For this
post, students have been asked to follow up on assignment 7A, “Testing the Hypothesis.
This week, students will be conducting 5 additional interviews, but with an added
twist. Students must find 5 people that should be a prototypical customer for
their business but for one reason or another are not. This will help students
determine what the potential constraints on their opportunity are. Let’s jump
into it:
Interview #1:
Jack Jackson (Yes, real person) - Jack is an owner of a unit at Laketown Wharf.
He is a retiree who spends his winters in Florida. Jack, however, does not
drink coffee so he is not an eligible customer.
Interview #2:
Trey Trzaska – Trey is a college student at the local community
college. He thinks that a coffee shop on campus could be a cool place to study.
He and I talked at length about the possibilities of a breakfast restaurant. He
was concerned that a coffee shop was selling the need short, and that more food
could be involved.
Interview #3:
Taylor Swearingen- Taylor is a teenager who’s family
vacations at Laketown. She thinks that a coffee shop is a great idea, especially
for those cooler months where there’s not quite as much going on. She says that
her family usually goes to the grocery store and buys food for breakfast, counteracting
what I learned from Trey’s interview. She says coffee is a daily thing for both
of her parents. Taylor does not currently drink coffee.
Interview #4:
Connie Nuenan- Connie is a manager for Laketown. She thinks
that it would be nice to have a coffee shop on campus, and she is even a coffee
drinker herself. She doesn’t know how much coffee that she would be buying,
however, because she brews her own coffee at home.
Interview #5:
Wes Keen- Wes is a resident at Laketown. He thinks that a
coffee shop on campus may be a fun place to take friends. He said that he
wouldn’t be a great customer because he gets free coffee at work.
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Inside the boundary
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Outside the boundary
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Who is In: - Guests and residents who want coffee
-
Locals
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Who is Not: -people who don’t drink coffee
-people who make their own coffee
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What the Need Is: - coffee
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What the Need Is Not: - breakfast
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Why the Need Exists: - daily routine
-caffeine intake
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Alternative Explanations: - coffee for taste
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-socialization
Michael,
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to see your take on the assignment. The way I completed it was by interviewing five different people and simply asking them to think through with me why someone would be opposed to my opportunity as a potential customer. Some of them were off-the-bat against my opportunity and identified themselves as customers who would not be interested, so I guess in that sense we conducted similar interviews. Anyways, I like how you specifically went after people who should have been customers and shared characteristics of already identified customers, but for one reason or another, were not interested. Seeing multiple sides to an idea undoubtedly provides one with ideas about where the idea's boundaries lie as far as customers go. Thanks for sharing!
Michael, I have enjoyed watching your idea crystalize as you have completed your interviews. In this round you seemed to get an extremely clear idea of who is not in your targeted consumer base, which can be just as important as knowing who is. I look forward to seeing the further development of your idea and plan of implementation.
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