Droid Engineer Archive
Thread: How to make the best of the current droid economy
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Glantor
Mon Apr 12, 2004 12:20 am
#1
This is not a definitive gameplan, but perhaps it can help new and old DEs alike make some money in this depressed market.
1) Educate the masses
One common trait I observed in ALL my customers is complete ignorence about the profession! They know R2 and C3PO, but other than that everything else is a blank. They don't know that droids can have more than one function (doh!), they don't know that we can hold 5 droids in our data pad, and they don't know what the multitude of our modules do!
To be honest, I was very lost in the beginning as well. It took me conscious effort to STUDY about droid engineering before I began to understand how everything works! So, how can we expect folks who only know how to kill rancors to understand what benefitsa droid can bring?
There are a few ways to educate the masses about droid engineering: Roleplay with your customers and answer all their questions and then some. Or, provide a lengthy description about how droids work with every droid you sell in your vendor/bazaar. There are a few useful droid manuals hanging around here somewhere, so just copy and paste them with every droid you sell. Or, AFK bark at a city stating what droids you sell and what they can do, and change your AFK message to useful droid info or a price list. OR, you could prepare standard mails (FAQ, Droid Manual, Droid Price List) which you can easily forward to folks without wasting a single breath.
How does this increase sales? Well, rational folks would want to know more about the product they are looking at before they buy it right? So once they know what droids can do, they will naturally be more inclined to part with their hard earned credits. I've had customers say no to me after I spent a lot of time explaining, and having them come back a few days later with a huge order $$$. Tru$t me, it work$.
2) Have a standard pricing
Nothing pisses people off more than fluctuating prices. Imagine quoting Joe 50k today, then have Joe come back next week and you quoting 70K! Of course you can't remember what you quoted him, heck you don't even remember talking to the fella! But he sure does remember you! And will for the rest of his life! (in a negative way, whoops)
There are many ways to have a standard pricing. One is to use an excel sheet and calculate how much each module would cost, and how much a combined droid will add up to in the end. Or, go to Undeadfish or any other web based droid calculators and use them. Or, have a standard droid price list and add it up on the spot.
How do you ensure a deal if you really want to make that sale and the customer finds the price too high? Well, you could always provide a nice discount. Just tell him you will give a nice 20% discount, but only to him since he is such a nice bloke. This doesn't affect your standard pricing, but still ensures a quick sale. And remember to send yourself a holomail to remind yourself how much of a discount you quoted him!
3) Shop around
If you are not having any sales, it may be due to your uncompetitive rates. Shop around, get a general feel about how much a droid is worth on your server, then price according to what you think is fair and viable. This current depression in the DE market presents an excellent opportunity to make a lot more dough! With so few DEs left, you can basically charge whatever you please, within reason. Better to make less than nothing at all!
4) Be well organised
Droids are complicated sentient beings. Making them is no different. In order not to get lost with the tonnes of complicated stuff to consider, make sure you jot everything down. You can keep notes by the following methods: mail, notepad, or real life pen and paper. For me, I'll always send a confirmation mail to my customer, stating exactly what he ordered and how much I quoted him, together with an attached waypoint to my vendor where I'll leave his order. Of course, I'll send myself that very mail too, so that I won't ever forget to build that droid for him. Really convenient once you get that hang of it. =)
This is by no means an end all to succeed in the current economy. Feel free to post any tips which have made you rich! Happy droid building!
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