Did anyone here respond to "Focus" email? - Smart Car of America Forums : Smart Car Forum

skyzdlimit59 · 09-23-2008, 06:35 PM

I got this email today and when I called they said it was full. Just curious, did anyone here get this and who is going?
"We are inviting smart car owners in the Los Angeles area to a round table discussion about smart cars! Qualified participants will be paid $150 for their valuable time and opinions. The group will last for 2-hours at our easy-to-reach Santa Monica meeting space. We are sure you will find this experience both profitable and fun.
Please be assured that this is not a ‘sales pitch’. We want to hear all about your smart car; what you like, don’t like, why you bought it, how to improve it, how much fun it is!
Spaces are limited and you must schedule an appointment in advance. To ensure that you meet the criteria for the discussion please call:
Call today (310) 260-8889 ask for Susie
Thank you for your time and we look forward to hearing from you."
Sincerely,
Bridgid Delgardio
Vice President Western Region
Focus Pointe Global

p1nball · 09-23-2008, 07:18 PM

Sounds like a sales forum????

skyzdlimit59 · 09-23-2008, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by p1nball

Sounds like a sales forum????

That's what I thought, but no way of telling without a mole.

Smart Bob · 09-23-2008, 11:36 PM

I signed up and was accepted. It is not supposed to be a sales pitch but I think they want to gather marketing data or do some research on how to market a Smart. I will be disappointed if they lied but I will let everyone know on late Thursday or Friday.

SmartPassion · 09-23-2008, 11:55 PM

Didn't get a letter but been to one before. Not sure about this one but they are generally legit. Got paid for expressing my opinion on a car.

SmartyPants25 · 09-24-2008, 05:18 PM

I'll be going! It is not for sales, it is a focus group to express opinions on the car, hence the reason why they want owners. This information is usually gathered for usability reasons, but can also be to find out how to better market the car.

BobDiaz · 09-24-2008, 08:53 PM

When I worked at Epson America, it was very common for us to pay a marketing research group to set up focus groups to better understand what users thought of our products.

Your input and the input of MANY other users goes into the future design decisions for the new models. Knowing what people like and dislike is VERY important to manufacturers.

Bob Diaz

skyzdlimit59 · 09-26-2008, 04:06 PM

Well, how was it? Any feedback?

SmartPassion · 09-26-2008, 07:29 PM

Yeah, what happened?

Smart Bob · 09-26-2008, 11:07 PM

The meeting wasn't about Smarts at all. They wanted us to talk about our opinions on alternate fuel vehicles and what type of alternate fuel vehicle would we buy. They recorded our comments and will probably use this for future marketing data. I think we were selected just because we are Smart owners and they thought we would be able to provide them with some useful input. At the end, we each received our honoraria for $150.00, so that was OK.