Alternative Evaluation:
To start off, I did not really start my interviews like an interview. Rather it was more of a survey of sorts, an experiment, gathering data to see which option the interviewee would choose. I strayed away from choosing any military organization because in my opinion that is kind of counterproductive. I believe that any military organization that is helping veterans readjust is an ally, not a competitor. Instead I chose organizations outside of military that help provide similar services. I found a handful of organizations that helped to offer rehabilitation services and who they offered too. I contacted Sierra Tucson personally to acquire the information needed, and I completed extensive research in all of the categories to create an excel file in comparison to "Homebound", the service I plan to offer. I showed my excel file to all of those who I interviewed, and I had them chose an option. The file is shown below.
All three of my veterans chose the Homebound option. I asked each of them what had make the decision, and I received the exact same answer from all three of the veterans that I interviewed. They told me that as a retired veteran, military was where their loyalty was. They read through the list and seen that one option was a globally traded corporation, and they said they recognized how the other options seemed more like a job to them. They said they knew the military was what they were comfortable with and that an option for military exclusively would be the best option for them. They said that they would expect such a service to have veteran volunteering and helping out there, so the individuals helping would actually understand the needs that they desired and would be able to share common ground with many of them. They went on to tell me that price was another huge factor. The veterans said that with the retired income from the military that there was no way in hell they could afford a $45,000 service for a month.
One veteran pointed out that the whole reason that he would have needed such a service would be that he needed help finding a job which he pointed out that Homebound would be able to help with.
How/ Where to Buy:
For my segment, the individuals involved would more than likely find our services through the internet. If they went to search for ways that they could help, we would like to ensure that our services would be one of the first options to come up. As a non-profit, we will be partnering with organizations that look to hire military veterans and get a job for those who are searching. I asked each of those interviewed if they would be willing to make a donation to such an organization after receiving help. I had them respond and tell me that they would certainly like to help out an organization that was helping veterans for no other reason than to help.
Post-Purchase Evaluation:
What matters most to my customer base is if the services work. If we are able to help the veterans readjust, then we have been successful and our clients are satisfied. What would make them think that going with our service is a bad idea is if it doesn't help them.
Summary/Conclusions:
After doing some research and interviewing the segment members for this assignment, I have learned a few things. Those who are retired military veterans have a sort of "brand loyalty" for military brands and services. The military is a sort of brotherhood for them. They are a band of brothers and they have a loyalty unwavered to the military. I feel like as soon as each of my interviewees seen specializes in military veterans on the list, that was what they chose. I also learned from my research that counselling and rehab services are outrageously expensive. Offering a service to the military veteran men and women that they do not have to worry about cost could be very effective.
I really liked that you added in the image of the chart because it helps the reader to follow along with your points. It sounds like you learned a lot of helpful information during your interviews about how to better approach your segment. Knowing how loyal your segment is can help you figure out a better approach where maybe you can partner with a well-known and trusted organization to establish your own credibility.
ReplyDeleteDakota,
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you did some great research about your market segment. I liked your chart as it gave me a better visitation of the overall situation. You said that most of your customers would find you on the internet, but I think once you got started word of mouth would be a very popular tool. You said because the community is so tight good recommendations from friends could go a long way.
Hi Dakota.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea using an Excel file to separate your company’s specialties with that of your competition! That makes it much easier to track the statistics and see where you stack up against other companies.
That being said, the organizations you listed don’t seem to provide exactly the same services your company does. You might want to include organizations that offer a more-rounded menu of services, just as you do, for a better comparison. It’s still good to know how you stack up against these organizations that offer some of the services you do, so it’s still a great idea to do Excel charts on them.
You made some excellent points on why returning veterans would choose your organization’s service over others. Military would be more comfortable with military, and your organization seems to over more services then others do.
The internet might be a good place for military veterans to find you, but so would social workers. If your veterans are receiving any kind of medical care or separation (from the military) counseling, they are probably interacting with some type of social worker. You might want to get your organization publicized to social workers, clergy, and chaplains (civilian and military), because many veterans might find you through those resources.