A couple of thoughts from this weekend ...
I have two family members who are both on the list for Model 3s, one is in his 40's and the other is in her 70's. I was talking to both over the weekend as they were mulling over their decision to go through with the purchase and both had comments that I found curious. Timeline, quality and tax incentives were the main issues .... since they are both interested in the extended range batteries I told them the timeline is pretty short at this point, from what I understand the web shows 1-3 months and people are reporting getting their cars sooner than that. The bigger issue is quality, both had concerns which I think are totally unfounded .... they asked what I thought .... I don't have one but I know people that do and I've yet to hear anything less than stellar reviews from those that own the car ... in addition the reviews from various publications speak volumes about how great the Model 3 is. I sent both of them the WSJ review of the performance model and while they are not interested in that model I believe it should alleviate any concerns regarding build quality. Finally both were pretty unsure about the tax credits as to how much and how they are applied, now IMHO they should be better informed if they bothered to put $1k down on the car, I would think they would be following the progress and learning everything they can but alas they did not and I can imagine there are many more like them. My conclusion is that Tesla needs to do a MUCH better job educating their potential buyers ... at least have a "Tax Credit" tab on the website that allows you to put in your delivery zip to see what you are entitled to get. Put some of the reviews on the site ... and get more specific about the models for lay persons ... what they do a good job of is telling everyone what 0-60 speed is .... many of us (including myself) could really give a crap about that. It's fast enough.
Elon wants the model 3 to be a car for the masses, well then promote what the masses care about. Does anyone know what 0-60 in a Toyota Camry is like ? NO because no one who buys one cares. HOW about test drives available at EVERY location .... the masses are not used to buying a car without the test drive. Now you can say these people put money down and they are ready but in my experience many people will be nervous about placing the actual order without driving the car which is what you are asking as test drives for Model 3 are not readily available, I'm sure in this case having my relatives take a test drive would seal the deal. It's beyond stupid not to at least have the test drives for those that have been on the waiting list .... I'd have 2-3 model3s at every location and hire a small staff just to do test drives .... period. Yes I understand they don't need to "sell" the car at this point but I do think they need to close the deal with people on the list and this is a big deal for those who don't follow the companies every move like many on this forum do.
I think Tesla is so concerned with manufacturing that they are dropping the ball in terms of marketing , even when an Apple product is not ready it is in the store for people to get their hands on and play with as this helps build excitement and solidify purchase decisions. Finally, there is a lot of bull$#@$ with this company in terms of press and the internet ... every crash, fire and problem is magnified to a very unfair level as we all know ... having great product demos in stores (test drives) will really go a long way ....
BTW, I just signed up for a model 3 test drive .... let's see how long it takes. I'm betting I'll get one pretty quick because I live in Burbank and there is a Tesla store right here which I hear is stocked with Model3s but many around the country will not have it so easy.
