Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Ideas For Ac Offers/scheme..a Lil Urgent

Posted by Anonymous on1/20/2009 at 8:30 AM ET 125 Points
hi.. i have jus newly joined tihs site..looks interesting.. i need help to get some ideas for a product i am servicing for. i need some offers / schemes to sell AC's to the customers. well the AC is a Chinese brand.. (mentinoed just in case).. i am looking at selling split Ac's from 1ton to the max ton available in any brand. since summers are going to arrive(india), i want to make an exciting offer to sell AC's to my customers.. basically i will be executing an ad from the offer. but i want to avoid the combo offers ..AC plus sumthing free.. i have done all that.. now i am looking at something diff and innovative.. wel i do have in mind to do price offers like exlusive special price offer, i also thought of promoting the AC's in gyms and health care centres since AC is imp whn it comes to such places..bt rite now my mind seems to be blockd ..so plz if any one can help me.
thnx
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RESPONSES

  • Posted bySteve Mooreon1/21/2009 at 1:05 AM Accepted
    I am going to assume that your definition of scheme is different than mine. By my definition, a scheme is something underhanded and misleading to get what you want. Hopefully your definition of a scheme is synonymous with an idea or an offer, and not lying to your customers. That being said...

    I am not exactly sure what the market conditions and drivers are in India, but in America, the AC market is primarily driven by price, guarantees, and SEER rating. Most customers don't know one AC brand from the next. Many consumers still consider an AC system a commodity and think it is just a metal box that makes a bunch of noise and keeps them comfortable.

    Come up with a price that is based upon the quality of your installation, publicize and promote the importance of a quality install and how that relates to maximizing efficiency of the system, and create a guarantee that eliminates as much risk as possible from your customers. As with any question that deals with promotional/advertising ideas and offers, the positioning and target market of the company must be understood. Hopefully the above advice helps a little bit.
  • Posted on1/21/2009 at 3:53 AM Accepted
    May be you can come up with something called "Cool Consultancy" where you can ask the customers to call on a number and you can send a person in response to the customers call to his house and advice him on which model should he buy. Generally an AC buying customer is not aware of which model should he buy.... so a stereotype customer would go and buy a 1.5 ton ac without knowing his exact requirements. This exercise would help you build a strong brand.
  • Posted byJay Hamilton-Rothon1/21/2009 at 8:06 AM Accepted
    Offer the chance to pay their electricity bill for up to a year. That can be integrated with a scratch-off, and the scratcher would have prizes of: a day's electricity up to a year's.
  • Posted on1/21/2009 at 8:27 AM Member
    Tulsi - I think you should stick to one concept at a time. While you promote your brand thru a cool consultancy i dont advice you to give any freebies as that would be, i would say a cheap strategy or not a long term option for a new brand which going to be launched. Stick to one concept which can establish a brand identity. If you are an Indian you must knowing about brand Akai TV which always use d to give freebies and today it is nowhere. Same time look at Sony or any other leading brand they never offer anything they talk on different lines, they talk about quality, service, features etc.
  • Posted bySteve Mooreon1/21/2009 at 12:07 PM Member
    Tulsi-I definitely was not saying that an AC is just a metal box. Sorry if it came off that way. That was my attempt, based on my experience in the AC industry to break it down to what I believe many customers think. Keep in mind as well, that just because you think that AC brands have advanced passed that concept, it doesn't mean that your customers do. Just a thought.

    That being the case, I think you should focus more on what your company can give your customers as opposed to the brand or any special offer. Offers are great but they pose two problems. First, most AC contractors always go to the offer to create business. If everyone is offering something, the market becomes gimmicky because every contractor is trying to "out-offer" the other one. The second problem is that most customers believe that contractors are just going to build the discount back into the quoted price resulting in a zero gain for them.

    However, based upon Shyam's comments it seems as if the market in India is drastically different than that in the U.S. That stands to reason of course. I dont know of any AC contractor that would not send a sales person to a customers home to figure out the size and type of proper equipment before the sale. That is an integral part of the sales process.
  • Posted on1/21/2009 at 11:44 PM Member
    Hey Steve you got it right in India it doesnt work the US way. AC buying is more of a commodity buying which is impulse. Like i remember i ordered an AC for my house without even visiting any shop nor did any engineer came to my house. I mean i just visited the website of the company and selected the model myself based on my judgement and budget - gave a call to the dealer and by evening the unit was installed. Trust me even the dealer is not bothered here to waste his time on suggesting which model to buy during peak season as he is busy in selling rather than becoming a consultant.
  • Posted bySteve Mooreon1/22/2009 at 2:06 PM Member
    Shyam-Thanks for the info. Having spent a couple of years in the AC industry, I have some passion for it and was getting a little confused as how to help. Take care.
  • Posted on1/22/2009 at 11:16 PM Member
    Steve - Same is the case with me - the only difference is i am still with the cooling industry. So even i am as much interested in helping out and sharing more knowledge. Do let me know if you are in anyway still into the cooling or heating industry my official id is [Email address deleted by staff]. Take care !!
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