Maybe I Should Rent Auto Brand Emblems

The other day I received a targeted email relating pre-owned automobiles to pre-owned computers and laptops. The more I thought about it, the more the thought interested me, especially after a call from one of our customers.

 

A large corporation that we deal with often wanted to donate a number of used computers to a school that their president supports. The result was that the person handling the donation eventually wanted the option of new and not pre-owned. I kept thinking about the pre-owned automobile email.

 

His reasoning, I believe, was that it was an easy choice for someone who didn’t understand what a pre-owned computer was and an even “safer” approach for the person whose job most likely depended on it.

 

When you look at the used car industry, there are all kinds of price ranges based upon the brand name. You could buy a brand new low-end model for $9,999 or a 3-4-year-old top-of-the-line pre-owned model for $29,000 and up. It all depends on what kind of brand name image you’re looking for, and only somewhat on the engineering you want.

 

One could say that the high-end model is priced that way based upon the engineering of the car. Of course, status also factors into the price. But most of the time, the familiar notion of you get what you pay for is the norm when it comes to any car.

 

So what is it about computers that accounts for the difference in price points on new models? Why does Dell or HP sell a $399 entry level and a $999 business machine?  Status? I don’t think so. Competition is extreme in this market, and most of the machines are like the Henry Ford Model T—basic black in color. Perhaps you should instead focus on the you get what you pay for as the real answer for the differences between business-grade and entry level computers.

 

But it’s new! And the price of a new computer could even be below the used price point. So what it really comes down to is knowledge about new price points and why they exist, and then deciding if that 3-4-year-old computer can serve a basic need, such as use in schools.

 

For most people and most businesses, the computer is used only for basic processes--surfing the web, sending and receiving emails, doing word processing and spreadsheets. So why do people buy new instead of old in that case? Perhaps because they just don’t know and apparently don’t much care about the environment (that’s another discussion entirely.)

 

I would like to suggest to Ford, Mercedes, Lexus and especially GM that they could be earning additional revenue based upon letting us use your company emblems on pre-owned computers. This would lead to instant recognition of the different values in the pre-owned computer market. I would love to send my Mom into a Micro Center store and see that 3-4-year-old desktop with the Mercedes emblem on the top of that Red Rabbitt! I wouldn’t even need to ask the sales reps for help. Instead, I would simply look for the company’s emblem. Then I would know what I needed.

Comments

[Dennis Bowling]

Never thought of it that way 'out loud' but have bought many used units in last 5-7 years because I could give up just a little processor speed and get twice the memory and hhd on a Name Brand pc/laptop for less money!! Has always worked well for my riends and I.