Quote:
Originally Posted by bullitt5897
My Recommendations to the new owners:
-Whether you like my opinion or advice here is a list of some simple steps to fix the problems you are facing and will face in this uphill battle to gain market share:
Step 1: Work with Sam to consolidate the list of Debts owed to customers. Offer a product for forgiveness of debt. Current Retail value of product to cover debt owed (and in the case like the OP cover the kit as your costs are not that high for the kits being made). This will gain you a forward step in the community and probably get your ban lifted.
Step 2: Keep your product offerings limited while you are in this start up phase. One of the problems GTM had was a wide and deep product line but only being able to deliver on a narrow and shallow product depth.
Step 3: bring your work in house! Bring your casting Stateside! If Other companies can do it at a lower price point so can you! This means you will have to invest into your market and not be a fly by night operation... Lower profits but more kits sold. The way this market works is by quantity and quality of kits.
Step 4: Invest into targeted technologies that are relatively low cost but reduce your overall production costs. The orbital welder is a perfect example! Instead of outsourcing your welding and paying a premium spend the $20-$50k and be able to have perfect pipes that a customer is willing to pay a premium for! I know I for one would have paid an additional $500 for orbital welds on all my piping! Even at that pricing you break even within your first 100 kits sold!
Step 5: Offer an upgrade path on the current designs! V3 Manifold upgrades for all those with the current V2 manifolds. for those with warranty issues offer a low cost solution to upgrade. Make sure to cover your costs but at the same time not break the customers bank!
Step 6: Hire a marketing manager that can present your company! A face of the business that people can trust! Keep clear and open communication and always always tell the truth! If something is going to be late or their is a complication the customer wants to know about it! You would be surprised how flexible most customers are given clear and proper communication.
Step 7: Choose 1 of the 2 -
Choice 1 - Be a performance shop and take in builds
or
Choice 2 - Be a manufacturer and utilize your own cars for test beds... nobody wants to give up their car for years to be a test dummy!
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Honestly having those couple ideas that bullitt put out there, in his novel, it would work for GAMMA. Being able to provide incentives to the customer to keep them for GTM's mistakes but also in the long run making their sale out of it and keeping a customer happy and coming back to their company. They look like the good guys if they do these steps in a customer service friendly and efficient manner.
I'm not saying that what previously happened before to many customers wasn't wrong, because it was, but at least there is an option of fixing right now through GAMMA (although not customer friendly) even though the price has been raised. Maybe their product in general is more expensive than GTM's was due to the quality of the parts. Maybe how they are working the numbers already could be giving you a great deal in regards to their not even having to deal with many of you because they are not legally liable. If anyone isn't happy with GAMMA's new procedure's (if they do not take some of bullitt's recommendations into though), I do know there is a Small Claims Lawsuit being started against Sam. Go ahead and sign up and try to get your money back from Sam. Chances are at that point he would declare bankruptcy depending on what costs for payout and what he has available.
Can't complain about what reality is right now.