Re: [Digital BW] WAS: EAM or Enhanced EAM? NOW: 5-10% discount?
2002-12-17 by Editor P.O.V. Image Service
Stephen A. Tucker wrote: > > >>across the board discounts to our listmembers >>of 5-10% (with discounts from other vendors coming).. >> >> > >Keith, > >This is the first I've heard of this across the >board discount. Could you elaborate, please? > > > Well, it came out of some discussions Bill Gore (founder of the MacEPSON list) and I had.. Actual discussions, not e-mail ones.. When the Leben list collapsed many said to both of us that they missed a single place where they could get a good dose of "EPSON info" to feed their inkjet addiction.. There had been discussions by different vendors of running or expanding their own sponsored lists, but Bill and I, as well as many who wrote us, felt that a key attraction for a good list to serve as the central point would have to be its independence from those vendors.. Look at the Digital BW list. What makes it so successful is its independence and openness. Martin and Antonis offer opinions but aren't beholden to any particular vendor. Paul works hand in hand with MIS on much, but is objective. Jerry is in pursuit of the holy grail of a 2.0 dMa and will use whatever products get him there. Just as importantly, the x7x list, as many may remember grew directly out of one of those rare instances when Mitch DID censor his list.. Amidst the whole orange-shift debacle he also was reportedly looking for list sponsorship, not a great situation to be in when some rabble-rousers are hammering EPSONs flagship prosumer offering.. What that meant is when I established an alternative list, I decided to stay away from onlist advertising, and/or sponsorship. I committed to keeping the list non-commercial inasmuch as is possible for a list discussing consumer products can be, to ensure that we could always HOPE to be objective.. With the Leben list collapse there was a vacuum and many migrated to the x7x list and the Mac EPSON list. I wondered, would it be possible to keep the lists essentially independent and non-commercial, YET, give vendors the opportunity to reach a key portion of their target market? Was there some way, beyond simple announcements of new product offerings, that the vendors could express their support for all those list members who were so focused upon inkjets..? I thought about having vendors offer discounts to members, and ran it by the membership, it was their decision, if there had been any significant opposition it was a "no go." To my surprise I received,. I recall, only tow or three rather tepid objections and many comments of support for the idea. So, what we've done is established a folder in the files section (kept the files accessible ONLY to members) that contains actual discount coupons which people can submit by code with online orders, reference in phone orders, or e-mail with orders.. InkjetGoodies was the first to come on board, offering a 5% across the board discount. MIS Associates agreed to a 10% across-the-board discount (the only delay being I've had too many family problems with a hospitalized sibling to create the actual coupon), MediaStreet is offering a discount (I'm waiting for the actual figure and codes from Norm - but they offered the chip resetter at a 20% discount to our members at release), and we have had initial discussions with InkJetArt (more an issue of Royce and I both having time to really discuss this and possibly hash something out, than a lack of interest on either of our parts). The important thing is, beyond the individual item price discounts (like the resetter), these discounts are across-the-board. They cover Canon, EPSON, HP, products, whatever. They are offered to members of the x7x List, the Mac EPSON list, as well as the newer: "HP-inkjet" list, "Canon-printers" list, "Lexmark-inkjet" list, and "ink-jet" list.. (the codes for the discount do differ from list to list, so that vendors know which lists are most worthwhile in providing sales of which items.. This means any member can choose to avail themselves of these discounts and protect their privacy independently, without us ever having to give out the e-mail addresses, etc. of our list members.. Only those who want to take advantage of the discounts need do so.. I don't know who those users are, it's between them and the vendor alone... That keeps me from having any potential fiscal interest in in shielding the privacy of our members any less zealously than I have in past.. Also, it's easy to subscribe to the list anc choose "web only" reading of the posts, if all someone wants is the discount. My hope is that in giving our uses/members (including myself ) more than just information, the list becomes more valuable, and that with the discounts LARGE users will find belonging to the list and perhaps once in awhile imparting their vast knowledge and experience to the more everyday list users, like myself, worth their time and effort.. All in all, I think this structure allows vendors to announce new products, offer discounts to an important customer base, and keep the market niche growing, while keeping the list essentially independent. If anyone has suggestions or tweaks they think might help, I, and all the other listmembers are willing to listen.. One thing I am considering of late is establishing a folder containing the current mailers/flyers from RedRiver, InkJetArt, InkJetGoodies, MIS, and MediaStreet, etc.. That would allow people to read the flyers and choose to buy or not WITHOUT having to subscribe to the vendor's mailing list FIRST and give up their privacy... Keith "Just some guy," and founder of the Multiverse's largest EPSON printer User Community (highly recommended by Vogon Poets and MegaDodo Publications), at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EPSONx7x_Printers/ "For the rest of you out there, the secret is to bang the rocks together guys" [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]