guys. i have followed the mail today and I SUPPORT YOUR EFFORTS.
i'm not second-guessing you or trying to put the kabosh on the
guild idea. my input is this: the 'got custom' direction will alienate
alot of consumers. sure, they may read the ad, but i doubt it would
drive them in that direction. my experience is that these days,
especially, the majority of cyclists see framebuilders as being
outside the box. the sex and jazz is all in what the sport and its
heros endorse. custom connotes 'ye old'. 'full of extra frills'.
'any color you want'. 'for the odd-sized only'.
you may want to refocus and delete the word 'custom'.
the fact is, and the word you want to get out, is that you guys
are producing a quality of frame the likes of which a product
designer at trek or specialized couldn't hope to achieve. sure,
you're making some mighty fine 'looking' frames, but the
draw is that each is made with little or no concern with the
bottom line, thus compromise-free. you put all that time and
experience into each one. and what happens at trek and specialized?
each of the thousands of workers involved in the production of
those brands (hopefully) does the best he or she can under the
constraints of the factory environment and the laws of economics
that govern the profit margins in those shops.
you guys answer to no one!
i apologize for now adding this personal touch to this but there is text
in my brochure from 1995 that says, '...the weak link will always be
the work force. At Richard Sachs Cycles I am the work force.'
you can see the entire sentence on my site 'about' page.
if you want to seperate yourself from the mass makers, my 2 cents
is that you find a way to de-emphasize 'custom' and trump up
the fact that the quality you achieve cannot be produced in the
factory brands you'd like to your potential clients to overlook
on their way to choosing you.
e-RICHIE