Marketing Think within Systems Thinking
Talking yesterday about batch sizes, reminded that I rarely talk of sDBR (Simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope, aka DBR-II). Eli Schragenheim and William Dettmer's great book, Manufacturing at Warp Speed, is always on top (or very near the top) of my desk.
While serving as Director of Manufacturing for a custom OEM motorcycle company implementing sDBR, I had a thought. I was driving in to work after my morning "think session" over coffee wondering where we could get more orders for bikes to build in the dead of winter.
Long story short, I pitched the owner on adding our dealers to our national magazine ads, if and only if, the dealer had a bike on the floor. Most dealers did not, as well, these were custom bikes built to the customer's tastes. Yet, it was a good idea to have one or more floor models to highlight the quality and that great look and sound of an American VTwin.
It worked. We ended up with enough orders to get us through a slow winter. Then it was time to build bikes for Daytona Beach Bike Week. Next thing we knew, the riding season was ready to break.
Marketing Think
For me, this is a simple exercise. Put one's self into the shoes of the customer. Our customer was the bike dealer. They could not afford to run full color, full page ads in American Iron Magazine. Many of them had talked themselves out of stocking one or more bikes, trying to save their way to success. Not going to happen.
What are you telling yourself?
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.ThroughputPress.com
(330) 432-3533
P.S. Need help? Call. In the motorcycle business? Then you need to talk with "Joe D." at Pro Riders Marketing. A significant part and parcel of my success with the OEM was due to Joe's dedication to his customer (me!)... Marketing Think to the Max! Thanks Joe.
tag: sDBR
Disclaimer: Joe D. is a client of Throughput Press.
(c)Copyright 2007, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey.
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