15A – Figuring Out Buyer Behavior No. 2 Submit Assignment

3. For each of my interviewees, the price point was the most important factor for them. The first student I interviewed was completely paying for college on his own. His parents told him to take out a loan, and he was completely self-reliant when it came to school expenses. He felt that if the price was too high, he wouldn’t be able to afford it and therefore wouldn’t buy a membership for the tutoring service. They were also considered with the tutoring style. Since not all people learn the same, they would need to know that the tutors would be able to adjust to their learning style.

4. My segment would be most likely to buy their membership online, using a credit card to automatically charge the membership fees each month. The first interviewee would be the only one involved in the purchase decision because he pays for himself, but the other two interviewees would consult with their parents before they purchased the membership. They would all consult with someone that had a membership and ask them if it was affective before they bought one themselves.

5. The interviewees all said that their exam grades and class grades would be a reflection on the “rightness” of the product. If they were successful in their classes, then they know that the tutoring membership was worth it and they would continue purchasing the membership. However, if they consistently didn’t get the grades that they wanted with the tools the membership provides then they would think the product wasn’t right for them.

Conclusion:

Most people will consult with someone, like their parents, before their purchase. It was also important to get other people’s feedback so they knew the product was effective before buying a membership. Price point and learning style were the most important factors when purchasing a tutoring membership.

14A - Halfway Reflection

1.     I think the only way to keep up with this class is to manage your time appropriately. Unfortunately, I am unable to attend lectures because the time conflicts with another class, so I have to make time to watch the lectures on my own and then designate time to do the extensive interviews that are required for some of the blog posts. I have also learned to not procrastinate because the blog posts cannot be completed in an hour; they require planning and thought.

2.     There was one week towards the beginning of the semester where I had three exams back to back and I still had to make time to watch the ENT3003 lectures and complete the blog posts. I felt like giving up then because I felt overwhelmed. What pulled me through was knowing that I would be able to take a breath afterwards and thinking about how good it would feel to have completed everything. I feel like I have developed a tenacious attitude not just in the past two months, but throughout college. I think all the assignments and exams all pile up at once and you have to develop a tenacious attitude to get through everything.

3.     Tip 1: Don’t leave things to the last minute. There’s no way to complete assignments without planning ahead.

Tip 2: Don’t give up just because you feel overwhelmed. Know that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. If you tell yourself you can’t then you won’t.
Tip 3: Be your own biggest motivator and supporter. You know what you’re capable of, so push yourself; don’t settle for the minimum.

13A - Reading Reflection No. 1

I decided to read about Elon Musk because I’ve been fascinated by him for the last couple of years, and given the fact that he just recently launched a Tesla into space, I wanted to learn more about his life and how he became the way he is.

1.     The thing that surprised me the most was that he read every book in the library and then proceeded to read a couple of encyclopedias. The thing that I most admired about him was that he set extreme goals for himself and even though there were naysayers, he stuck to his guns and accomplished his goals. The thing that I least admire is how he tries to push away his emotions. For example, after the death of his son he did not wallow in sadness and mourn. Elon Musk had several failures and setbacks but he always had a plan and overcame all the obstacles.

2.     I think Elon Musk’s core competency is being able to overcome challenges. He had several failed rocket launches and still persisted. He believed in his abilities and accomplished things that people told him he would never be able to do.

3.     I think I was most confused about why Elon Musk was so skeptical to have a book written about him, and why he wanted to read it and add footnotes before it was published.

4.     I would ask him where he got his work ethic from because there are a lot of people that wouldn't work 24/7 and would give up after a minute failure, but he didn't. I would also ask him why he decided to just launch a Tesla into space because I would never think to do something like that and I would want to know the thought process he had behind it.

5.     I think Mr. Musk believed that the harder you work on something, the better results you will see. He was working 24/7 at the office, so I believe that he values hard work and knows that he will benefit from it.

12A - Figuring out Buyer Behavior No. 1

1.     The segment that I have chosen is Gainesville, Florida because my product is a tutoring service that is geared towards University students, so it seems fitting that I focus on the Gainesville area.

2.     I interviewed two sophomores and a junior as my tutoring service is for students that have started taking classes that focus more on their major rather than general education classes.

3.     The two sophomores stated that they had just begun their transition into their major courses, and it was a kind of shocking change. For them, the classes had been pretty easy up to this point, and they felt like they didn’t have any forewarning before things started getting harder. They felt that a lot more was expected of them without much transition time. The junior student said that this was her hardest semester yet, and she felt like professors and TAs were getting less and less helpful. She said her professor was involved with a lot of research on campus, so she didn’t think she had much access to him. They all felt that a tutoring survive would help them do well in their classes. All of the students I interviewed said that they would use the tutoring service throughout the year to clarify lectures in class, but they would use them much more frequently around exam time so that they were well prepared to pass the exam. As for the where, they would attend in-person teachings and then catch up on things online on their own.

4.     When the students identify their needs, they said they try to form study groups in their classes. They also try to take advantage of videos posted on YouTube and Khan Academy to clarify the concepts.

Conclusion:

Given that Gainesville is primarily made of students and is considered a “college town” I think my tutoring service would be received very well. This segment has tutoring services for general education classes, but not for higher-level classes, and the students I have interviewed have stated their need for tutoring services in these types of classes.