How do you decide what products to use?

[Samantha-CEB]

Hi all, my name is Samantha and Ive been working at Cutting Edge Bullets for about 10 years now. We are a small family owned company thats been in business since 2008, and being a small company, I have worn very many hats within the organization over the years. We have always made it a company policy to stay off of forums. There has certainly been some drama in the past, so we feel its best practice to just avoid it all together. However, I do have some burning questions for you, and I dont think it hurts to ask. Ive always enjoyed reading the threads on this forum because the community seems very open and helpful to one another. If i'm way out in left field here, feel free to let me know!

I have a lot of questions for hunters and shooters alike in regards to the decision making process when it comes to purchasing new equipment/gear. Our goal as a company isn't to cram our product down peoples throats and sell to people who aren't truly our target market. Our goal is to provide hunters and shooters with all of the information needed in order for them to make a good choice. Unfortunately it seems we are not so great at getting our name and product out there, so we really need to figure that part out. Im hoping discussing some items with this community will help me better understand where we need to focus.

Here are a few of my questions:
-What influences your decision to try a new product? Is it word of mouth, a google search, an ad, etc??
-What would be an incentive to push you over the edge to try a new product?
-Do you prefer to try new things or stick with tried and true?

I know a lot of these are very open ended and are probably dependent on the item. But any insight is greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much in advance.
-Samantha

 

[vavaroutsos]

Personally I start with research. I look for reviews from trusted sources. Then I look for product specs from the manufacture. If the product description isn't well specified, doesn't contain construction details, or is mostly marketing talk, I'm not interested. For instance, saying things like "100% waterproof" vs "IP67 rated". The former is complete marketing hype, nothing is 100% waterproof. The latter is a proper specification giving the test conditions.

I do like to try new products. However, I won't spend my money just because it's new, to have the latest, etc.. The product needs to be a solution to a real problem, or needs to offer real advantages over existing products. Then it has to pass my evaluation of proper design/construction/value before I'll consider buying it.

 

[ARlife4me]

Cost is #1 starting place as everything else is 2nd.

 

[Ol' Red]

I look at cost and references from people that I know and trust. A lot of people on this forum have earned my trust and respect which makes me try products mentioned here. Another major factor is easy availability. And for bullets- reloading data.

 

[3chester]

1st performance, 2nd quality, 3rd price, 4th availability, and some insightful company Youtube demos 5th. Seems outfits are always runN a bit short on the good stuff these days, but won't hold that success against them

 

[Justice1327]

Hi all, my name is Samantha and Ive been working at Cutting Edge Bullets for about 10 years now. We are a small family owned company thats been in business since 2008, and being a small company, I have worn very many hats within the organization over the years. We have always made it a company policy to stay off of forums.

Recommend putting your questions in a Poll format to help keep track of responses. Details you can glean from their written posts

 

[Samantha-CEB]

Personally I start with research. I look for reviews from trusted sources. Then I look for product specs from the manufacture. If the product description isn't well specified, doesn't contain construction details, or is mostly marketing talk, I'm not interested. For instance, saying things like "100% waterproof" vs "IP67 rated". The former is complete marketing hype, nothing is 100% waterproof. The latter is a proper specification giving the test conditions.

I do like to try new products. However, I won't spend my money just because it's new, to have the latest, etc.. The product needs to be a solution to a real problem, or needs to offer real advantages over existing products. Then it has to pass my evaluation of proper design/construction/value before I'll consider buying it.

This is extremely helpful, thank you!

 

[Samantha-CEB]

I look at cost and references from people that I know and trust. A lot of people on this forum have earned my trust and respect which makes me try products mentioned here. Another major factor is easy availability.

Word of mouth really is everything. I think it's especially impactful when a product is expensive.

 

[bsnyder]

I enjoy trying new things. I want things to preform at a high level. As I expect my self to preform at a high level as should my equipment. Price is a factor at times but again, life has taught me people make time or funds available for things they want/believe in. Word of mouth is one way but I like to do things and test things on my own. What I don't have time for now a days are company's that say their product does X and I get y and z results. Then that becomes wasted time and money so I go back to tried and true. I don't mind tweaking certain things to ensure they work in my gear load out but I do not and will not build from the ground up for a company that say it does this or this is an estimate. You want me to buy your product spend the money and do your R&D. That's part of owning and running a business. I'm not here to pay you to do that for you. Hope this answers your questions. Welcome to lrh and that's a stud buck in your profile picture. We all love details about it so let's hear it!

 

[Backwoods towny]

I look at cost and references from people that I know and trust. A lot of people on this forum have earned my trust and respect which makes me try products mentioned here. Another major factor is easy availability.

+1
couldn't say it any better.



Welcome from PA

 

[Ol' Red]

Word of mouth really is everything. I think it's especially impactful when a product is expensive.

I will spend a lot more freely if I have a reference from a trusted person. I advertise for my business, but get more word of mouth customers than those that hear my advertisements.

 

[Samantha-CEB]

Personally I start with research. I look for reviews from trusted sources. Then I look for product specs from the manufacture. If the product description isn't well specified, doesn't contain construction details, or is mostly marketing talk, I'm not interested. For instance, saying things like "100% waterproof" vs "IP67 rated". The former is complete marketing hype, nothing is 100% waterproof. The latter is a proper specification giving the test conditions.

I do like to try new products. However, I won't spend my money just because it's new, to have the latest, etc.. The product needs to be a solution to a real problem, or needs to offer real advantages over existing products. Then it has to pass my evaluation of proper design/construction/value before I'll consider buying it.

A quick followup on this, what sort of trusted sources do you use for reviews?

 

[Lee7588]

Samantha I hate to echo what has been said but ( in no specific order) cost, quality, availability, and performance. For me I look at some reviews to give some insight, but also what will it cost me to try something out myself. I have tried different bullets because a friend or family has had them and I got a few to see how they performed. For your business I would suggest doing some small quantities for testing. Not 50 rounds for $50, but 10 rounds for $12 or 25 rounds for $27 extra $2 for packaging. That would offer people the opportunity to try your bullets without a larger investment. Maybe since today's world seems to be influenced by social media, find people with a good following and ask them to do a unbiased performance review.

 

[vavaroutsos]

A quick followup on this, what sort of trusted sources do you use for reviews?

I put more weight on sources that aren't sponsored, have no affiliation with the manufacture, paid for the product themselves, etc. Then I look at what experience the source has, how detail oriented they are, how scientific their process is, etc. I can usually form a pretty good opinion based on these criteria.