1) How much of an influence do your fellow posters have on your buying habits?
I' d have to say that honestly the only influence fellow posters have on my buying habits come in the form of products that I would not normally try because I am set in a certain ' Comfort Zone' of gear. If I hear enough of a good thing that I think might fit my style of shooting or hunting it might (and has) persuade me to at least get my hands on the product in question. I tend to make my own decisions from there and VERY VERY rarely do I buy things blind.
2) Do you find that your fellow posters good experiences are more often correct than not in your case?
I take many " endorsements with a grain of salt........no offense to this type of guy , but its very easy to see the member who has limited knowledge of a wide variety of a certain product , be it bows, arrows etc. Its hard to get excited about a memebr who is gushing about how quiet, shock free and fast etc. his new bow is when their last one was a PSE G-Force in 1996.
Not saying the person doesn' t have a right to tell the world how proud he/she is of their new purchase........its just that this type of post doesn' t get me too god awful fired up.
The posts that carry more weight for me are the ones that include gear I' ve tried against a new product in a head to head type honest comparison........my opinion might not ultimately be the same, but its gonna get my interest. And when a person can evaluate the good AND bad of a product it shows a deeper vein of thought above and beyond the " New Toy Syndrome"
3) Are you more inclined to go with word of mouth advertising (like here on HBBS), commercial advertising (from the manufacturer), or pro-shop recommendation?
I' ll go word of mouth entirely from people I trust.......the only good I find in Magazine ads are the initial pictures many times in advance of the " whatever" hitting shop shelves.
4) To what degree are you skeptical of people promoting product who work for the company, are staff shooters, or sell the products for a living? A lot? A little?
Oh I' d say about 95%.
Seriously......Unless its someone I know personally its tough to listen. I' m not gullible that' s for sure.
5) In relation to number 4: Even if that “biased individual” (cause they sell the product or work with/for the company in some manner) is also making constructive criticisms about said product, are you less likely to dismiss the product? e.g. I used to be on the HCA dealer staff back in the mid 1990’s. If you walked into my shop and in discussing the bows I was mostly positive about the line, but I was also straight-forward enough to make some criticisms, would you be more likely to buy the product or less? (I.e. If the criticisms were minor, would you appreciate the honesty and go ahead w/ the purchase, or would you be scared to buy the product because I didn’t make it out to be the Holy Grail?)
I can usually tell when someone is " Out There" ........it pays to have some well rounded knowledge, and ask plenty of questions. If the guy is full of it you' ll be able to tell.
I would be more inclined to listen to a staff member who gives a " well rounded" view of the product, what it can AND can' t do and who should be using it.
If its being touted as the absolute BEST in any situation, for EVERY person you' ve probably already lost me.
If it' s an buddy I trust who has knowledge of many products within that category saying that........Oh yeah I' m listening!
6) How influential are your hunting buddies on your buying decisions? Do you tend to gravitate towards the same gear that they have or vice-versa? (I see this all the time @ the shop I help out at)
Not much at all........I' m kind of a loner in this regard. I usually tend to research a product on my own and if it works or I think it will work I' ll give it a whirl. Not too concerned about what the next guy is shooting.
I See much more of this in the loyal " Shop" guys, who take for gospel whatever the particular shop owner recommends........usually it doesn' t vary much. I see much more variety in gear from the guys who tend to work on their own bows.
Hmmmmmmmmm...... I wonder what product you are referring to when you say:
Currently I’m finding new confidence in a product I had previously dismissed because the quality has improved greatly since I last tested it/them.
