Assignment 15: Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2
These interviews were very helpful for me and opened my eyes in a new light. Some offered new ideas, and some asked important questions that needed to be addressed.
Interview 1: The first person I talked to loved the idea of the business. She asked me if cats were able to go too. I told her that they were, the service will most frequently be used by dogs, but cats are welcome too. However, I say that dogs are going to frequent the service most because most other animals are able to be left alone longer.
Interview 2: The second person I interviewed told me that I should also offer an hourly rate. Some people may only want to be on the mountain for a short period of time, so by offering hourly rates, it will help accommodate everyone. I like this idea because I think it is a great addition to the business, and it is not a huge change that will take much time to work in.
Interview 3: The third person that I interviewed asked if I was willing to expand on the idea if my first place was a success. I have not thought much about this because I have been focusing on the Snow Paws at Stratton. They also asked if I was going to run longer hours during holidays and certain busier weekends. This is a good question because in the beginning of the season, the mountain is not always that crowded. So, I may operate longer on weekends, than on week days. Also during holidays I would expand my hours by a couple hours to help meet the customer's needs. In the summer, I may only open on the weekends, since it is not very crowded during the week.
Reflection: After conducting many interviews, I have found that because my business is so specific, it has a smaller target market. I look at it in a good way because I haven't faced the problem of spreading myself too thin. Also, these interviews have all helped me gain insight on exactly what the customers would expect out of this service. My customers want a place in the Stratton Mountain Village that is open during the hours of the mountain and will take good care of their pets. After experience and interviews, I would only hire people who truly do love animals. I would like my employees to enjoy playing with the animals and taking care of them to ensure the best experience. They all have said that they have never seen a service like this one, so they do not have an alternate choice, unless they just choose to not use the service at all.
Interview 1: The first person I talked to loved the idea of the business. She asked me if cats were able to go too. I told her that they were, the service will most frequently be used by dogs, but cats are welcome too. However, I say that dogs are going to frequent the service most because most other animals are able to be left alone longer.
Interview 2: The second person I interviewed told me that I should also offer an hourly rate. Some people may only want to be on the mountain for a short period of time, so by offering hourly rates, it will help accommodate everyone. I like this idea because I think it is a great addition to the business, and it is not a huge change that will take much time to work in.
Interview 3: The third person that I interviewed asked if I was willing to expand on the idea if my first place was a success. I have not thought much about this because I have been focusing on the Snow Paws at Stratton. They also asked if I was going to run longer hours during holidays and certain busier weekends. This is a good question because in the beginning of the season, the mountain is not always that crowded. So, I may operate longer on weekends, than on week days. Also during holidays I would expand my hours by a couple hours to help meet the customer's needs. In the summer, I may only open on the weekends, since it is not very crowded during the week.
Reflection: After conducting many interviews, I have found that because my business is so specific, it has a smaller target market. I look at it in a good way because I haven't faced the problem of spreading myself too thin. Also, these interviews have all helped me gain insight on exactly what the customers would expect out of this service. My customers want a place in the Stratton Mountain Village that is open during the hours of the mountain and will take good care of their pets. After experience and interviews, I would only hire people who truly do love animals. I would like my employees to enjoy playing with the animals and taking care of them to ensure the best experience. They all have said that they have never seen a service like this one, so they do not have an alternate choice, unless they just choose to not use the service at all.
Hi Mads, I think the feedback you received in your interviews will be extremely helpful in understanding your target market. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said your business is so specific. While this is a pro in the sense that you can offer a niche service, it may be hard at first when you are trying to identify how to tailor your service to your unique audience. Answering questions like your holiday and weekend hours are great questions to ask and will bring you closer to figuring out your target market.
ReplyDeleteHi Mads, I like the feedback you got, because something I thought about as well with your business idea is offering hourly rates! If people love their animals so much that they would pay to take them on the mountain with them, then they would also probably want to have them to cuddle at night. I think it's great to talk to more and more people to narrow down your offering and tailor it to the targeted segment.
ReplyDeleteHi Madison,
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job with your interviews in order to generate feedback that will help you expand and make the optimal target market group. I like how with your interviews you were open to offering services for other animals besides jobs as that expands your market right there. I think that it is a great idea for your actual business to incorporate this idea to have workers who actually thrive for success.
Hey Madison! I really love the idea for an hourly rate for your business. I know that if I was going on a ski vacation and bringing my pet, the point of bringing them instead of leaving them at a daycare at home would be so I could spend time with them some hours of the day, especially if my hotel allowed pets. Additionally, I think focusing on dogs is definitely a better plan because they are more care intensive and cats can definitely be let alone for longer periods.
ReplyDelete