Will they switch for cheaper?

[DW_Gray]

One of my business philosophy teachers, Seth Godin, answers the question in his blog:

"In fact, most people switch for better.

Without a doubt, there's a slot in every market for the cheap enough, good enough alternative.

But rapid growth and long-term loyalty come from being better instead.

When your product or your service doesn't measure up, the answer probably isn't to lower your price or offer a refund to the disappointed customer. Instead, the alternative is to invest in making it better. So much better that people can't help but talk about it—and so much better that they would truly miss it if it were gone."

Questions:

What current component(s) of the Heartland brand would you miss if it were gone?

And/or...

What component(s) do you wish was available as part of the Heartland brand that you would miss if they took it away?

Please note: This is not a survey nor is it a thread to bash Heartland products or components. Simply share what you'd miss whether it's a current component or desired component you'd miss.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Can the Owners Club be considered a component?

 

[DW_Gray]

Can the Owners Club be considered a component?

Of course, and I'd miss that too.

 

[DW_Gray]

Now that I have it, I would miss the Level Up system.

 

[Nabo]

Water manifold system. Wish HL would put it back into the units.

 

[HornedToad]

One of my business philosophy teachers, Seth Godin, answers the question in his blog:

"In fact, most people switch for better.

Without a doubt, there's a slot in every market for the cheap enough, good enough alternative.

But rapid growth and long-term loyalty come from being better instead.

I cannot answer what component I would miss... but I will attest to the hypothesis.

1st trailer 2008 Jayco 26BH base model cheapest alternative.
Hey, we like this camping let's switch for a better Jayco... brand loyalty.
2nd trailer 2009 Jayco 32BHDS
Man I'm tired of loading/unloading all my gear in the back of the truck
let's switch for a better TH... but the Jayco TH's don't measure up.
3rd trailer 2013 Torque 321 SS affordable alternative to the high end toy haulers.
Man these toy haulers are nice let's switch for a bigger/better one.

So a young couple that had a 28 ft TT is over at the bank this afternoon
to switch for better trailer and buy my Torque. And what will I do...

4th trailer, I'll switch to a bigger/better TH staying loyal to the Heartland brand.

I have not read one thread on this forum where... They switched for cheaper? Every thread I read, where someone is getting a new trailer, it is always switching for newer/bigger/better!!!

And when I've switched for better, I've never missed the cheaper alternative when it's gone.

 

[readytohitheroad]

beefed up frame to allow for higher carrying capacities in their TH line

 

[happykraut]

I would really miss my level-up and this forum.

 

[danemayer]

One of my business philosophy teachers, Seth Godin, answers the question in his blog:

"In fact, most people switch for better.

Without a doubt, there's a slot in every market for the cheap enough, good enough alternative.

But rapid growth and long-term loyalty come from being better instead.

When your product or your service doesn't measure up, the answer probably isn't to lower your price or offer a refund to the disappointed customer. Instead, the alternative is to invest in making it better. So much better that people can't help but talk about it—and so much better that they would truly miss it if it were gone."

There are lots of marketing theories. There are lots of winners and losers. But I believe that blindly following generalized ideas like this can lead to bankruptcy.

Think about Sears and Harbor Freight. A lot of people buy from each. I'm not sure how Harbor Freight is doing financially, but I know that Sears has been in financial trouble for many years. I used to buy Craftsman tools because I believed they were better quality backed by a better promise. Now I've moved "down" to Harbor Freight. In most cases the tools do the job at a better price and they also have a strong promise.

Over the past 20 years the huge successes have gone to companies that disrupted the market, causing large-scale change in consumer behavior. Apple has great products, but that's not what has made all the money. They figured out how to change buying behavior on music and captured most of the profit stream from record stores (including CDs of course). They figured out how to turn the cell phone business upside down and capture a large portion of the revenue stream from the carriers. Amazon offers a great buying experience, but they turned the publishing business upside down in several ways and have captured the profit stream from most bookstores. Amazon Prime 2 day delivery has been shifting purchase patterns and capturing the profit stream from brick and mortar stores.

My point is that marketing strategies and philosophies are always looking in the rear-view mirror. They try to analyze what has already happened. In the meantime, there are smart people out there changing the game. There will be winners and there will be losers. But the game will change.

Since we spend roughly half-time in our Landmark, I would miss the warm, homey feeling. And for DW it would be a deal-breaker. We can live in our trailer for 3 months at a time because it's a comfortable residential experience.

 

[TravelTiger]

I'd agree the forum is one of the biggest assets for Heartland. Many of the issues we've come across in rv ownership have been solved by this forum, helping us realize that we are not alone. Turning common problems into a community of solutions, well, that changes your perspective!

By creating a strong emotional connection to the product via the people that use it, well, that's what brand strategy is all about!!



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[szewczyk_john]

I bought Craftsman tools because they wee made in USA and most had the stamp to prove it. That is not always the case anymore. Now Lowes and Home Depot offer many american made tools with the same guareentee. I do not think many serious handiman think of harbor freight as a competitor for tools. Nor have I heard anyone else say that there products are as good as other brands. They sell so much Chinese stuff, I am surprised that they don't sell the tires that we here so much about. Not starting a bashing campaign but Harbor fraught sells toys not tools.

For years, I had a trailer and carried along a Honda inverter. It is so nice not having to go outside to start it up and hook it up. I also do not have to worry about securing the generator and/or gas either. I would very much miss the ease of hitting the primer switch and starting up the on board generator if it was no longer available. I camped for 15 years using a carry along generator and only had the on board for the last three years. Some of you that have had them for a long time take it for granted but Ive only had one for the last three years and it is a very nice feature. One that I will never do without again.

A for a different position, proving that not a advancements are actually a good thing. My Road Warrior came with an electric awning. I would rather have the old spring loaded ones that I could tie down and know that it would survive a gust of wind. The new ones are not in improvement in my eyes.

 

[dcwettstein]

What I would like to see is an option of a good power inverter/converter in place of the converter that is in the present high end fifth wheels. Something about 2000-3000 watts so you could run the tv and microwave off the batteries. When I ordered our Bighorn I didn't see an option for a second battery. That would also have been nice.

 

[pegmikef]

What I would like to see is an option of a good power inverter/converter in place of the converter that is in the present high end fifth wheels. Something about 2000-3000 watts so you could run the tv and microwave off the batteries. When I ordered our Bighorn I didn't see an option for a second battery. That would also have been nice.

I don't think it was an option, but my 2014 BH came with two vented battery boxes installed in the generator compartment, but the dealer only provided one battery which I replaced with a matched pair of group 27 12 volt batteries (Trojan 105s will not fit in the boxes, so for now I'll live with the 12 volt ones).

I just looked at the BH and dual battery boxes are standard now, but just one battery.