How do you sell something very expensive to Ultra-High Net Worth consumers?

You don’t.

Through all of the compelling content presented at the 2014 Luxury Society gathering in NYC last week, which focused on Understanding the UHNW Consumer, one point rang out: when marketing to the UHNW target, stay out of the sales mode.

Speaker after speaker from a variety of industries — media, hospitality, real estate and marketing — presented and suggested tactics and methodologies for understanding the mindset of this sought-after and elusive prey.

We know that they have the money. They’re worth an average of US $139 million with $35 million in liquid assets. We know that they are 58 years old, mostly self-made and they have two children. The good folks at Wealth-X reinforced those numbers as part of their keynote address.

They are entrepreneurs who made their money in finance, real estate and manufacturing and they spend the bulk of it on art, aviation, and yachting.

We can overlay our own knowledge of UHNWIs, and tell you that they are not brand loyal, or even brand-interested! They crave the experiences and craftsmanship that their wealth can provide to them — and only them.

That said, UHNWIs are constantly being sold to, pitched to, solicited, coerced, begged, and badgered to buy, donate and fund a hundred products, “opportunities” and causes every week of their lives. They crave the opportunity to have a truly bespoke experience.

Given this constant barrage, outreach to these individuals demands a personal connection. When it comes to marketing to the UHNWI, Luxury Brands & Marketing Director for Arjo Wiggins, Christophe Balaresque, put it perfectly:

There is no more B2B or B2C. It’s H2H: Human to Human.

One-to-one exclusive experiences are what draw the UHNWI in from the constant noise below, and your marketing strategy must do the same.

And, if you own or lead a company that is trying to reach this elusive audience, it better be YOU making the connection between that target and your product. They deal with the very top. Nothing less.

These are just a few over-arching takeaways, but powerful ones all the same, and advice that no UHNW marketer should ignore – or forget.