Sketching out the Beginning of the Buyer Behavior Process


1)     Pick a segment
For this assignment, I selected a market segment that would be responsible for choosing a monitoring program and also those who had the means to pay for it. The Government, particularly state and local government will be able to make decisions, since I was unable to contact a local government in the Mid-West, I interviewed contacts that I knew who worked for or with the local government. They have experienced flooding but not the levy system.


2)      Find three people who would fit that segment and arrange to interview them. These interviews, if conducted properly, should take about 10-15 minutes. Any less, and you won't be able to obtain adequate information. 
Interview #1 Civil Engineer based in Florida
Interview #2 Project Manager for Environmental Engineering Company based in Florida
Interview #3 Local Major Assistant
Each interview consisted of the following questions:
When is the “Raining season?”
How does the city respond to flooding?
What systems do you have in place to prevent flooding?
What other flood detection systems are you considering (price included and excluded)?
3)     What I learned:
After completing these interviews there were clear similarities with the technical interviews whereas the local official saw more of an opportunity to learn more about the other options but was not knowledgeable enough to state if it was a good idea. The raining season is usually from May to November which only affects the area during larger storms or hurricanes. Cities use disposable preventative measures like sand bags in dire storms but usually have a floodplain in place to absorb the heavier amounts of rain water and runoff. There is also a Storm water Master Plan which helps to identify, develop, and manage the city’s storm drainage. There are pump stations, canals, and storage areas that remove water from heavy flood areas and relocate them through the tertiary drainage system. The water is drained into grates, ditches, ponds, lakes, and canals.
Since Florida has built a system equipped to handle flooding on a large scale, I believe this is a long term solution for the Midwest as well. In the meantime, pitching a similar monitoring program used by the city was helpful to understand the logistics of the needs of the monitoring system.

4)     How I would describe this segment:
I think that local and state governments would be interested in having a monitoring system to prevent deterioration of levies. This segment would be willing to introduce a cost efficient monitoring system that will help with flooding in farming communities. The segment cares about the citizens effected by flooding.

Comments

  1. Shivani DaveFebruary 21, 2020 at 2:15 PM

    Hi Orlantha! Great points! I also believe that maintaining levy systems around the Missouri River is vital to neighboring communities. A lot of towns in the Midwest depend on the river as a water source, for crop cultivation and other needs. If flooding or other problems are not detected, local communities may be devastated. Therefore, I believe an updated monitoring system is absolutely essential.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Madylin McConnellFebruary 23, 2020 at 2:45 PM

    Hi Orlantha,
    I think you did a good job on picking a market segment that would be interested in your business plan. You improvised by contacting the closest thing that your market segment could find, which I think was very innovative. Based on the information that you gathered, I think this market segment is very willing to utilize your intended business plan.
    ~Mady

    ReplyDelete

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