Motorhome consulting

[Grummyb]

I think its a reasonable idea but are going to do face to face or zoom type consulting because if it's face to face that could get expensive for you travelling every where but you won't get the feel for the customer on zoom but my biggest worry would be the sue the arse off you mentality of most folk who decide you have given them the wrong advice or think your on a back hander from the dealer you have recommended because, let's say you get them a van that's totally damp free with a good hab check history and for arguments sake it's £30k but Mr customer has seen the exact same van for sale on EBay with no hab check and to en experienced owner an obvious damp issue but it's £25k it won't take long to get a bad reputation but that's just my take on it

 

[stevewagner]

Good idea in theory and there may well be some interest out there from people new to the pastime. The issue is whether you can convince people to pay for the service. Some people won’t even pay £25 for a damp meter, or for an independent vehicle inspection or even an HPI check.
In addition people’s needs and ideas change so what was a ’must have’ at the time becomes unnecessary later on. Like anything we all gain experience as time goes on and know what works and doesn’t work for us, after all everyday is a school day!
Having said all that it’s worth a try with very little to lose so good luck to you!

 

[Burgo]

I think the biggest problem is extracting what the potential buyer really wants in a motorhome

... Actually, the challenge in all analysis is discerning what the client NEEDS, not what they want. That's the reason we used to pay good Business Analysts a packet - and often more than the System's Analysts for good uns.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Yes, I'd be competing against myself I already have a very useful motorhome buyers guide which I give away for free. It's the one on one thing though, it can be priceless,

Err I don’t think it’s free

Is that the salesman coming out in you

 

[GAVLAD]

Would anyone actually pay a consultants fee to buy their Motorhome?
The concept of it makes sense, but whether someone would actually pay it, I’m not sure.
Would someone pay a finders fee on a car?
I’d have thought that for most people, looking for their van is the most exciting part of it.
Then, everyone wants a deal or a discount when they do find their van.
If they’re not prepared to pay the asking price without negotiating, would they pay a consultation fee?
Motorhome owners usually buy a van, use it and then realise that something isn’t suitable to them so change it. Yes, buying the right van in the first place would save them time and money, but would people pay a fee? I’m not sure.
Most on here nearly had a heart attack when it was announced that the membership fee was going up the first tie in years for a product that is constantly being improved.

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[138go]

For us the problem was, until we had tried the “wrong” motorhome, we didn’t know what the right one was. What we thought we wanted, we didn’t actually want.

 

[Encantador]

'Can of worms' was my first thought when I read the OP. Some people will think they are guaranteed not to make a mistake having paid out for the service. Also a risk of anyone not happy complaining on here.

 

[Swifter]

No thank god, the guy he is talking about is Andrew Ditton, but I dont think Andrew is pushing it now that he has got the manufacturers giving him vehicles to review again.

That’s a relief then .
As Lenny HB would say, when listening to anything Gadget John gives as advice you require an EXTREMELY LARGE dose of salt!( pictured below )
Not to mention the whole Lithium battery episode .
“You put the lithium in ,you put the lithium out , replace with AGM and you shake it all about ,you do the Hokey Cokey and you turn around “( then realise what a incompetent bodger you are and put the lithium back in and delete the evidence )

 

[Landy Andy]

People aren’t honest with themselves with what is required from a motorhome, so I can’t see why they would be to you. Look how many self proclaimed specialsts on here change van every 12/18 months but still tell others what they need.

 

[Carpmart]

Your services (advice) would of course be potentially valuable, your challenge is how would you find your potential customers (how will they find you) at an early enough stage that you can add the value into their decision making process?

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[bobnick]

After our first van we knew what we wanted.
Could we find a van with the layout we wanted, NO.
So compromise was the order of the day starting with MUST HAVE dropping to not too bothered if it ain't got it but a bonus if it has.

Got lots of advice and suggestions on here so a service of your suggestion i think would be a great benefit. We would have used it a year ago.

 

[Glas Robin]

It’s an interesting idea, but I can’t see many people going for it. There just isn’t a tradition of paying up-front consultancy fees in these kinds of purchases in my view - cars, houses, etc.

Given the huge range of freely available research info, expert reviews and advice, why would the “unconsciously incompetent” buyer think they needed to pay for a service? What does it give them that all the free expert advice doesn’t? You’re competing against all that good advice that can be self-accessed. And those who (do or think they do) know what they want are even less likely to pay.

In terms of negotiation, I can see the attraction. But again, people don’t generally do this for car purchases so why for vans? Admittedly something similar exists for house purchases, but it’s not really much more than a messenger service with estate agents. Perhaps a split of the difference in price you negotiate as a success fee might work - but there’d be suspicion it was all a game and you were in it with the sellers.

Sorry to be contrary to much of the thread responses. Given the choice of £250 or £500 quid of consultancy from one source, or a tenth of that on glossy magazines and internet research, I think folk would stick with the tried and tested method.

 

[eddie]

I paid £1000 finders fee to an Estate Agent in 1996 to find us Cornish Farm, we were wasting so much time driving up and down the M5 to Taunton to look a completely useless places, so 120 mile round trip, just to look at the access and say ‘Nah’ despite saying to the selling agent ’imagine we want to drive a National Express coach to the place’

Saved us a lot of time and money

 

[AndyPK]

Personally, I think it’s a terrible idea, and you would get nothing but grief from it, Jim
Do you really need all the hassle on top of what must already be a busy and active life…..?

Whatever you advise/recommend/negotiate, someone will ALWAYS complain and try and trash you and your reputation…….

 

[M-J]

Can’t see it working or being popular.

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[Jim]

Can’t see it working or being popular.

Heard that couple of times before

 

[carolyn]

I know that Nick and I would have been willing to pay that. Our first van worked very well for us for a few years but it was pure luck, we were clueless. Our only criteria was a decent sized bed because of my snoring. We could only get that in a PVC with our budget at that time near us pre internet etc. If we’d bought a coachbuilt we’d have got home and discovered we would struggle to get it between our gateposts off a busy main road. You can do it but it’s a squeeze for a long way up hill with high sides. Long drive with loads of parking but entrance useless, I bet Jim would have thought of that.

We love PVCs , no stress when we arrive home tired and the road’s busy.

 

[artona]

'Dr Jim' has a nice ring to it

 

[CutThroatJake]

A written specification (wish list) from the buyer would be a sensible, if not essential starting point which can be modified and agreed during discussion. Most purchases are a compromise anyway.

Jim isn't offering a 'survey' so faults wouldn't be his responsibility.

Agree on both points but on point two the general public don't always see things the same way and will happily be keyboard warriors if they have paid for (what I think will save them thousands in the long run) a 'service' and things go wrong beyond the service providers control...just my opinion of course

In reality I suppose the other way of finding the right layout is to hire 3-4 different vans (which is what we did) costing us well over £2,000.00 to know we wanted an island bed layout, or, as many have done, buy 3-4 vans until they find their ideal layout

 

[Spriddler]

Agree on both points but on point two the general public don't always see things the same way and will happily be keyboard warriors if they have paid for (what I think will save them thousands in the long run) a 'service' and things go wrong beyond the service providers control...just my opinion of course

Yep, I do agree - I've first hand frustration of dealing with the public's naïve expectations. I used to restore and repair classic cars and e.g. after fixing a customer's brakes they'd be back two weeks later holding me responsible for the clutch packing up.

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[eddie]

Heard that couple of times before

Can you imagine a young bloke called Mark pitching for a website where vacuous people post pictures of their dinner and thousands of strangers "like" it

 

[Spriddler]

Can you imagine a young bloke called Mark pitching for a website where vacuous people post pictures of their dinner and thousands of strangers "like" it

.........and whose idea of interesting Fun is sharing their experience of a colonoscopy?
Nah, it'll never work.

 

[TerryL]

I can see how folk might initially welcome the idea, also I can see all of us established motorhomers wanting to help newcomers avoid the problem of the "third motorhome" syndrome.

But if you think about it, even that first choice must have been right at the time, otherwise why buy it. (Okay you'll never help the idiots). It's only after their first experience that the cracks begin to show - and that may be nothing to do with their purchase, just the "idea" of motorhoming didn't turn out to be what they expected. At that stage it's easy to blame the van.

We were lucky, but then again were we? Our story has been published in the Mag and it all comes down to proper research. I don't know what shape or form a consultancy Jim has in mind but surely any potential purchaser must at least be given some idea of the huge range of vans out there - not sure a face to face session is going to cover that, the "client" needs to see for themselves. This is something our community is always pushing when the first post "I'm looking to buy my first motorhome" appears.

So, Jim, my opinion is that your original publication should be an excellent start and has much potential for expansion in line with your thinking, with of course proper remuneration. (You could maybe include an offer of a personalised service within it).As for going to a full consultancy personally I think you're stirring up a whole pot of potential problems, which you don't need given the terrible time you and Sian have had over the past few years.

But if there is one thing I've learned in life, you cannot stop enthusiam.

I could go on for hours but I think that's enough for now. I'll finish with a final thought.

All the motorhome dealers would go bust if they didn't have a regular turnover of 6 month old "wrong" vans......

 

[uzsnowdrop]

People aren’t honest with themselves with what is required from a motorhome, so I can’t see why they would be to you. Look how many self proclaimed specialsts on here change van every 12/18 months but still tell others what they need.

I’ve had 4 , still no clue

 

[cyberyacht]

Unless you have unlimited funds "everything" is a compromise.

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[SpeedyDux]

Can you imagine a young bloke called Mark pitching for a website where vacuous people post pictures of their dinner and thousands of strangers "like" it

Didn't it start off as a student website for the fellers to rate female attractiveness ... sure-fire winner until feminism reached their campus.

[I could be wrong.]

 

[Clipgate]

Professional indemnity in the motor trade is relatively inexpensive.
Mine is around £350 for £1m indemnity.
Will require professional qualifications of course.

 

[reckless]

For us the problem was, until we had tried the “wrong” motorhome, we didn’t know what the right one was. What we thought we wanted, we didn’t actually want.

Agreed. And the expectation that Jim's service will *guarantee* they will be 100% happy with their 1st van.
Newbies to motorhoming are often advised to visit dealers and go inside as many vans as possible, different sizes, layouts etc. This can prove very difficult especially in current times of shortages. When we started out 8 years ago we would have welcomed a 'tame' selection of motorhomes for us to look inside. Not sure if this is something Jim could organise via friends/members etc.
We're on our 3rd motorhome and its definitely not the right one

 

[Otter Spotter]

At £300 an hour your Financial advisor should be advising you to become a Financial advisor.

Professional indemnity in the motor trade is relatively inexpensive.
Mine is around £350 for £1m indemnity.
Will require professional qualifications of course.

What ‘Professional’ qualifications could Jim do? Do the Dealers bother with PI or any sort of qualifications?

 

[Glas Robin]

I paid £1000 finders fee to an Estate Agent in 1996 to find us Cornish Farm, we were wasting so much time driving up and down the M5 to Taunton to look a completely useless places, so 120 mile round trip, just to look at the access and say ‘Nah’ despite saying to the selling agent ’imagine we want to drive a National Express coach to the place’

Saved us a lot of time and money

Fair enough - but that was in the days before Rightmove and Google streetview. There is now an abundance of free expert information out there for every purchase. The trick with your proposal is to define what your USP is that exceeds what is already free. I think it's a tough gig - but if you think the market exists then I wish you well. Presumably this thread is part of your market research/business planning process?

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