[Jewelry making - Article 01027] - Re: [Orchid] 3Design Jewel

[Neil George]

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    Dear Karen, Thank you for the response, and I will clear up any
    misunderstandings. 

>         Neil,  I had, in reading your original post, assumed that you
>     had simply left off the traditional "just a satisfied customer" tag
>     to indicate that you had no connection to the company producing the
>     product, and that your review was, therefore, unbiased.  Your reply
>     cleared that up, and I now understand that you are involved in
>     marketing the product and possibly investing in it.  That gives me
>     a different take on your defense of it. 

    If this was the case at the time I wrote the post, and that I was
    indeed a reseller for 3Design, you would have been 100% correct in
    your assumptions.There was no intention to come in through the back
    door, and to fool anyone, because in my opinion honesty is the best
    practice. I hope you do not think that I would be naive enough to
    think that something like this would not come back and bite me. The
    reseller part came ****after the fact****, which is why it was
    included in my reply to Mr. Denayer. I knew I would get some flack
    once that was put in there, but I prefer to put my cards on the table
    come what may. I knew I would get the chance to clear it up and thank
    you for the oppurtunity to do so. 

>         At any rate, I think you seriously misconstrued my comments
>     regarding the product's price.  I am not knocking the product or
>     its possible ability to improve some jewelers' productivity. 
>     However, the entry point for purchasing an initial license of
>     roughly $5000 makes it unaffordable for many SMALL and INDEPENDENT
>     designers and jewelers, even when that cost is amortized over
>     years. 

    I guess I get carried away with the fact that not all business
    people think the same. I am very aggressive in the pursuit of new
    technologies and I am even more aggressive in investing into it,
    therefore I guess I have to identify with the fact that we are all
    not in the same boat and I apologies for that. However, I do believe
    that nothing is out of reach if it really needs to happen, and it is
    the right choice to make. The things I say are meant to be taken as a
    different way of looking at things, and not to infuriate or
    antagonize those that may not have the same mind set as myself. I am
    a very giving person by nature, and I feel very good about myself,
    especially if I helped another who is not as fortunate. Therefore,
    what I offer are sincere facts from my own experiences. Is it
    valuable to you or anyone else, I have no idea, but it is there for
    the taking. 

>         Many of us have already made the investment in Rhino and
>     Flamingo -- that cost included not only software, but computer
>     platform to process efficiently, courses, and learning curve.  Once
>     that investment is made on a mental and fiscal basis, your argument
>     must be much more compelling than the one stated to impel change
>     that involves Relearning and Reworking process as well as software.
>      The true cost of change of this nature isn't the cost of the
>     software -- it's the cost of the software combined with lost
>     productivity while learning the new software, the "lost" cost of
>     the old software if not fully amortized, the cost of transitioning
>     existing designs and design libraries into the new software, time
>     to spend on courses and tutorials to learn the new software, etc. 

    Your points are indeed valid if you merely look at them from your
    point of view. I prefer to think outside of the box. My thinking is
    that your current solutions are not made redundant, they are still
    the primary vehicle for you to deal with your day to day business.
    Therefore in this manner, 3Design becomes the secondary tool for your
    business until you are up to speed. Once up to speed, it either
    becomes your primary tool, or works side by side with Rhino as
    another powerful solution. 

    I run 8 different solutions here, therefore in a nutshell, in this
    technological arena, to stay ahead of the game, you will be the
    perpetual student. Oh my god, did I just identify myself as a student
    :-) 

>         In the software industry -- where I spent over 20 years before
>     going full time with my jewelry work -- we knew that the hardest
>     thing to do was to convert a customer (even a dissatisfied one)
>     from a competitor's product.  The argument made must be incredibly
>     compelling and the customer had to see the COST of STAYING, rather
>     than the cost of moving.  Additionally, the price points had to be
>     very carefully targeted to the demographic segment we were
>     addressing within that market. 

    I do agree with your points, but I do things differently here. At
    the time of my post, I was offering information, and nothing else,
    however what I do bring to the table, is *not* an ability to
    communicate in writing why you should consider what I tell you, but
    by saying "hey Karen, get on a plane and come here" This way, there
    is no talking sales, it is infact a hands on evaluation. My
    philosophy is that if I cannot show you how to go from A to Z and you
    actually see it is being done the way you think it should be done,
    then you already have the answers first hand. 

    Selling software is a hobby that apparently pays and nothing else.
    Making some money on a piece of software does not change my life, I
    do it because I enjoy it, and I want to help others. As a matter of
    fact, it is far less productive financially for me to do so, because
    the support required to service the customers in fact loses me money
    in comparison to what I make in general doing my daily tasks. So
    please do not for one minute think that my situation resembles
    others, in that I do it for the financial gain. Far from it. 

>         If you are looking to convert small, independent artisan
>     jewelers, I truly believe your price point is too high for MOST of
>     us.  On the other hand, if you are looking toward high-volume
>     production jewelers, then you may be right on target.  I believe
>     that must be what you're targeting based on your statement that you
>     cannot view this as a single-user entity.  But if that's the case,
>     the marketing materials (Webster) should clearly state that, which
>     they do not. 

    It is targeted at all aspects and roles within the jewellery
    industry and you may be right in that it is out of reach for many.  I
    guess I have to back off on this subject, because, can't in this
    context is not a word that I personally associate myself with and
    that may be the problem here. If it needs to be done, I will find a
    way to do it, but not everyone is the same, and I respect that. 

>         I applaud you and your company for looking "outside the box"
>     and coming up with "pay for play" solutions and possible alliances
>     with service bureaus.  If you can get some of the better service
>     bureaus to agree to make the investment, that will remove part of
>     the barrier to entry for some. 

    Thank you for the compliment, and finally I can chalk one up on the
    board for me :-) 

>         I have to tell you, though, that I was amused by the following
>     quote: Yes home cooking like mama used to make, is all very nice
>     and gives us all a warm feeling, but who has the time today to prep
>     all of the required ingredients with just a knife. Been in a fine
>     restaurant's kitchen lately?  Prep is done with a knife almost
>     exclusively -- knife skills are taught as a full semester course
>     at cooking schools and a well-trained chef can outperform a food
>     processor for just about any task.  It's largely the
>     less-experienced home user / hobbyist who relies on the
>     productivity enhancing tools like the food processor.  Extending
>     that analogy to the software model, the functionality of 3Design
>     would be more attractive to the hobbyist/casual designer rather
>     than the professional.  NOT that I think that's true -- just
>     pointing out that the obvious isn't always what you think it is. 

    I eat at fine restaurants quite often, well let me say, what they
    consider to be fine restaurants here in Florida. Egon Ronay would
    probably not be thrilled and I fully understand why, but I might add,
    I do not make it a habit of going into the kitchen. My job is to pay
    the bill and tip accordingly. :-) 

    It was directed at all scenarios in my opinion. This last week, I
    was turning on the machines at 6am and leaving at 11pm, therefore it
    does apply to my level of productivity as well as the hobbyist.
    Across the board,  I think we all could do with more time, but your
    analogy was very cute :-) 

>         Either way, you should re-think some of your approach to
>     student licensing.  What students in art school are exposed to and
>     learn to use -- and to make "sing" -- is what they will leave that
>     school with a powerful loyalty to.  Right now, they are leaving
>     those schools with good knowledge of Rhino/Flamingo.  They are
>     going to employers who are looking for expertise in Rhino/Flamingo,
>     which they have installed and invested in.  OR, they are going to
>     smaller employers who are thinking about expanding into CAD... they
>     become evangelists for the technology they know and influence the
>     purchase of Rhino. 

    Kindly look at my reply to Mr. Denayer, I answered this one there.
    The scenario you point out, is only part of the equation. It is in my
    opinion a much larger issue. 

>         One way to influence change is to start with the students. 
>     You do that with student/educator pricing that is attractive to the
>     school community.  You get the teachers to learn the product and
>     they become your marketing tool, convincing the administration to
>     invest in a lab license for a course they will teach on it.  They
>     attract students and teach them, then those students take the
>     message of how great the software is out into the world. 

    I also touched on this in my reply to Mr. Denayer. 

>         Viewing students as "competitors" simply because they have the
>     same software available to them (albeit at a lower cost than you
>     paid) is like Picasso worrying about students being able to get a
>     discount on their oil paints and canvas at the local art store. 
>     It's not about the price of the software -- it's about what you
>     bring to it in design sense and ability.  I don't know of a single
>     student who has the mature design sense and knowledge of
>     engineering required to outdesign most of the members of this
>     list... people like Sam Patania, Cynthia Eid, Trish MacAleer, Peter
>     Rowe, and many others too numerous to name.  Students are using the
>     same equipment that these people are using, but don't have a mature
>     vision that comes from living the art for a length of time.  No
>     software in the world will give them that... it only comes from
>     experience and life.... it's something that I and many other aspire
>     to. 

    Your points are indeed noted and I concur that there is validity  in
    what you say and I respect the fact. 

    My mistake was generalizing your segment of the industry with mine,
    when as a matter of fact they are completely different. My job is to
    build the necessary tooling to manufacture the pieces and not on the
    creative side of actually designing original pieces of art. My
    company is strictly in the design of specialized tooling to make it
    efficiently and therefore I do apologize for the confusion. The
    individuals you mentioned are a rare breed, and should be commended
    for that fact alone, but I was not thinking in the realms of these
    kinds of artistic individuals. 

    I was addressing, and in fact identifying the students as
    individuals who do nothing else than translate those paper designs or
    sketches into 3D models, and with the help of intuitive tools with
    built in Libraries can essentially perform the tasks of 3D modeling
    as readily as you or I and that was the tangent I was on. 

    The fact that I created 3D models for designers who had no ability
    to manufacture, whether in equipment or knowledge was the whole
    essence of my thinking, and the student was to be seen as a CAD
    operator rather than a true designer such as yourself. The CAD
    operator scenario was the one I meant to address and nothing more.
    Again sorry for the confusion. 

    Now the important part. Depriving the student of software or
    solutions was not for you to think I was running scared, because in
    reality, the level of investment I have here is to the tune of
    $500,000, therefore they are a long way off in making a dent in my
    business. However, I was in fact voicing my customers opinions to the
    mere fact of discounted software being in the market place. How do
    you think I feel, and further how do I even explain to them, why they
    paid top dollar for their solution when others are not. You may have
    thought that I was being a cry baby, when in reality it was my
    concern for my customer's well being that was the real issue. Many
    of my customers are CAD operators, and I am only concerned for them
    to have the ability to earn a decent living on as level a playing
    field as is possible, and not for my personal gain. 

    I hope your reply will allow me to add some more to the board as a
    successful reply :-) 

That's all for now.

Best Regards.
Neil George
954-572-5829


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