, why would someone pay you $25,000 for coaching?” Well, the answer is simple. It's a transfer of value.
I have the stones to place on a $25,000 price tag on my training because I am positive that my insight provides significant value. Value that can be absorbed and used to make far more than a measly $25 grand.
Obviously, Louis Vuitton felt like they had enough value to offer my wife, and plenty of other customers, in exchange for money. In other words, the company feels that their Louis Vuitton purses are valuable enough to slap a multi-thousand price-tag on. Considering the company's success, it's hard to argue with their business model.
Behind every action is some form of motivation. If you're looking for ways to make money on the internet, there is obviously a reason for it. Being fortunate enough to spend my afternoons shopping for luxurious items with my wife is one of my reasons. If I were still an engineer, there's just no way my wife would have walked out of the Galleria with a Louis Vuitton purse in hand.
When I was working as an engineer, buying expensive things didn't come without sacrifice. Buying my wife Louis Vuitton purses with my old income would have required us to cut back on vacations and going out.
Back when I was making a lot less money, I never would have thought trading thousands of dollars for a purse was a fair exchange of value. I didn't think any material item was worth sacrificing vacations with the kids or going out with friends.
Keep in mind that I still don't think it's worth it….
I just don't have the obligation of choosing between the two.
Are Louis Vuitton Purses Worth their Price-Tag? That's For YOU to Decide
Here's a perfect example of value being relative.
When my wife and I were in the Louis Vuitton store, there was another guy in there perusing expensive bags as well. Judging from the obvious context clues, I could tell that this guy was a Direct TV agent. He ended up spending $2,000 on a purse. Did he really think that was a fair exchange of value?
How does someone working a normal job pay that much money for a purse? Let's be honest for a second, guys. A purse is just a bag to carry stuff in at the end of the day. How can guy with an average income afford to go this far above and beyond the average retail price of a purse?
Just like any other profession, a Direct TV agent provides value and is willing to exchange that value for an income. This man was obviously aware of how expensive Louis Vuitton purses are. He's also aware of how much income he brings in.
Keep in mind that no one was holding a gun to his head and forcing him to buy a bag. This consumer, hopefully after a considerable amount of thinking, determined that this would be a beneficial purchase in some way or another. While he was clearly willing to throw down some hard earned cash on a bag, did he really do a good job of assessing value?
I continue to hammer home the fact that value is relevant. To me, assessing the value of something is more than just determining whether or not I can survive until payday.
Before making a sizable purchase, you have to think to yourself…
… “What will this product do for me in the long run? Will this product improve MY value?”
Louis Vuitton Purses and the Power of Leverage
I, admittedly, do not have too much experience in purse evaluation. But as an entrepreneur I can see how the sale of Louis Vuitton purses relates to my business. Providing value will always be a profitable practice
What I'm about to say applies to professionals in all fields of employment.
If you have a boss in any capacity, your employer is making more money than they are paying you. It”s that simple. This pretty much means that you are worth more than you are being paid. The difference is that you personally lack the leverage that an established business possesses. Therefore, your employer's position of authority allows them to low ball you. But what if it were possible to acquire this leverage?
Leverage is a incredibly potent weapon in the business realm. This is the exact weapon that allows Louis Vuitton to sell incredibly expensive purses.
Sure. The man I mentioned earlier may truly believe that using a sizable chunk of his income to buy a bag is reasonable. That's fine. He and I don't value the same things. We'll agree to disagree on this one.
In my mind, time is our most valuable asset. The more freedom you have, the more rewarding your time is. Trading your precious time for a less than stellar paycheck is no way to live.
Being affluent enough to buy Louis Vuitton purses is great. That being said, not having to work is far more rewarding. In the professional world, your assumed value is expressed in your salary or hourly wage. As an entrepreneur, I'm constantly learning and gaining personal value. This consistent self- improvement translates directly into money in the bank.
Climbing the ranks towards wealth in the corporate world is a difficult process that requires obligatory water cooler chats and office politics. The path to success as an entrepreneur in my industry is a much clearer one: Consistently focus on increasing your personal value. Doing so will provide you with the leverage necessary to get paid like you deserve.
An individual's attitude and mindset is almost always a reflection of the people they choose to socialize with. If you're constantly socializing with affluent people who can spend thousands on a hand bag without losing a wink of sleep, you'll start to understand that obtaining money isn't as difficult as it's made out to be.
It is always better to spend your money on products and services that provide you with personal value. Cultivating talents and acquiring skills are great ways to allocate your funds. This sort of transaction is an investment as opposed to a purchase. Consistently adding this personal value will allow you to say “goodbye” to the traditional job market and “hello” to Louis Vuitton Purses.
Working for an employer is old school. Traditional employees work traditional hours and are paid traditional salaries By learning marketable skills, you can establish your own stream of income. Your value and personal efforts alone dictate your earning potential.
If you want to learn more about how I can afford to spend my afternoons buying Louis Vuitton purses with my wife, click below.
4 Comments
Cheryl Sameit · January 5, 2015 at 9:41 am
This summed it all up for me: “I just don’t have the obligation of choosing between the two.” Boom! Great article!
Lawrence Tam · January 6, 2015 at 11:02 pm
dang skippy!
Lucy · December 5, 2014 at 9:29 pm
Thanks for the article . I was determining whether Louis Vuitton bag is worth or not as I had surplus money. Now I have decided not to, and that value is relative. I could possibly save up thousands on dollars for my sons education or pay for our house
Ben Brilliant · December 28, 2012 at 2:18 pm
Lawrence this was a great article pointing out how value justifies the purchasing of expensive luxury items such as Loui Bags. My first awakening to this was the first time I drove a 100k car(Mercedes s550).
After that experience it never felt right driving anything else. Because now I appreciate the 1000 of differences you feel driving a luxury vehicle. Especially some of the small touches. It goes back to the old adage “you get what you pay for” and definitely this applies to acquiring quality training in business and success.