[pkjude]

I will be at the Volt Nation event on Wednesday March 19th in New York. I am very excited about the opportunity to hear from the GM management team and to have questions answered.

I am also proud to be a part of the grass roots GM-Volt membership. I hope GM recognizes what a motivated, dedicated, and enthusiastic public can do to help market this exciting new vehicle.

As my contribution to helping GM sell as many Chevy Volts as it can handle, I have formulated a marketing idea that I think could be very successful.


The Plan
After each GM-Volt member purchases a new Chevy Volt, GM would assign that member an identification number. The member would then become a GM ambassador of good will and would help market the Chevy Volt.

Members would tell friends, neighbors, colleagues, and anyone who would listen about the performance of this vehicle, as we experience it. To stimulate their interest even more, members would explain how they can get a $300 certificate from GM towards the purchase of a new Chevy Volt. To receive this certificate they must call a GM hotline number and give them our identification number.

The GM representative can then refer them to the nearest dealership and answer any other questions the prospective buyer has. This will also be an opportunity for GM to obtain valuable contact information for follow-up marketing.

The certificate would be sent to the prospective buyer by regular mail or e-mail. Printed on the certificate would be the referring GM-Volt member

 

[Jim I]

The only problem with your plan is that if each of the original 10K Volt owners that paid $35K each helped to sell 60 new Volts each for GM and received basically a free Volt for the effort, then it would cost GM $350 million dollars!

I think their accounting department and more than likely the stockholders would have a problem with that....

It would probably be cheaper just to advertise the vehicle!

 

[pkjude]

Even if it cost GM $350 million, consider that they are going to get full retail for their vehicle so margins will be fat. Second, if they sold 600,000 vehicles in the first year or so, such a success story would give them tons of free press coverage and such a huge leg up on their competition that it might be worth it.

GM is going to such an effort to be first with this technology, it would be worth it to be bold and come out hard and fast. (Of course the $350 million argument is moot if they aren't geared up to produce at that level).

Peter

 

[Cybereye]

That won't happen pkjude, GM is already getting free market advertise. Once the car is out to GM dealer. There is going to be tons of interview, Magazine, Blog, TV shows, Movies, News report, ect... The biggest help may be coming from the price of gas. Gm really doesn't needed end user help to boot up the product. Stop dreaming of a free car.

 

[Kevin in CT]

EV1 Promotors

Lets not forget that GM had hired people to go out on the road to Inform the Public about the EV1. Folks like Chelsea Sexton, who worked their butts off only to see it all for naught! Lets seem GM build some first and Prove its not another Farce. I for one live by President Reagan's credo, "Trust But Verify".

Kevin in CT
current Hybrid owner

 

[Tagamet]

Lets not forget that GM had hired people to go out on the road to Inform the Public about the EV1. Folks like Chelsea Sexton, who worked their butts off only to see it all for naught! Lets seem GM build some first and Prove its not another Farce. I for one live by President Reagan's credo, "Trust But Verify".
Kevin in CT
current Hybrid owner

Given the EV1's niche market, I'm not surprised that it needed advanced marketing and Chelsea did a fantastic job, pre and post EV1.
If at this point you are still of the belief that the Volt is "another Farce", all I can counsel is "Patience, Grasshopper"