Helping 2013

Interviewee: Jaime Plascencia
Interview: April 20, 2012, 12:50 [approx.]
[Note: Normal= Interviewee, Bold= Interviewer]

[1] What ideas do you have for your senior project?

Well right now I’m just brain storming- I don’t have any ideas. I do have a few interests though that I’d like to somehow turn into [a] senior project. I like soccer, [and] I’m also very interested in weapons mechanics and stuff like that. Other than that, I’m not really sure exactly what I want to do, but I’ll probably come up with something over the summer. 

I’ve been playing soccer since I was like, in the 6^th grade. I used to do baseball, but I kind of let that go, and then I got into soccer. I’ve played a lot since then, and it’s just something that I really like, and… it should be really fun to make a project out of something I really enjoy.

When I was little my dad had guns, and we’d always used to go hunting in Mexico. We’d go up in the sierras- they’re like mountains in Spanish- and we’d go hunting quails. I always had to carry my dad’s one chamber rifle. It wasn’t like the strongest in the world, but it was fun. From there I just started exploring different weapons and it’s something I’m really interested in too.

I think both of those ideas can work out really well… I feel like I haven’t heard many weapons senior projects but I have heard a lot more soccer projects. The weapon idea seems like you have a little bit more of a personal connection to it.

Yeah, it does. I’d like to do that, but my only problem would be finding somebody. We’re supposed to have like a mentor or a professional in the field, right?  I don’t know any professionals in the field. I don’t have any connections other than what I already know and looked up.  I probably have to look around over the summer to find someone who’s experienced in that field.

[2] Yeah, that was actually my next question. What do you plan to do to complete those ten hours [over the summer]?

I could probably choose like a workshop if they have something. I just have to see who knows about this and then see what they do and hopefully they’ll let me volunteer with them. Honestly, I have no idea [what to do for the weapons, but] I’m  going to start on that.

If I were to do soccer- I referee soccer and I also play. The referee one would be easier for me to do, as far as the academic portion of it goes. When you play, you can talk to your coach but you can only [learn] so much [from] him then somebody who’s already been playing soccer for a long time like myself. I already know a lot about the sport. But refereeing- there’s always something to learn. The rules are changing every year. We have professional referees in the league- [the one I know is] FIFA accredited and everything so he can probably be my instructor and mentor for that. That would be a lot easier for me instead of the weapons one.

Soccer sounds like a really good idea. Weapons- you could probably look around, because I know that there are some shooting ranges and gun stores around the area. You could probably look around there for someone who’s accredited. 

[3] What do you hope to see or expect to see when watching the class of 2012 present their two hour presentations?

Well, I’ll go in hoping to learn something just [to get a] feel or just to see what to or not to do next year so that I don’t make the same mistakes. Or even better [if it was good], do the same thing they did. I actually want to see how effective it would be for them to grab people’s attention using very different methods- whether it be like a visual aid… or the activities. [I] just to see what grabs people’s attention; what are people interested in when the person or the teacher is up there doing their thing. I think [for the senior project] you can do all of the work in the world, but if you don’t grab people’s attention, [then] it’s pretty much all for nothing.

That’s pretty true. When you’re watching the two hour presentation, keep in mind that we’re presenting our research, so you should actually watch for if our sources are credible or not. That’s something you should use for your project too. Make sure that, whatever senior project you end up doing, all of your sources are credible enough because that’s what gives your project some value. Also, we have a thirty minute speaking requirement, so you could [try to] help us out by asking us a lot of questions. It might help us add something that we forgot to the information we planned to present.

[4] Do you have any questions for me about your senior project?

Well, not anything that comes to mind right now, but I guess while I’m watching these presentations, I’ll probably come up with something like because I have to see the presentation in order to understand it and in turn- be able to ask questions.

I see you have really good ideas right now, and you have a really good idea on what to do. The four interviews that you’re going to have to do are really, really valuable. Now, a lot of seniors are quoting them because of how useful they are, so make sure you take advantage of them and ask a lot of questions. Try and get your service learning person since you have to do ten hours over the summer, and you get that service learning done. Take advantage of whatever you do or learn in service learning. If there are any opportunities, take it.  Whatever happens, make sure you’ll be able to use whatever you learn throughout your entire life. I might not become a marketer, but at least I know how the process works and I now understand it. A lot of people use some of the stuff that they did now for future careers.

Yeah, that’s what I’m doing for this project. It’s stuff that I would be interested in doing all my life. It’s not just stuff to get me out of high school, but it’s actually something that I want to pursue.

Fourth Interview Questions

Interviewee: Mrs. Bonus, CEO of AEON Medical Equipment and Supplies Inc.

1. Why did you take on this job and this business?
2. Did anyone introduce you or help you out when you were first getting into this business? How did they do so?
3. Do you train other marketers, or do any sort of training? What do you teach them about?
4. How do you establish these relationships between other doctors, suppliers, and manufacturers?
5. Has there been any situations in which there relationships have benefited both the company and the client?
6. Why do you set up the prices that the way that they are, other than MAP resons?
7. What happens if there was a client that came by and couldn't pay for anything (for whatever reason possible.)
8. How do you determine which manufacturers to do business with?
9. How do you pick, from a variety of products that serve the same purpose, which one to receive from the manufacturer?
10. When is it appropriate to involve the family members of your client in the purchase?
11. Do you train your employees in regards as to how to treat you clients? What do you instruct them to do?
12. What is the most important role of a medical equipment and supply company?
13. Do you really need to have a marketing background to be able to market medical supplies? What kind of background or knowledge should you have when marketing medical supplies?
14. What kind of skills should a person in your field have in order to do an effective job?
15. When do you feel as if you've done your job properly?
16. Have there been any marketing tactics or strategies that you've tried, but they didn't work out?
17. Do you have a different way of marketing mobility supplies versus mobility supplies?
18. What do you think is most important when marketing medical supplies?
19. How much of a responsibility do you feel you have for your clients?
20. What is your goal when marketing medical supplies?

Third Interview Questions- Revised

(because I now have service learning and a better EQ)

There are some bugs right now with the computers in the office, so I don't know if my main interviewee will be available. But I do have someone I can interview just in case.

1. What is important in marketing a product?
2. How do you define marketing?
3. How did you determine who your target audience is?
4. How important is your target audience?
5. Why does your company choose to specialize in mobility and respiratory supplies?
6. Who are the people that come in here once in a while? (referring to meetings during the week)
7. How exactly do you distribute medical supplies?
8. How do you choose your suppliers?
9. How do you market medical supplies?
10. What do the supplier representatives do to make sure that you remain their distributor?
11. How often to do communicate with your clients, and how do you communicate with them?
12. How important is communication and relationships to your company?

Third Interview Questions

Interviewee: TBD once I find a service learning place that will take me in. 

1. What is important in marketing a product?
2. How do you define marketing?
3. Does bad press affect how you market a product?
4. How do you determine what demographic and target audience you need to market to?
5. How do you determine what methods of marketing would be most affective on said audience?
6. What would be considered a bad or an unsuccessful marketing campaign?
7. Are there any basic rules of marketing a product that I should follow/ am not already aware of?
8. What do you think about businesses that keep connected with their customers after their initial purchase?
9. Is it possible to keep customer relationships in a negative way, and does that affect the sales of the product?
10. Why is communicating with the different departments of what you are selling important? How important is it?

Second Interview Questions

This week, I’m trying to look for different marketing or and departments to do my service learning with. When I’m trying to decide between places, some of the basic questions I may ask them will include:

1. Do you focus more on brand/product management, promotion, research, or advertising?

2. What companies/groups have you previously done marketing campaigns for?

3. What type of marketing do you focus on? Traditional marketing, or new media marketing?

4. How often do you have to work on marketing campaigns?

5. If I were to do my service learning for your firm/ company, what would I be doing that would help me learn more about the marketing business?

Once I decide on a place, I want to ask them the following questions, to learn a little bit more about them.

1. What are you responsible for in the marketing department?

2. What did you major in, and how did it help you get into this position?

3. What work experience did you have in business/marketing prior to your current job?

4. How is you marketing department compared to those similar to you in the area?

5. What Is your goal when you try to market a good/service?

Interview Check

1. I am going to try and interview Andrea Haupert, a sales representative from Herff Jones in Colorado. She was my color group instructor for the “Business of Yearbooks” class I took at yearbook camp. She also spoke about the different ways of promoting and marketing a yearbook to the school by taking advantage of the many things found on the internet. I want to interview her because that class was the one that sparked my interest in the first place. Prior to, I had no idea how much work was involved in basic marketing. Since marketing is still a broad topic, I want to hear the input of someone whose job mixes a lot of the different aspects of it, and see where to go from there.

2. Along with the five required questions, I am hoping to ask her:
-What do you think marketing is?
-What exactly is your job and what does it entail?
-How and why did you become a sales rep?
-What prior experience did you need to become a sales rep?
-Why is a business manager’s job so important to the yearbook?