Findings of "Market-Watch" Study No. 1
Initiated: September 4th, 1961
Synopsis
To provide a roadmap for strategic planners at Bogliq USA Ltd. that will aid in the development products, policies and marketing that satisfy customer’s needs and wants.
Research Scope
Identify blind spots in vehicle design, manufacture and sales due to entrenched inequality, haphazard processes and imperfect assumptions.
Vehicle Design
Product designers need to conceptualise the end result before putting pencil to paper. They need to ask a number of questions and conduct some research within the target demographic. Some example questions that require answers are:
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Who is the target market? Researchers need to source the input of target users of the product, in order to maximise the attractiveness of that product. This will have flow on benefits for marketing, customer satisfaction and brand image.
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What is the competition doing? Competitor’s products and marketing need to be monitored, with monthly reports being supplied to the design team, so that they’re aware of their tactics and strategy. While direct copying of designs and concepts should be avoided, there is a lot of free research available on market preferences and tastes if you keep an eye on the competition.
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What is the purpose of this design? This would be the most important question of all and is multi-faceted in its answer. Some cars just don’t need to exist. Trying to out-impress the competition based solely on performance figures, purchase price or litres per kilometre is a highway to failure and, ultimately, bankruptcy. This doesn’t preclude the use of concept cars, internal development mules or niche vehicles, rather, it is a check against corporate hubris. Niche designs are valuable for customer choice, as are variants on existing designs, but too much choice will paralyse buyers. It’s important to reduce complexity in options for mainstream buyers while leaving an option for motivated buyers to get exactly what they want. Therefore it is important to determine how to best serve the market; via a unique niche vehicle or provide a variant of an existing product that could achieve close to the same result.
Manufacture
Buiilding cars is hard. A substantial amount of human, material and financial resources are required, just for entry to the car building club, with no guarantee of any positive return on that investment. Therefore it is important to streamline supply chains, wherever possible, to minimise the risks and maximise the returns. This needs to be tailored to the material being sourced so that Bogliq USA Ltd. can improve their corporate image without cognitive dissonance.
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Raw materials such as steel, plastics and fabrics should be sourced from regional suppliers, where possible, with a view towards supporting US communities. While multi-national corporations can supply at a cheaper rate per unit, the jobs get outsourced which reduces the spending power of US consumers. Knowing that Bogliq supports communities and buys local should also improve sales within those communities.
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Bogliq needs to implement a new management model incorporating human resources, which we’ll refer to as HR, to better manage the needs and challenges of Bogliq’s workers and management. This department will be responsible for efficient and effective staff facilities, improving the hiring methodology to maximise staff quality and provide a framework for support services, such as counselling. Workers are needed to make Bogliq’s and management is needed to ensure there’s a reason to make them. Keep all the staff content and decently paid then quality will improve, customers will be happy and Bogliq will be well regarded by all.
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Since all the staff are also, in a sense, owners then great care needs to be taken to ensure that finances are being spent wisely. Care needs to be taken to vet all expenditure appropriate to it’s level. This is to ensure that both “white elephants” and “pork barrelling” are avoided at all costs. Departments need to ensure that finances are not being used for empire building and that efficiencies are implemented whenever they make sense; no-one loses their job unless their position is redundant, or they’re found to be incompetent.
Sales
With the removal of sales middlemen from the car buying equation, Bogliq outlets need to re-think how they interact with prospective customers. There are a number of strategies in which Bogliq USA can improve the car buying experience for all involved.
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Staff are to be trained to be attentive and helpful to customers and provide any information they need on the Bogliq range. There will be a rotating selection of display cars and they need to be able to effectively display that cars features without disparaging competitor products. It’s fine to say “the Bettong has more bootspace than rivals” but no more “Ardent sux” bullcrap!
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For customers who want to road test our product, Bogliq should provide the use of a demonstrator car in equivalent spec to the customer. This would last about 24 hours. If the customer wants to leave a refundable deposit, then the demonstrator can be loaned out for a week.
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Instead of maintaining a large volume of mechanics and service staff, Bogliq outlets will sell “service packages” that give the customer greater flexibility. A basic “parts only” package, containing only spare parts and relevant oils, will allow customers to maintain their own cars, either at home or with their favourite mechanic, rather than be tied down to the dealership. Warranty work and diagnosis will be conducted at the Bogliq outlet to ensure correct recognition and rectification of any quality control issues that arise.
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Customers will be encouraged to sell their used car privately, this is because used car sales is seen as shonky and can really detract from Bogliq’s brand image. Customers will also be secure in knowing that their purchase price is non-negotiable. Sales events will happen but, by taking out haggling, the sales experience will be much enhanced if Bogliq just sells the cars without trying to fleece the customer.
Final Notes
Bogliq USA is on the cusp of a market shattering breakthrough. By putting people first and pricing in all hidden factors, Bogliq USA will ensure it’s relevance and survival long term, without killing the consumers that ensure that survival; think of it as a symbiotic, rather than a parasitic, relationship with society.
Yosef Stern
Senior Partner
Stern, Melamed and Sons
) but they were mollified by making detail improvements to the Anhultz built versions, such as galvanisation of the chassis and stuffing every conceivably feasible engine option under the hood. It was no exaggeration to say that the Dione buyer was spoilt for choice; with two and four door sedan, two and four door wagon plus utility and van versions! But when you combine this smorgasbord of body styles with a choice of an inline four, two inline sixes and three vee eights then, well, you’d be hard pressed to find two cars sharing the same specifications…
