What is Xootr, you ask? Only the coolest bike company in the whole wide world, as far as I am concerned. They make the Swift, the folding bike pictured above, and today Xootr gave me the best Nigerian Democracy Day present I have ever received. Read the e-mail after the jump from Xootr founder Tom Miner to see what I'm talking about.
Hi Josh,
You might have discovered, were not big on marketing. We work hard on designing really good products and hope that word of mouth gets things going. That approach has worked pretty well for us so far. Nonetheless, we like what you are proposing because it is consistent with our grass roots approach to "spreading the word".
Let's give it a try. We'll send you a Swift and you test it out. If you like the product, keep it in exchange for your promotion efforts. If you don't like it, send it back. Your part of the bargain would be to promote as you describe in your proposal and to let us know periodically what you've done. No need for a written contract, we take you at your word.
Let us know what size and color you want and where to ship it and will get this proposition rolling...
Best,
Tom Miner
Xootr LLC
Isn't that something? Can we all just take a moment to appreciate Tom's no-nonsense, earnest way of doing business? What a guy.
Needless to say, you will soon be reading about my adventures on the Swift (most of them, of course, undertaken while toting my necessaries in a high-quality bag provided by Manhattan Portage). In the mean time, let us all bask in the glow of Xootr's do-right, bike culture awesomeness.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Bike Sponsorship Success: Mad Props to Xootr!
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12 comments:
Let me say (as I wipe the tear from my eye) that this is what business in the bike community is meant to be. Much love to Xootr! While I have never been in the market for a folder, when and if I step into it I know exactly where i'm going. I'm going to Xootr, "Official Folding Bike Company of the BeatBikeBlog." Call it marketing, call it compassion, I call it life as it should be in our family circle of bikers! Thanks for supporting what we believe in.
mad props to Xootr! wooo-haaa!
word booty! the BBB is in full MF'n effect!
its the summer of the bicycle!
today is critical mass, the largest one the Beat has ever seen and hopefully the smallest one of the year!
its super sweet to see the blog growing in this direction. thanks everyone for reading, writing and riding!
This is definitely awesome on the part of Xootr.
I'd really like to test out a Surly Karate Monkey this summer when Johanna and I go up to Newfoundland and Labrador. Do you think they'll sponsor me? I already get lots of people saying "cool bike" to me when I ride around on my Long Haul Trucker, and then I tell them about how it truly is a cool bike and that they should buy one.
You should e-mail them. Just make sure to mention synergy. Companies love synergy. (I actually didn't mention synergy to Xootr, but synergy is the hottest thing since silos and best practices, as you know.)
That's really awesome! I just spent most of my lunch break reading up about the Sprint on Xootr's website...sounds like a great ride. I'm looking forward to your review.
Now, I just have to learn how to pronounce their name properly. "Zooter?" "Scooter?" "Ex-Uter?"
What's really encouraging is that companies are aware how deep and important the bike-themed blogs are to the "word-of-mouthiness" aspect of this community. I'm relatively new to it, so I'm still in the gear-acquisition phase. I spend a lot of time reading and researching products online. The trust relationship that Tom @ Xootr has shown is yet another really hip thing about the biking community. All thumbs are in the up direction.
I haven't quite figured out synergy. That's a corporate term and i"m unfamiliar with the corporate world.
Have you guys heard about Results Based Accountability? If anyone of you have dealt with budgets lately, it's the new, new shit!
rich, it'd be cool if you had three thumbs and could give that third thumb up when applicable, no so undissimiliar to results based accountability.
Xootr would be a third thumb type situation.
Yeah, I too was wondering about the pronunciation of Xootr. Maybe it's just "scooter," although phonetically, I think "ksooter" would be more accurate (albeit more unwieldy, too).
Nice work! Looking forward to hearing how it rides. Keep us posted. Had no idea there were companies who specialize in quality collapsible bikes. Xootr has my vote for official sponsor of BBB...until the next score.
yep, the guys at Xootr are awesome. We have been doing business with them for 10 years now. We unfortunately don't sell as many Swift folders as we would like to since Xootr sells/promotes factory direct but are doing really well with their kick scooters. I guess customers don't worry about the sales tax on smaller purchase.
Just posted this Xootr Swift blog today: http://site.nycewheels.com/blog/xootr-swift-all-purpose-folding-bike/
Had always being a fan of Xootr. They are the real man in the bike community.
This can't succeed as a matter of fact, that is exactly what I believe.
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