So what does it ultimate take, guys, to get you to buy "little toy fire trucks?" Do you need a club, or newsletters, or discount prices? Advanced purchase or notice privledges? etc.

If you were starting a die-cast company today, what "perks" would you provide to boost business? Or would you forgo "perks" and focus your business model entirely on the models, if you will?

mjl

Well,

I would offer little to no perks. All that does is cut the bottom line and/or add to the cost of the product. Read the other posts. Code 3 played nice and still the customer ******** Why bother? I bought my models long before announcements, gifts, newletters from the company, etc. I will still buy what I like when I want.

Jeff

Currently, I don't think there is anything wrong with what's being done by Code 3 now. BUT...

MAINTAIN the 'Club Only' area on the website, especially the workshop.

Drop the newsletter - it's a waste of time.

Do the collectors guide as a loose-leaf guide that can be added to on a yearly basis - sell a binder to put them in.

Offer two special 'club only' models, with special tooling, that wouldn't go into regular production. Mail announcements of the 'club only' edition a month or two prior to release.

Still offer the 'sign-up' club model as incentive to join the club.

Keep the regular production discount.

I guess I could have been clearer, as well, as I didn't specify between a die-cast model maker, and a die-cast retailer. In the case of Code 3, they are one in the same, so they get the worst of both worlds: complaints about model quality, and complaints about retail service.

mjl

Retail obviously can't compete with internet sales, but there is something special about walking into a hobby or gift shop and seeing beautiful diecast models displayed in a big, clean, well-lit glass case.

It makes me want to spend.

Okay, that was my Hemingway moment.

A nicely constructed, well detailed, accurate model at a reasonable price. What else is there?

Amen to Charlie's comments!

What Charlie and Bob said, with a very heavy emphasis on accuracy. At least as far as body shape and scale go (ahem: can you say Seagrave TDA's, and ALF Century series....). Other than that make something that we, as collectors, are interested in. Not just more of the same old "breadboxes on wheels" that we tend to get too much of.

The folks that are getting most of my "toy" budget these days are building older stuff (L-Macks, Foxes, and the like), just the larger scale stuff WILL get to be a problem sooner or later.

If I was a manufacturer, I would only sell models through retailers, it would be a lot less complicated to let the retailers worry about ordering and prices with the consumer.

Give us the best quality-detailed product for the money, but keep the costs reasonable. The workshop is a must-I pay the club fee to be kept informed. Also, build what the customer wants.Yearly production based on polls of club memebers. GIve club memebers first crack at discounts. Scrap the newsletter and place news in monthly reports. Take a look at Corgi. Code 3 tried to go further. Then look at first gear. Good quality, reasonable prices. They have club. Code 3 has done some weird things in the past with releases. I think they worry too much