Jaycar referrals

[Nemo .]

Hello,

Had an idea while on my latest trip to the local Jaycar with a problem that the staff weren't able to address.  As one of the last remaining traditional electronic components retailers, it strikes me that a formalised referral program with HackerSpaces would be beneficial for all the parties involved.  Jaycar would benefit from a better customer experience, the nearby HackerSpace would benefit from an increase in visitors and most importantly the person looking to solve a real-world problem would be much more likely to connect with someone who is able to help them.

I think that some HackerSpace business cards with a map of the local HackerSpace on them would be all the counter space that would be required.  I really think that this is a clear win-win-win proposition and wondered if somebody knew who I could talk to at Jaycar about this in Melbourne.

Regards,


Nemo

[Lemming .]

The problem we have always encountered trying to do this is getting permission from the upper management of jaycar.

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[Angus Gratton]

On Tue, Nov 12, 2013 at 09:50:45PM +1000, Lemming . wrote:
> The problem we have always encountered trying to do this is getting
> permission from the upper management of jaycar.

Hi Lemming & Nemo,

Interesting your experience in Brisbane was so different.

In Canberra we did this when we first started MHV but we went
bottom-up instead of top-down - visited the local Jaycar stores and
gave them our MHV business cards, told the staff and the local store
manager about the space. They were all receptive, I think they could
see how our interests were mutually beneficial.

I think the long-term success was more mixed though, the cards
eventually vanished off the front benches out of sight after a couple
of months. But if you were diligent about going into your local store
each month or two (ala sales reps for products) with a resupply of
cards it could probably work.

What it did successfully do (we think) is let all of the Jaycar staff
know that the hackerspace existed, and IIRC several people who showed
up subsequently said they heard about it when they were talking to
staff at Jaycar.

Alternatively perhaps the same idea but with a small poster might work
better and be longer lived (less likely to be bumped out of the way
when a salesperson needs their bench space back.)


- Angus

[Steve Dalton]

We had same experience as mhv,  our posters and cards are now gone.

One of our members is seriously considering a competitor physical store to jaycar actually.  I believe their business is ripe for the pillage.  Most jaycar stores on the Gold Coast are like ghost towns.

Have had quite a few people come to our space just to buy components off us as they just don't stock much that is useful.

Sent  from my Android phone

[Brett Downing]

Hey guys,

I let Altronics know about this thread; the reply is below.

Altronics isn't as big over east, they have head office and three stores in Perth (they're the nearest electronics shop to the Artifactory)

So it might not be useful to you other than getting Jaycar's attention.

Enjoy

begin reply from pr...@altronics.com.au
---------------------------------------------------
Brett,

Not a bad idea, both parties benefit from a bit of promotion. We'd be happy to put something up in store for the Artifactory or put cards on the counter. We've recently been promoting the programs that Curtin have going for teaching kids to build circuits, and of course promoting RoboFair too. 

If theres anything you guys at the Artifactory want us to put up in our stores, we'd be happy to do so. Same goes for any Hackspaces over east that are near our Melbourne or Sydney stores. 

Regards,

------------------------------

----------------------------------------------

Ben Lowe 

Marketing Manager 

Altronic Distributors Pty Ltd 

174 Roe St, Perth, WA, 6000 

Ph: +61 8 9428 2199 

Fax: +61 8 9428 2198 

Email: ben....@altronics.com.au

[Terry Dawson]

There is an Altronics at Auburn in Sydney's West.

I'd like to have a good reason to trip out there again.

Terry

[Stuart Young]

Things like business cards and pamphlets can easily get lost or removed during a clean-up of a store counter if they're not in a holder of some kind.

Might be worth making a few business card/pamphlet holders (3D Printed or Laser cut) with the logo of your hackerspace for such cards/pamphlets to be put in? You can also put on the back details of whom to contact if they run out of cards/pamphlets.

Anyone feel like digging through thingiverse for a few good holder designs that we can put suitable logos/text on?

Stuart Young (aka Cefiar)

[Paul Szymkowiak]

The interesting thing for me is that I seem to end up in these types of discussion in about 1 out of 5 Jaycar visits.

Couple of additional thoughts:

 - A QR Code might offer a good balance of  small real estate (for Jaycar, Altronics, etc), but high information content option.  Could be a tasteful sticker/ poster?

 - I wonder about getting something into the Jaycar and Altronics catalogues, however this isn't likely to help pick up the casual Jaycar customers who I've met who have taken up my suggestion to visit CCHS.

Paul