Rate your ride, get paid
 

I’d like to pay you to do a phone interview with me today (Saturday, March 17, 2007). I’m posting this here because there’s a chance that you have experience with at least one of the models that’s been sold under the Kawasaki-Suzuki partnership that’s existed since 2002.

You’re a good candidate for this interview if your ride is a re-badged Kawasaki or Suzuki, or if it’s a 250cc 4-stroke model that Kawasaki and Suzuki co-developed.

I’ll pay you $5 for the phone interview. I’ll pay you an additional $5 for posting a message to the Forum saying that what I’m offering is legit. Further, I’ll pay you another $5 per person who calls me today because you advised them to (up to the 20th interview that I do overall). So if your 19 friends call me before anyone else, it’s worth $95 to you.

I’ll pay you the first $5 while we’re on the phone. I’ll pay you the rest at the end of the day, when I’ve determined the number of calls to credit to you (and after I’ve viewed your testimonial).

Regarding the interview, it will take 15 minutes, tops. I’ll ask about your satisfaction with the model you purchased and what it means for your future purchase decisions. I’ll also ask you opinion of the Kawasaki-Suzuki alliance, and of each company apart from the alliance.

I’m a business major at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. As part of a marketing course, I need to interview 20 people who have purchased Suzuki or Kawasaki products since the alliance was formed in 2002. It’s tough to find good people to interview, so I’m offering to pay you for your time and effort.

After the interview, I’ll take your information so I can send you a $5 e-card from Circuit City or Amazon.Com, which I’ll process while we’re still on the phone. For additional credits, I’ll send you another e-card in the amount you’re due, from your choice of Circuit City or Amazon.com (these companies have easy-to-email gift cards, they have no stake in this project).

If you’re interested please send an email to me at dbernar1@gmu.edu, or reply via this forum’s private message (I’m a member here, too). Please provide your phone number and the best time for me to call today. Please note this offer is limited to the first 20 replies I receive.

Who I am: My name’s David Bernard. I’m a 37yo grad school student and Vulcan 750 owner. I’m also terrified of anyone with a clipboard who tries to stop me while I’m shopping. That’s why I’m using this forum for the project.

My contact information:
Email: dbernar1@gmu.edu
Phone: 571-263-2131

RE: Rate your ride, get paid
 

Well, I've spent the day conducting surveys on the Kawasaki/Suzuki alliance that's existed since 2002. I still have time for a few more surveys, but I wanted to take a minute to express my appreciation for the responses I've received so far. The information has been most helpful.

What I'm seeing is the alliance was created to 1) enable Kawasaki and Suzuki to meet more pricing points for different product lines, 2) enable Kawasaki and Suzuki to share development costs (the specific example of the 250cc 4-stroke engine comes to mind), and 3) enable Kawasaki and Suzuki to reduce supply costs by combining orders to buy in greater quantities from suppliers. All the while, both companies remained hyper-sensitive to the brand loyalty they have with Kawasaki and Suzuki owners, hence neither company called specific attention to product sharing in their dealings with consumers. The information I did find was mostly in the form of press releases that targeted investors and industry insiders.

Few respondents, for example, realized that the Boulevard M95 Cruiser was a Kawasaki Mean Streak 1600 dressed up to look like a Suzuki. Few respondents realized the the Kawasaki Prairie Line of ATVs was rebadged to give Suzuki a more complete product line. In short, other than the well-known cost differences between Suzuki or Kawasaki as "Japanese" bikes vs. the more expensive Harleys and BMWs, most respondents were unable to cite any examples where the alliance had any impact on them.

Brand loyalty certainly survived the alliance. Even after I informed respondents about the specifics of the alliance, Suzuki owners claimed they would consider only Suzuki products in the future. The same was true with Kawasaki owners, as well.

I'm nearly done with the survey, but if you've had any experiences that differ from what I just outlined, I would like to here from you. My offer from this morning still stands (please see those other posts).

-Dave

thats lots of money..if id had the chance to rate my ride,,it would definitely be a good rating due the the great Center Muffler that I use on my car..