Leica. Why such a half backed business plan?

[jdlaing]

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I wonder what the break even point for Leica is in terms of units sold? The 10% of the customer base could be a significant portion of overall profits.

 

For M bodies only......maybe.

Let's not forget Leica sells more than M bodies.

To think that some people are angry enough to never buy Leica products again over one body and that it will harm the company is delusional.

[dwbell]

To think that some people are angry enough to never buy Leica products again over one body and that it will harm the company is delusional.

 

Who said that?

[pop]

That was exactly my point about Leica's 'Prescribed wording', I'm glad we agree.

 

FYI please see this thread: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/280795-q-leica-m-type-240-strap.html#post2388167

[dwbell]

Yeah, I read it, also read the prescribed wording that was emailed to me. Don't necessarily believe either.

[pop]

Oh, well.

[wlaidlaw]

For M bodies only......maybe.

Let's not forget Leica sells more than M bodies.

To think that some people are angry enough to never buy Leica products again over one body and that it will harm the company is delusional.

 

I think many of us are as disappointed for Leica as we are at Leica.

 

For a company to bring out their main/halo product and put it in customers' hands, without ensuring that at least the simplest accessories are available simultaneously, is an inexcusable management failure. If you have ended up in this unfortunate situation, perhaps through unavoidable circumstances, you could gain kudos and perhaps even sympathy by being 100% up-front and honest with your often long term and committed customer base. It would seem to me that telling them exactly why these accessories were not available, together with game plan of their availability, including a timetable, would help in addition.

 

It is the same old story - under-promise, over-deliver and keep your clients fully informed. It is not being an armchair CEO: It is just common sense and lessons learnt, often from bitter experience for many of us, who have formed and run successful businesses over the years.

 

Wilson

[jdlaing]

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I think many of us are as disappointed for Leica as we are at Leica.

 

For a company to bring out their main/halo product and put it in customers' hands, without ensuring that at least the simplest accessories are available simultaneously, is an inexcusable management failure. If you have ended up in this unfortunate situation, perhaps through unavoidable circumstances, you could gain kudos and perhaps even sympathy by being 100% up-front and honest with your often long term and committed customer base. It would seem to me that telling them exactly why these accessories were not available, together with game plan of their availability, including a timetable, would help in addition.

 

It is the same old story - under-promise, over-deliver and keep your clients fully informed. It is not being an armchair CEO: It is just common sense and lessons learnt, often from bitter experience for many of us, who have formed and run successful businesses over the years.

 

Wilson

 

I agree with you.

Except for being disappointed forLeica. We may never know what went wrong. Maybe we shouldn't know.

 

There has been a whole lot of conjecture and statements about what should have been done without knowing the underlying reasons.

 

If and when an M becomes available to me I may or may not buy one for myself. I shot with one so I know what it's like.

 

With so many here saying "I have to have it right now and Leica is scum for not delivering" or threatening to abandon the brand doesn't make them appear any faster. There are really no alternatives to a rangefinder body with the quality and features available. Just other brand trade offs.

[CaptZoom]

Leica spends millions to build a new boutique and gallery in Los Angeles, invites celebrities and photography luminaries from around the world, and at the grand opening party has how many M240s on hand for guests to see and try?

 

Zero.

 

Lmao

[dwbell]

With so many here saying "I have to have it right now and Leica is scum for not delivering" or threatening to abandon the brand doesn't make them appear any faster.

 

Who said that?

[dwbell]

Oh, well.

 

I don't limit my distrust of 'spin' to just Leica.

[Tonki-M]

this is from Petapixel.com's review of the X Vario

"How should I describe the Leica X Vario? It’s as if Leica engineers met at the cafeteria and decided Fuji wasn’t kicking their a** hard enough with the X100/X100s. “Hey, let’s challenge the Fuji XE-1 with a new camera. We will up the ante this time… let’s be double the price of Fuji, AND we will not have interchangeable lens!” Guffaws exploded across the cafeteria as the engineers outlined more specifications to make life living hell for the Leica sales team.

 

And then the engineers invited the Leica marketing folks to join in the fun. The head of marketing exclaimed, “Let’s do a teaser for the camera and call it a ‘Mini M’. Imagine the look on the consumers face when they try to change the lens on the new camera!” The laughter was so loud that the Fuji folks heard it halfway across the globe and wondered what Leica was up to."

 

funny bit if you ask me.

[Paul J]

Interesting....this X Vario equivalent came out today at...erm...£675

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[Paul J]

Oh it gets worse....it has interchangable lenses too body for £599.00

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[dkCambridgeshire]

this is from Petapixel.com's review of the X Vario

"How should I describe the Leica X Vario? It’s as if Leica engineers met at the cafeteria and decided Fuji wasn’t kicking their a** hard enough with the X100/X100s. “Hey, let’s challenge the Fuji XE-1 with a new camera. We will up the ante this time… let’s be double the price of Fuji, AND we will not have interchangeable lens!” Guffaws exploded across the cafeteria as the engineers outlined more specifications to make life living hell for the Leica sales team.

 

And then the engineers invited the Leica marketing folks to join in the fun. The head of marketing exclaimed, “Let’s do a teaser for the camera and call it a ‘Mini M’. Imagine the look on the consumers face when they try to change the lens on the new camera!” The laughter was so loud that the Fuji folks heard it halfway across the globe and wondered what Leica was up to."

 

funny bit if you ask me.

 

And Mandy Rice Davis' famous quote said ...

 

dunk

[Ecaton]

No idea about their business plan, never saw one, never read one. All I know as a Leica customer is that M240 and MM camera models and most M-lenses are "out of stock". D-Lux6, V-Lux 40, X2 and even new X1 and X-Varios are laying around plenty on dealers shelfs.