15A - Figuring out Buyer Behavior No. 2

Assignment 15A – Figuring out Buyer Behavior No. 2

The segment that I chose in assignment 12A is the same segment that I will be using today. This is per the instructions. This segment is Marines on the same base as me and of no higher rank than E-4. All three of my interviews took an average of 9-13 minutes each. When I dug into how my potential customers choose from their alternatives, the results were rather surprising. Most people prioritize the quality of their haircuts over the price; however, this was not the case for the three Marines, whom I interviewed. All three of these gentlemen told me that they would prefer to receive a not so great haircut from myself for $20 than pay $40-50 for a higher quality haircut from out in town.

Upon further questioning, they all admitted that since we are on deployment and not back in California, they are more worried about saving money than looking good. Although they are willing to receive “not so great” of haircuts, the haircuts still must be within the Marine Corps regulations so that they don’t get in trouble with their respective chains-of-command. I was able to conclude that these Marines prioritizing saving money and convenience over having high-quality haircuts.

Two of these gentlemen said that cash is their preferred method of payment. The other Marine stated that he would prefer to pay for haircuts through PayPal or Venmo, both of which are preferred methods of receiving payment for me. They are all more likely to get a haircut from me in the barracks for $20 than from out in town for a more expensive price.

Post-purchase, my customers still value the fact that they would have saved money by getting haircut from me. If the haircut is out of regulation; however, they all stated that they would have regretted getting a haircut from me. I asked them how they would feel about a money back guarantee if the haircuts did not meet their satisfaction, and they all were happy with this solution. I am confident enough in my ability to give good haircuts that I find it unlikely that my customers will not be happy with the quality of their haircuts.

All the information that I received from these interviews was in line with my presumptions/conclusions from my past interviews. These three interviews helped to solidify my belief that I can capitalize on this opportunity. I believe that my services better meet the needs of my customers than anyone else’s services do. I do believe that they will request my services rather than the services of barbers out in town. I believe that the customers’ post-purchase evaluations will be filled with satisfaction from my services.