A few things arise from the past few days' postings.
Peter - thanks for mentioning the "sling-shot" back-pack. It seemed a neat idea and helps to hear how effective it is in the field.
Colin - "down there for dancing"
Be careful, dancing can lead to sex!
Gilbert - yes I used to scan the refurbished Hassy gear web page regularly. I believe it was a Hasselblad USA initiative. Shame it disappeared as you say.
Marc - With regard to Hasselblad's need for a genuine customer focus; IMHO it is critical that they select and support channel partners (dealres etc) whose attributes match that customer focus - just like your own experience and relationship with the dealer you buy from.
In my consulting practice, we refer to customers wants as being of 2 types - needs and expectations. These 2 are very different things, and it is when manufacturers and service providers understand that distinction, that they become TRULY customer focused.
Firstly, needs are the "not negotiable" factors customers seek. As an illustration; when buying a car a potential customer is initially seeking attributes like 4 doors, 5 star safety, 3 year warranty, air-con, leather seats, etc etc……..and no car is on his shopping list unless these are 100% satisfied.
Secondly, expectations are more complex. The customer has brand images and marketing elements in his head that set certain expectations that he wants fulfilled. Manufacturers and even their customers and market-place perceptions set these expectations. In the car ex&le these may be: outstanding fit and finish / engineering; performance beyond getting him from a to b and other more experiential elements.
So, when he goes to buy a car his experience in the show-room from the moment he steps inside begins to send message to him about his expectations: how he is greeted; the characteristics of the sales person; the sales process he go through; his sense of the dealerships/brand's attitudes; how the car is presented to him ……..the list goes on.
In Oz, BMW and Porsche began hiring university graduates as sales staff, rather than continuing to hire low educated fast talkers - why? Because their potential buyers have a profile that connects better with these type of sales staff (yes they still must have sales skills).
Then of course there is the customer experience life-cycle - what happens after he buys and becomes a customer - the things that clash or fit with those expectations - servicing of the car; facilities offered…. That list goes on. That part of the customer's life cycle has enormous impact on the customers' re-buy rate; defection rate; long term customer value…….the chances he will buy the next car from the same manufacture as well as the same dealer.
Customer life cycle value is not well understood by many large companies - self-serving cost cutting often adversely affects the customers' long term value. In work we did with 1 major European car manufacturer here (as a concept trial) has become their world-wide model. The man buying a $40k car is not a $40k customer - he may potentially be a $240k customer - more than 1 car; servicing; tyres; repairs etc etc. The margin on new cars is horribly low across the inductry - the real profit lies in the other services and products the dealer sells.
The banks know now that they need to retain a new home loan customer x number of years to make a full contribution margin. BUT, it is the post home loan deal transactional relationship that kills the relationship early - seeing customers on average switch home loans well inside the 10 year mark!
I really doubt that companies like Hasselblad truly understand this and manage their product strategies (development, pricing, support etc); nor do they actively manage their channels according to this.
Marc correctly pointed out the STUPIDITY of Canon's "pro-customer" program, which requires us to give them details of our business in addition to owning a minimum quantity of pro-cameras and L series lenses. How STUPID - I am not a pro but I own a pro-body and 3 L series lenses. But I did not qualify. So I get their message - the are not interested in "customer value" just professional labels!
Colin and Marc discussed the issue of "entry level products" - a VIP product strategy. These are not just about discounting for some class of customer. It should be an integrated part of the product life-cycle. To illustrate my point I refer to the CFV - 16MP digital capture. Now that it is beginning to get close to repaying R&D and tooling investments (IMHO it must be somewhere near that, but I'm sure you'll get my point anyway), this product SHOULD be ripe for an "entry level" status. It should be price-pointed accordingly maybe even in bundled arrangements enabling students and committed amateurs to get on board the digi-MF-train!
And as a part of a true product strategy the timing of the "entry-level" price-pointing should be matched by the release of the CFV v2, say a 22MP version and the product cycle continues on.
I'm sure some will think the CFV is already an "entry level" digi-MF product; maybe theoretically it is due to its comparative cost to the H series digi-backs. BUT, that is NOT a true entry level product / approach IMHO. The actual effective "entry-level" price-point will typically be well below that necessary to return a contribution margin necessary in the first years of its life-cycle (I don't know what Hasselblad uses as it number of years for R&D / tooling pay-back period). I am sure market research would prove that the price-point necessary for "entry-level" volume sales in the serious amateur market segment would be much lower - maybe $5k or less. Clever companies find a relevant benchmark as a guide. Maybe a quality full frame 35mm DSLR is the price point benchmark! Whatever, the conceptual point remains.
So while the likes of Hasselblad have resorted to downsizing to survive; they'd do well to apply much cleverer intellectual rigour to their business. Sadly companies like Hasselblad, Leica and many many others with excellent brands, are product and manufacturing focused and often forget their reason for being in business in the first place - they need customers to buy their products!
