RMiethe, underlying your discussion is the concept that Globalstar will 'go after' certain customer types. The concept that Globalstar will decide which customers to 'get'.
I'm uncomfortable with that concept. Sure, the marketing approach needs to fit the expected customers so that the most likely customers think 'Hay, you bet I need the Flying Doctor and cattle helicopters on the end of the phone - I can't shout at the bloody things. I'm a starter'. Or, 'Damn straight, when I'm cuttin' an El Segundo deal then cruisin' to Las Vegas I gotta be Da Man and I NEED that SpaceStation phone. Tha's wassup nigga'. Or, 'Cruising to Fiji on the yacht with that aerial on the canopy will be so out-of-it cool. Phone home anytime. GPS on tap. Mayday rescue a moment away. Yep, ship it on over'.
But all the hardware is designed and done; the satellites, gateways, phone designs [handset, car, marine and fixed phone box].
There will be a mix of subscribers. We all mention China all the time, and that is fair enough since they have got a rapidly rising GNP per person. As you say, it's a wild card. But they do want phones and they have got a lot of money, so it isn't that wild.
We don't want particular customer 'types'. We want customers who will pay the most for the phones and minutes. The only way to find out who will pay the most is to ask them. We don't need 'waiting lists' for handsets. We need sales to the high bidder. If Globalstar has bought the handsets and is going to onsell to the service providers, sell them to the highest bidder. None of this waiting list nonsense.
Dell sells a lot of stuff at high margins and they do it on the Web.
There is no need for ANY waiting list for handsets. Anyone who wants one should be able to buy one immediately. They would just have to offer the most money. We make money from being paid, not from organizing waiting lists.
You said:
//Globalstar is not going after the relatively well-off (as opposed to the super rich)--unless by relatively well-off you mean income of, American dollars, $57,000/year. For that is the user base income profile of the average waiting list individual for a Globalstar phone.//
Do away with waiting lists! It seems that Globalstar marketing is already off on the wrong track. 'Choosing' customers, building waiting lists, losing money by letting tomatoes rot in space, letting ICO and Ellipso think they have a chance.
All subscribers are good subscribers. All we want is the high bidder. Sure, advertize in the right place to ensure the high bidder knows to bid! Offer a variety of price plans [call them service plans if you like] such as;
Free handset, $200 per month, 10c per minute.
$1000 handset, $50 per month, $1 per minute.
Spot price handset, no monthly fee, spot price minutes.
[Just by way of examples - numbers not real!]
Free Trade, Open Markets, What the Market Will Bear, Clear the Market.
Maurice |
