Marketing Question...

[Glenn B]

So, I have been thinking (shhh, don't tell anybody!) and I want to hear what my fellow Jeepers have to say....

Say a NAXJA Member has a business, and offers a good product at a reasonable price, with great support........

Would you be more inclined to pay the same or a little more for said product, and support a fellow enthusiast, or are you just looking for the "bottom of the barrel" pricing?

Just curious as to what the feelings are here lately. Since we have grown from a small cozy group in to a large annonymous group, do we still try to help each other? Or is lowest cost the most important?

The reason I am interested, is that some prices I will not even attempt to beat. Just not worth it. So, if price is the big thing, I need to know.

Now, if quality and support of the product is equally important, I would like to know that too.

Please take a minute to post a response, or at least vote in the poll.
Glenn

[Rob Patterson]

Glenn,
Tough question, at least for me. What is important for me depends on what I am buying and from where.

If I am buying a complex item and/or from a local vendor, then service is a priority. For example, I wanted service when I bought my Linc-Arc welder. It is too complex for me to easily fix and I am not an electronics wizard. Also, in the past I got gear and differential work done at a good local shop. I figured most problems would occur relatively soon. So I want a good local shop that stands by their work.

If it is a simple part or widely distributed part, then I want the lowest price. Since RE lifts are widely sold and distributed and well tested, I want the lowest price that a vender can give me. My only concern is that I get all the correct parts. After that, if something breaks, I will fix it on my own or seek a better replacement part, or even make my own part.

I hope that helps.

[CheapXJ]

I always go for the Cheapest possible solution for which the consequences of the cheapness are tolerable.

[5-90]

I have said it here (and other places) before, and I'll say it again - I will not hesitate to spend money on something when I know I'm getting my money's worth - provided I have the cash in the first place. Doing it cheap = doing it twice.

High cost is relative - if mass-production can retain excellent quality, then price should come down as a result. If it cannot be done, make sure everyone knows what you are doing and why, and you will have an easier time selling it. Be honest, and be direct.

Second option is "Fair Price & Quality Support" - if something goes wrong, I don't want any trouble getting it made right. Ideally, I don't want anything to go wrong in the first place. If you are going to go to the trouble to test, retest, and lock Murphy in a closet, I am willing to pay for it...

5-90

[Glenn B]

OK, so lets take this away from manufacturing for a moment... and to the service industry... for instance Web Hosting.....

Other than you want it to work 24/7 within reason, and somebody to respond by e-mail in a fashionable time... and a phone number to call if the **it hits the fan....

You have choice A: a non Jeeper
You have choice B: a Jeeper

Same product... similar pricing. Whaddaya choose?

[GSequoia]

For web hosting I will pay a bit extra for support. I don't like having to send only an e-mail in (such as a lot of them are), and if you actually TALK to the people you get charged. Grrr! (My host is like that)

As for Jeep or Non-Jeep, if I'm getting the same thing for close pricing I'd buy from the Jeeper.

[Ivan]

Product quality along with customer service are my top criteria. The tie breaker would be price. Low price means squat if you sell an inferior product with good service, or a good product with inferior service.

Best example I can think of is Dirk at DPG... outstanding customer service, great products (RE, JKS, etc) and the kicker is great price. That to me gets my dollar.... Others may sell the same products that Dirk does; and even sometimes even a couple bucks cheaper, but his support is above the rest....

Ivan

[5-90]

Call & talk to Jeeper vice non-jeeper? No question there - I'd sooner talk to the Jeeper. It's the same sort of think as farming out phone support centres to India - what's the point? I want to talk to someone who A) speaks English and B) knows what the Hell they're about. If I'm having trouble with something, I don't want to spend the first half-hour making myself understood, and the next hour trying to explain the fault so THEY can come to the same conclusion I did, and then another half hour or so waiting for them to look something up and get it wrong (yes, that's happened to me before...)

The guy with better support gets my bucks.

5-90

[MuddyXJ]

I am going to be in the market for another web hosting company soon for my online store. What you got for me? Glenn if yu want to see my modest site go to www.lilypadgiftshoppe.com and tell me we can make a deal. I will be needing some more work on the site soon and adding some more things. Let's talk.

[JnJ]

I guess for me it depends. If your talking a hard part, I'd say good quality with good service. For a service (like web stuff) I'm more willing to put up with weaker support as long as I get a really good price.

[Hunter-Lynchburg,Va]

i use to buy less expensive stuff w/ lifetime warranty(springs, etc..) after the springs sagged and died, and the customer service began to suck i said to hell with it and replaced all my junk with quality stuff. i wish i would have bought the quality stuff in the beginning. in fact now i have a connection to get the quality stuff for a better price than the less expensive junk i initially owned. i found out that in most cases a lifetime warranty is a sales pitch or a statement of quality. a product that has good qulaity will also have good customer service to back it up, you should recognize this before you ever own it.

Hunter

[macgyvr]

A wheelin buddy of mine says he's too poor to buy cheap...

so he gets pretty much what he think is the best so he wont have to buy it again.

me, i'm pretty cheap, i'll pay a little more for good service, but get to pricey and I'm out, hell i'm on my third D30 and they are so cheap I just keep swappin axles....

mac 'once traded a d30 for parts' gyvr

[Beezil]

I would ask that guy who formed the latest liberty petition....

he sounded like he had a good understanding about marketing and business.

[JnJ]

BAHAHAHAHA Beez you kill me!

[Bent]

Never confuse price with dolar value.

[Bent]

!#$#*@#! I'ts spelled D O L L A R.

[Bent]

I give up. The hardest part of being an idiot, is keeping it a secret.

[Glenn B]

just say "$"

:)

[RichP]

From being in the business I run into this constantly, I compete against dell, HP, Gateway and all the other cheapos out there. I give top notch support, very top notch support up to and including going out after 9pm on a service call, every other month cleaning of systems in dirty environments [usually on a friday nite or sat]. The customers I have won't even look at one of the 'gang of seven' offerings just because I'm around the corner and support unconditionally systems I have built, plus I will take the time to educate them in safe surfing. It does drive me crazy when a prospective customer makes a bad decision and goes with one of those mail order houses and then wants me to support them which I do only at full rate.
I think I would deal with person who is part of the jeep community provided the service was in the general ballpark [+-20%] of others offerings...