Industry discount?

Jeff Horton

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The Heart of Dixie
If someone asks you for an industry discount, how much of a discount would that be? This should result in some exposure in a magazine article so I would get some advertising from it in return. Of course it might just be a mention or could be more. Hard to know for sure.
 
There is no set "discount" that I have ever heard of. Before you offer or allude to what you are willing to give find out what they are going to give you in return.
If you are going to give them a project say for cost then you want to see what the hard cost is for them to give you that advertising then adjust from there so it stays apples for apples.
Most times when I have been approached by someone in the trades asking right up front for a "good ole boy discount" it is usually someone just trying to get a deal.
Careful where you go there, unless you know this person well enough to know otherwise. I would ask them to put their cards on the table first.
 
There is more to the story but I don't want to say to much. ;)

That's fine. Just look carefully at the "quid pro quo"
I'm just a bit jaded at times towards this because I seen it go the wrong way too many times.
That said, you really have to look at what they are asking and offering and go from there. If it's advertising look at the cost of the ad not the exposure it will get you because you will get that same exposure paying for the ad.
If this person is asking you for a 5000.00 kayak for your materials cost of say 1200.00 (pulling figures out of the air here) and he is going to give you a 2000 ad for 1200.00 his cost.... well it just cost him 800 bucks for that 5000 kayak and you lost 2000...That's what concerns me whenever I hear stuff like this. They aren't all like that but I have seen too many times the above scenario happen.
Good luck It can be a good thing as well:)
 
being a small company getting a good discount is hard to come by. when I moved my location 15 years ago. I went to the local supply shop and and what kind of discount I can get, I was told that I'm not a bonified shop so why should I get a dicount. I told the guy andy behind the counter in so many words, you won't see me in here again.

my main supplier out of baltimore I have to order over 450 dollars for or I have to pay 65 dollars shipping rate.
 
Rich, I am was born skeptical! I have a simple rule, I trust no one very far. Having worked in the real estate field and being cheated one too many times I have learned that lesson well.

I can say this much, the fellow asking is one of the top people in a small magazine catering to the kayak community. He wants to build a boat and write an article on it for the magazine. Hard to beat that type of publicity.

On the surface it looks like excellent advertising but of course he might hate my kit, or the boat. Might never finish building it and never write the article.

I have thought about this for a while and bottom line is I can buy ads but I can't buy an article in a magazine. It's a gamble but it it one that I think I need to take. Just trying to be smart about it.
 
Having been in real estate then you are more than familiar with the same people I am as far as being in construction etc.....

Please don't think I was trying to be condescending. I just hear the "good ole boy" discount mentioned and I get very jaded. It always rings of the "treat me good on this one and I have 100 more to do" (that never seem to materialize....)

That said. Yes I agree getting your name published goes miles above and beyond taking out an ad.
If he wants a kit to do an article on showing a build. Then why not sell it to him for cost. Then at least your risk is low and you arent hit financially if nothing ever comes of it.
 
No offense taken, that is why I decided to explain what this was. Not something I could buy or I would do an even barter.

Cost is sort of where I am leaning. Of course the frame kit is 90% labor.
 
No offense taken, that is why I decided to explain what this was. Not something I could buy or I would do an even barter.

Cost is sort of where I am leaning. Of course the frame kit is 90% labor.

That's the toughie. Still though, if you get the kind if exposure you are thinking then it may be worth it.
 
He wants to build a boat and write an article on it for the magazine. Hard to beat that type of publicity.

On the surface it looks like excellent advertising but of course he might hate my kit, or the boat. Might never finish building it and never write the article.

Why not invite him down for the build? That makes sure it gets built, and maybe you'd get a customer/writer's input on your instruction manual.
 
Ed you were reading my mind. Was thinking along that line also. Doing it jointly so he can see you glide across what for him could be a big stumbling block. Then the article could also be about you, your shop, your craftsmanship as well as your kit. :dunno::thumb:
 
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