what if?

[exigence]

i preach mac all the time and sell lots of computers as a result. it would be nice if apple kicked down something, based on all the people i've switched. or at least gave me a place to go to get good selling information for the products.

i don't know... what if there was a way to get discounts on apple merchandise by convincing people to buy mac? how many more of us would preach apple's message if it actually recognized our efforts with incentives? (like sell three macs, get 15 percent off a computer or something.) i know i'd sell more. would anybody else?

[Mr. Anderson]

get a friend to switch campaign would be great, but I don't see it happening. They'd end up having to give levels of rebates depending on what you convinced your friend to buy. And then if you happened to convince you company to buy a couple you could get the same thing.

I'd be up one eMac, iMac and TiPB by now :D

D

[jelloshotsrule]

get a job in an apple store.

then you get paid and you get discounts.. double whammy.

[exigence]

i bet if it meant selling a lot more computers, they wouldn't mind tracking rebates.

[howard]

yes it would be nice to get that something extra for people you've switched, but hey you are already in a way, cause if more people buy more macs then apple will do better in the long run, dropping prices or offering more in there machines

[Doctor Q]

How about a system like this: Apple puts up a web page where you can sign-up to be a "Spread-the-Word Member". (I'm sure the Marketing department can think of a better name.) You are given an ID number.

When someone buys a Mac (at least from the online Apple Store), they have a place on one of the forms where they can fill in the ID number of the person who recommended a Mac to them. The recommender gets "Spread-the-Word points" based on the purchase price. The points are good for small discounts, extra downloadable goodies from Apple, the ability to order new items a day early, or some other tidbit.

An idea like this might be successful even if all you get is recognition (your name on an Apple Recommenders web page) - people love to see their own name!

[exigence]

yes. see, that would be very cool. and maybe you could get credit also for bringing someone into an apple retail store to purchase a computer.

[Doctor Q]

Hey, maybe Apple will pay me by the hour to wear my Once you go Mac you never go back! (http://www.macsurfshop.com/product_image.php?imageid=13) T-shirt.

[jefhatfield]

apple needs to gain ground and i have a feeling that they have lost more people over the last 2+ years than gained

when i first joined macrumors in mid-2000, things looked bright and there was a lot of praise for apple

now, with the famous slowdown of moto on chips, and some failed or slow releases, apple has lost a lot of luster

good trends don't last in high tech

[Choppaface]

ya tell a friend and get $50 like that aol program....in fact let's make them aol users too!!! :D