What would you have liked?

[phanatik]

Hi Fellow Vapers,

I my never-ending crusade to convert analog users to vaping I have had some positive experiences and some negative backlash after a couple of attempts.

I would like to pose the following question:

What would you have liked your experience to be like when you first got introduced to vaping?

I'm sure that many of you had your ups and downs till you found a proper device, proper juice, and proper support to quit the stinkies entirely.

I'm looking for a way to make it easier to bring interested parties over to vaping.
I realise that it is very subjective, but cigarette smokers all have a common vs arguements such as:
- cost
- convenience
- is it really healthier
- goofiness

Your help will help me convert more.

 

[Nick]

OK my thoughts... being the wrong side of 40 there are some things a gentlemen of a certain age wants and one of them is not to feel that we are in some way old, not hip or unknowledgeable (remember we are old we know everything )
I think it is fantastic that young guys and girls in the early 20"s have realised that smoking will kill them and they have this great alternative, but guys you do not own it.
A friend of mine refuses to been seen vaping he thinks it’s a hipster kids activity and does not see himself as one of THEM, i did get him to try it and he actually said he could see it working for him,i know that if i take him to a VAPE store it will make it worse, he does make me laugh he is old school.
What must be remembered is the biggest marketing opportunity out there must be the over 35's who have been smoking 20+ years who are desperate to give up but the thought of going to a vape store is just not going to happen...
Now the one of the thing that Twisp have got right (the only thing) Is that there stands are really top end in there look and the staff behind the counters are very well presented (not knowledgeable about vaping but they know there product) that is the sort of environment that gentlemen and ladies of a certain age wish to be served, the down side is that when we do go there we throw 1k at the gear and a week later we think vaping is rubbish and many think that’s it, luckily some of us go out and take that step into a vape store......
There has to be an in-between store Twisp/vape store (remember we have the most disposable income and are the high end of the salary scale)

 

[theyettie]

@Nick Well said sir!! This must never, ever, ever become an exclusive club. I've had the same experience, well not me, but my wife. I'm in my late 20's, so that part of fitting in comes easy. I took my wife to vape shop over the weekend to stock up, she told me that she felt out of place. She used to smoke, but doesn't vape. Her perception of the "vaping community" by looking at the other customers is that it's all hip, young, tattooed, artsy fartsy metal heads. I don't know how hip or artsy fartsy I am, but I check the rest of the boxes unfortunately... She only checks the young box, so even she felt uncomfortable, which saddened me, because this isn't the way it's supposed to be!! So I concur, but from another angle. Not sure how to fix this. So @phanatik , apart from the cost, convenience and other aspects you've mentioned we have to address this issue as well...I always try not to be a twat when people ask me about vaping/my device; I give it to them, tell them about it AND NEVER EVER sound condescending. I don't how to fix the issue with middle aged people not feeling comfortable in vape shops, maybe rival stands in major malls?

 

[Marzuq]

Honestly I am of the opinion that to target someone and actively engage them with the intent of converting them to vaping is not the right way to go.
What I did with my friends that converted is this...
Dude try this flavour.
Dude check my new tank, can you taste the difference.
Eventually they all jump on board and vape with you. I think that to show ur intention of wanting to convert them is going to turn alot of people away.
So what I am saying is... Be 'sneaky' about it

 

[phanatik]

@Nick so what I get from you is that vaping is thrown and marketed as a hipster movement rather than a positive way to quit smoking and live healthier?
@theyettie i know what you mean, guy. A lot of the vape stores - although the staff are very helpful - do intimidate people as the learning curve within one visit is extreme. Online stores are a no no for beginners as they would not have a clue as to what everything is.

My approach to all of the guys i've converted was to buy a device, which has most recently been the Ego One kit, and set them up with a device and replacement coils. I also add in some rebuildable coils for those who are willing to give it a try to keep the costs down. As taste is very subjective i always take my own collection of juices with and end up leaving with a bottle or two less in my arsenal.

Now, i do not sell these to my friends, nor do I sell the juices. I just really want to have everyone around my that smokes cigarettes to switch over to vaping.

This approach has backfired on a few occasions, with the most extreme case being an older family member actually chucking an ecig away because it was leaking and he thought it was faulty.

The ego one's have been affordable enough to give away but now they are no longer available, i don't know what to do.

What I do know is this
- no one initially wanted to start off with a big device.
- those that have only bring it out when i'm around, for me to refill it and then they will vape with me, but are too embarrassed initially to carry it around with them and vape amongst their colleagues and peers.

So i'm really looking for experiences and wants that I can use to further help people.

 

[phanatik]

Honestly I am of the opinion that to target someone and actively engage them with the intent of converting them to vaping is not the right way to go.
What I did with my friends that converted is this...
Dude try this flavour.
Dude check my new tank, can you taste the difference.
Eventually they all jump on board and vape with you. I think that to show ur intention of wanting to convert them is going to turn alot of people away.
So what I am saying is... Be 'sneaky' about it

I am sneaky about it, even applying reverse psychology where applicable.
It the next phase that I struggle with, when the questions start "so where can i get one", "how much is it", "my wife will prefer this over me smoking"

My other secret hope is that if we are a big enough group we can start buying different juices and start tasting and sharing amongst ourselves. This will also solve the whole thought of paying R 900 for three juices i might not even like.

 

[Marzuq]

I am sneaky about it, even applying reverse psychology where applicable.
It the next phase that I struggle with, when the questions start "so where can i get one", "how much is it", "my wife will prefer this over me smoking"

My other secret hope is that if we are a big enough group we can start buying different juices and start tasting and sharing amongst ourselves. This will also solve the whole thought of paying R 900 for three juices i might not even like.

As a standard answer... check out www.ecigssa.co.za
what better place to be welcomed into vaping and to find what works for you.
And then i will always point out a vape store close by where someone can walk in and see what they like.

 

[Jan]

One thing I have learned from successful and my not so successful attempts of converting people is first that person must want to quit smoking if they don't really want to not the best mod and liquid in the world will get them to stop smoking.

 

[theyettie]

@phanatik I hear you and agree wholeheartedly with your approach. My problem was that I started out with a twisp and convinced two mates and two colleagues to also get twisps. Twisp did the trick for a month, but I needed something more. I started online research and asked questions online and got to where I am now. 3 of the 4 that got twisps have since relapsed to smoking and I've completely lost credibility by them. The one came along on my journey and now uses a subtank plus and iStick. My journey was long and costly, but here are my suggestions on what would've hooked me and got me on the right gear earlier:

On cost: Initial setup is expensive, but afterwards your gear pays itself off very quickly, a nice way to track this is via an app, I use vape mate. For those who are unfamiliar, it works like some signatures on here, go check it out

On Convenience: It's very convenient, keep one coil and juice in your car, in your desk drawer, in your/ your wife's handbag. How much more convenient can it get? No more emergency stops at fuel stations when you don't have smokes

On health: I would want to know what pg and vg is and the fact that nothing burns, so no tar.

On goofiness: I'm a gadget guy, so I love it, if you're not, there are awesome devices that don't draw unnecessary attention to you. Woman especially, a lot of them think it looks too "butch" to carry a moerse box mod around. Get something smaller!!

Something important I would've loved to know: I want a decent throat hit! Smokers are as addicted to a throat hit as to nicotine IMO. The smaller devices don't pack that punch, that's why I relapsed at the beginning. Get a Nautilus Mini and a high PG juice and your set!

My 2 cents.

 

[Nick]

The cost of vaping is akin to installing a solar geyser. ..very exspensive with the initial outlay and start up cost but you know electricity is not going to get any cheaper so long term it's a great investment. .. same as vaping, exspensive outlay, but you know cigarettes are not going to get cheaper...

 

[phanatik]

@phanatik I hear you and agree wholeheartedly with your approach. My problem was that I started out with a twisp and convinced two mates and two colleagues to also get twisps. Twisp did the trick for a month, but I needed something more. I started online research and asked questions online and got to where I am now. 3 of the 4 that got twisps have since relapsed to smoking and I've completely lost credibility by them. The one came along on my journey and now uses a subtank plus and iStick. My journey was long and costly, but here are my suggestions on what would've hooked me and got me on the right gear earlier:

On cost: Initial setup is expensive, but afterwards your gear pays itself off very quickly, a nice way to track this is via an app, I use vape mate. For those who are unfamiliar, it works like some signatures on here, go check it out

On Convenience: It's very convenient, keep one coil and juice in your car, in your desk drawer, in your/ your wife's handbag. How much more convenient can it get? No more emergency stops at fuel stations when you don't have smokes

On health: I would want to know what pg and vg is and the fact that nothing burns, so no tar.

On goofiness: I'm a gadget guy, so I love it, if you're not, there are awesome devices that don't draw unnecessary attention to you. Woman especially, a lot of them think it looks too "butch" to carry a moerse box mod around. Get something smaller!!

Something important I would've loved to know: I want a decent throat hit! Smokers are as addicted to a throat hit as to nicotine IMO. The smaller devices don't pack that punch, that's why I relapsed at the beginning. Get a Nautilus Mini and a high PG juice and your set!

My 2 cents.

This is the very reason i do not recommend twisp devices. Nothing against the devices (lots against the company, but i digress). I have found that the Ego One devices are the perfect setup for both a discerning and appearance conscious gent or lady. 1.0 ohm coil gives the the restrictive draw and a nice high pg juice the throat hit is there. screw in the 0.5 ohm, and some high vg juice and you're chucking clouds.

Now, the Subox is probably a better starter kit as you have power options and you can easily screw drippers on to it, but at least 60 % of the people i showed it to were not interested in it despite the various angles I pitched. and with the price of the ego one you simply cannot go wrong.

I wish I could have had one of them when i was starting off, and someone like me to take me through the whole process. (blows his own horn).

On a serious note, I am someone who researches everything and if it wasn't for stumbling across this forum i would not have been where I am now.
Others are not that inclined to google ecigs and do the research.

 

[Jan]

The cost of vaping is akin to installing a solar geyser. ..very exspensive with the initial outlay and start up cost but you know electricity is not going to get any cheaper so long term it's a great investment. .. same as vaping, exspensive outlay, but you know cigarettes are not going to get cheaper...

Only until the next mod and or tank comes out

 

[Viper_SA]

I would have liked something like Teljoy, rent-a-mod. Rent it for a month or thee, decide if you like it and so on. Would have saved me a load of money

 

[Silver]

When I started, I would have liked easy access to lots of juices

For me at the time I started it was Twisp, Liqua and a few other "Dragon" flavours from eCiggies

I have noticed that my friends who i have introduced to vaping are interested if they test a juice of mine they really like. Otherwise, they are not that interested.

So a juice bar with lots of juices to test in a good location is what I would have liked

 

[Eequinox]

This is the very reason i do not recommend twisp devices. Nothing against the devices (lots against the company, but i digress). I have found that the Ego One devices are the perfect setup for both a discerning and appearance conscious gent or lady. 1.0 ohm coil gives the the restrictive draw and a nice high pg juice the throat hit is there. screw in the 0.5 ohm, and some high vg juice and you're chucking clouds.

Now, the Subox is probably a better starter kit as you have power options and you can easily screw drippers on to it, but at least 60 % of the people i showed it to were not interested in it despite the various angles I pitched. and with the price of the ego one you simply cannot go wrong.

I wish I could have had one of them when i was starting off, and someone like me to take me through the whole process. (blows his own horn).

On a serious note, I am someone who researches everything and if it wasn't for stumbling across this forum i would not have been where I am now.
Others are not that inclined to google ecigs and do the research.

i agree to what you have said the 100% is a carbon copy of my experience the funny thing is i went to a twisp kiosk yesterday to get coils for my mom she has been on the twisp for a few months and relapses to stinkies now and again i can not afford to pif her with a subox mini yet but that will keep her off for sure so need to save up a bit .. back to what i was saying when i went to the twisp kiosk for said coils i made it my mission to grill the buggers there as they "sort of know " their product and i needed to set them straight about certain things they told me needlessto say i was quite happy at the end to educate them a bit about the stuff i do know and actually left them a bottle of my diy juice that they tried and liked the guy actually phoned me and asked for more lol