The Chairman
Chairman of the Board
Hey all...
Welcome to a new way of finding customers! Since this is a fairly new concept I thought I would start a discussion about the best way to promote your business without being accused of spamming the boards.
So, why have this discussion??? We have 27,000 potential buyers and even more guests who look and read, but never register. Unfortunately, many of our users see ANY commercial post as "bad". Even though this great country was founded in free enterprise, they HATE anything that even smells a little bit commercial. Consequently, how you present yourself is very important in what kind of impression you will make among them. Since I have probably spent more time here than most of you, please allow me to help you make a GREAT impression.
First off... be a helpful user! Larry from ScubaToys has this down PAT. We hardly EVER get complaints about him and he plugs his business relentlessly. BUT, he does it by helping others out more. There are a ton of questions being asked... about what is "best" and can this work? You are the perfect people to answer these questions! Only keep your commercial interests low key. Don't always point to YOUR product or service as being the best, but answer a general question with a general answer.
IE, "What is the best BC? Back inflate or vest?" The most natural answer would be "Take a look at MY line". MISTAKE! A better answer would be ONLY about the two TYPES of BCs. List the benies of a back inflate against the benies of a jacket PC. DON'T even mention your product. Maybe describe to the newbie who uses each type, etc etc.
The key is being subtle and not DIRECT. Make SURE your affiliation and contact information is in your signature line (keep it to three lines please). So, when you help that user, they will see who helped them and your affiliation. SO WILL THE OTHER 27,000+ MEMBERS ON OUR BOARD. This kind of positive goodwill will do you a great service.
The second key is consistency over time... don't expect to win the hearts and minds of everyone over night. Larry, FredT and others have been on a while. It might take three four months of helping to really see a difference. How will this affect your bottom line? Well that is ENTIRELY up to you! What you talk about and how your present yourself will determine just who you win over to your product or service!
Another key is your temperament in the face of criticism... even unfair criticism. DON'T LASH BACK! That's the natural tendency and it's perfectly WRONG. If it's slanderous or flaming anyone (including you and your company) hit the "REPORT THIS POST TO A MODERATOR" button and PM or E-mail me directly. My e-mail is NetDoc@ScubaBoard.com (go figure) and if it is truly bad, call me at (407) 509-0947. We don't allow insults or flames on the board. In fact, I have deleted MANY of them directed at manufacturers and their reps already. I want ScubaBoard to be business friendly as well as user friendly.
If it's a legitimate complaint or a misunderstanding, then work with them politely. There is no need to question their motivations or lineage. Resolving their problem ON LINE only shows that you are a responsive company and EASILY accessible which is what consumers want. This is especially good if the issue is one of consumer ignorance. Patience and kindness in dealing with them will provide you accolades, AND you may be solving the same problem other users are having with your product. There are many divers who will "make do" rather than complain. Hey, I'm one of them. My inflator valve on my new BC has always leaked... I never went for service on it. I just replaced it with a different kind of valve. Other divers notice it too and ask about it. I'm sure that this doesn't build good will for that equipment.
You are going to get poor reports on your equipment or services from time to time that have no obvious solutions. The obvious here is someone using a jacket BC for a DIR-f course. There is simply NO WAY that this is appropriate. You need to accept this and find your REAL market. Look at the most respected divers on our board and see IF they use your products. Defer to their "expertise" if they do! It's one thing to say your mask is great... but even better to say "Hey, CBulla uses my mask so you might want to ask HIM (or HER) how they like it." It might be even worth sending them a new mask to cement that bond! I will start a fresh "What Equipment do you use" thread so you can look and see who dives with what.
About DIR divers Do not be surprised if they reject you and your equipment. As much as they decry it, they are pretty much a "closed shop". The chances of getting them to endorse your equipment are slim. You should NOT suggest any of your equipment (or services) in their forum unless you know for a fact that it meets their criteria. It is FAR better to let them alone. You don't need the negative publicity that can ensue.
About the TOS as many have found out (and sometimes a post too late), you can NOT initiate a thread about your product or service in the open forum! You can and should respond to all questions or comments that users make in that thread. But you cant start threads just to promote your product or service, EXCEPT for once a week in the Scuba Market Place. Do not post the same thing over and over again either! We call either of these actions SPAM and will deal with it as we see it.
So please if you have ANY questions or observations, please voice them right here. Only businesses are allowed into this forum, and hopefully we will respect the privacy we have back here. IOW, please let what is said back here STAY back here.
Welcome to a new way of finding customers! Since this is a fairly new concept I thought I would start a discussion about the best way to promote your business without being accused of spamming the boards.
So, why have this discussion??? We have 27,000 potential buyers and even more guests who look and read, but never register. Unfortunately, many of our users see ANY commercial post as "bad". Even though this great country was founded in free enterprise, they HATE anything that even smells a little bit commercial. Consequently, how you present yourself is very important in what kind of impression you will make among them. Since I have probably spent more time here than most of you, please allow me to help you make a GREAT impression.
First off... be a helpful user! Larry from ScubaToys has this down PAT. We hardly EVER get complaints about him and he plugs his business relentlessly. BUT, he does it by helping others out more. There are a ton of questions being asked... about what is "best" and can this work? You are the perfect people to answer these questions! Only keep your commercial interests low key. Don't always point to YOUR product or service as being the best, but answer a general question with a general answer.
IE, "What is the best BC? Back inflate or vest?" The most natural answer would be "Take a look at MY line". MISTAKE! A better answer would be ONLY about the two TYPES of BCs. List the benies of a back inflate against the benies of a jacket PC. DON'T even mention your product. Maybe describe to the newbie who uses each type, etc etc.
The key is being subtle and not DIRECT. Make SURE your affiliation and contact information is in your signature line (keep it to three lines please). So, when you help that user, they will see who helped them and your affiliation. SO WILL THE OTHER 27,000+ MEMBERS ON OUR BOARD. This kind of positive goodwill will do you a great service.
The second key is consistency over time... don't expect to win the hearts and minds of everyone over night. Larry, FredT and others have been on a while. It might take three four months of helping to really see a difference. How will this affect your bottom line? Well that is ENTIRELY up to you! What you talk about and how your present yourself will determine just who you win over to your product or service!
Another key is your temperament in the face of criticism... even unfair criticism. DON'T LASH BACK! That's the natural tendency and it's perfectly WRONG. If it's slanderous or flaming anyone (including you and your company) hit the "REPORT THIS POST TO A MODERATOR" button and PM or E-mail me directly. My e-mail is NetDoc@ScubaBoard.com (go figure) and if it is truly bad, call me at (407) 509-0947. We don't allow insults or flames on the board. In fact, I have deleted MANY of them directed at manufacturers and their reps already. I want ScubaBoard to be business friendly as well as user friendly.
If it's a legitimate complaint or a misunderstanding, then work with them politely. There is no need to question their motivations or lineage. Resolving their problem ON LINE only shows that you are a responsive company and EASILY accessible which is what consumers want. This is especially good if the issue is one of consumer ignorance. Patience and kindness in dealing with them will provide you accolades, AND you may be solving the same problem other users are having with your product. There are many divers who will "make do" rather than complain. Hey, I'm one of them. My inflator valve on my new BC has always leaked... I never went for service on it. I just replaced it with a different kind of valve. Other divers notice it too and ask about it. I'm sure that this doesn't build good will for that equipment.
You are going to get poor reports on your equipment or services from time to time that have no obvious solutions. The obvious here is someone using a jacket BC for a DIR-f course. There is simply NO WAY that this is appropriate. You need to accept this and find your REAL market. Look at the most respected divers on our board and see IF they use your products. Defer to their "expertise" if they do! It's one thing to say your mask is great... but even better to say "Hey, CBulla uses my mask so you might want to ask HIM (or HER) how they like it." It might be even worth sending them a new mask to cement that bond! I will start a fresh "What Equipment do you use" thread so you can look and see who dives with what.
About DIR divers Do not be surprised if they reject you and your equipment. As much as they decry it, they are pretty much a "closed shop". The chances of getting them to endorse your equipment are slim. You should NOT suggest any of your equipment (or services) in their forum unless you know for a fact that it meets their criteria. It is FAR better to let them alone. You don't need the negative publicity that can ensue.
About the TOS as many have found out (and sometimes a post too late), you can NOT initiate a thread about your product or service in the open forum! You can and should respond to all questions or comments that users make in that thread. But you cant start threads just to promote your product or service, EXCEPT for once a week in the Scuba Market Place. Do not post the same thing over and over again either! We call either of these actions SPAM and will deal with it as we see it.
So please if you have ANY questions or observations, please voice them right here. Only businesses are allowed into this forum, and hopefully we will respect the privacy we have back here. IOW, please let what is said back here STAY back here.
