The Quad Lock Box

Welcome to the 9th edition of the Notes by Chris B Co newsletter. Last week, I ticked off a few more first experiences! Upon reflection, they had much more value than I would have thought beforehand. Hopefully, there’s some value that you can take from my experiences and implement in your own projects.

Here's what I've prepared for you today:

• Quad Lock @ the Moto GP

  • Engaging with customers

  • Target demographic

  • Tips for next year

• What to watch this week

Please find any of my previous editions here if you still need to look at them.

01 / QUAD LOCK @ THE MOTO GP
The Quad Lock Box

A little over seven weeks ago, I started my new role as a Product Design Engineer at Quad Lock. For those who don’t know, Quad Lock creates phone cases, mounts and other accessories across various adventure categories, including cycling, motorcycling and everyday life. I’d known that Quad Lock has a strong customer community, owing to their birth from a Kickstarter campaign. I didn’t fully comprehend the reach of their product and brand and their ability to incorporate themselves with athletes/teams to help spread their message.

Week 1 on the job, and I was already hearing about upcoming events where Quad Lock would have a presence. Given that my first assigned projects were in the moto (motorcycle) space and I had zero knowledge in that area, I was eager to get involved and better understand what the sport is all about. I volunteered to spend a weekend (turned into a single day thanks to 🌧) working in the Quad Lock Box.

As far as pop-up stores go, I’ve never seen anything like it. A forty-foot container, pimped out, full of stock, demo units, big screens and a rooftop viewing platform for the race! My role was to talk with anyone who came to see what we had, answer questions, not make a fool of myself, and sell it to them if anyone wanted to buy something.

Engaging with Customers

This is where the most valuable content of the day came for me. In my 15 years as a designer, never before had I been able to interact face-to-face with customers of the products I’m designing. Obviously, I hadn’t worked on any existing products being sold, but seeing new and current customers interact with the demo products was enormously beneficial.

I could see their curiosity up close—their surprise at the function of the mounting system and products and how strong and secure they are. I could talk with them about their thoughts on the products, their issues, and ideas they’d like to share. It was difficult to bite my tongue and not let on too much about the products in development.

Target Demographic

There were over 32,000 fans in attendance at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix on the day I was there. Sure, they might not all ride motorbikes or care for mounting their phone during transit - but that is a hell of a number of Quad Lock’s target demographic in one area at one time.

Imagine seeing your customers grouped in an area like this. Seeing them interact, move, talk, eat, drink. See how they dress and what they carry with them. Companies would pay in the thousands for these kinds of insights - market and customer insights. Being there for a day filled my knowledge bank of User Persona’s to be used for the following year’s worth of projects.

Tips for next year

Whilst it was a brilliant experience, there was room for improvement. I’ll be using the following notes in my planning before next year’s Moto GP and any other future events that I’ll be fortunate to attend:

1. Product research & pricing 💰
   I would have felt more comfortable conversing with our customers if I had studied our product prices more. After seven weeks, I have a reasonable knowledge of our products, but not their prices.
   

2. Prepare questions 🙋‍♂️
   At points throughout the day, an opportunity would present to talk with an existing customer about their experiences with the products. If I’d prepared a few specific questions about the projects I was working on, perhaps I could take even more value from the experience.
   

3. Bring anti-histamines
   It’s peak hay fever season! 🤧
   

4. Don’t forget to pack shorts and a hat! 😎
   It’s a long day in the box, and there’s plenty of black - staying comfortable physically means you’re better prepared for the mental notes you want to take.

For you to think about

What opportunities exist for you to fast-track your knowledge gains?
Where could you find groups of the people or businesses you are targeting?
What do they consume? And can you do that too?

I’m grateful for the experience afforded me at the Aus Moto GP, but now I’m thinking about where else I can create these opportunities for myself in the future.

02 / WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEK
Make Money Online

With a change of pace, here’s Alex Hormozi’s 10-minute video on how to make money online without feeling sleazy.

I like the pace with which Alex presents his content. I’m working through his two books and finding his insights on marketing and business easy to understand for someone growing up in the digital age.

My take from this video is to keep Giving!
Watch the video, you’ll understand.