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Elite Suits - Official Affiliate Thread - Page 8

post #106 of 245
10/18/12 at 6:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by brianofoz View Post

Greetings Styleforum.  I am new here.... My name is Brian I am from Toronto Canada.  I ironically came across this forum accidentally trying to google reviews for Elite Suits.  I am the Canadian that recently placed the $2500 order with Simon.  After reading his website/blog.  I took a leap of faith and placed my order.  It Consist of 3 x 3 piece Fully Handstitched Canvassed Suits, 3 Egyptian Cotton Shirts, 3 Pairs of Trousers and an Overcoat.  I have not submitted my measurements yet, as I have a custom suit that I am having made locally (Holt Renfrew Coppley MTM).  I plan on using the measurements from that suit and send them to Simon.  I plan on having Simon make me some TOM FORD inspired suits with a similar cut, Wide Peak Lapels, 3 roll 2, Surgeon Cuffs with 5 Buttonholes, Trousers with no belt loops and side tabs.  I will be submitting my measurements this weekend.  Simon has been great with his communication.  I am very excited to see how my first Elite Suit order goes! If anyone is interested I can let you know how the process and the results of the final products.  I have to mention by no means am I affiliated or have purchased anything from Elite Suits in the past.

 

Why would anybody commit to buying three suits from a MTM operation they've never ordered from before? Seems...risky.
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post #107 of 245
10/18/12 at 10:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by brianofoz View Post

Greetings Styleforum.  I am new here.... My name is Brian I am from Toronto Canada.  I ironically came across this forum accidentally trying to google reviews for Elite Suits.  I am the Canadian that recently placed the $2500 order with Simon.  After reading his website/blog.  I took a leap of faith and placed my order.  It Consist of 3 x 3 piece Fully Handstitched Canvassed Suits, 3 Egyptian Cotton Shirts, 3 Pairs of Trousers and an Overcoat.  I have not submitted my measurements yet, as I have a custom suit that I am having made locally (Holt Renfrew Coppley MTM).  I plan on using the measurements from that suit and send them to Simon.  I plan on having Simon make me some TOM FORD inspired suits with a similar cut, Wide Peak Lapels, 3 roll 2, Surgeon Cuffs with 5 Buttonholes, Trousers with no belt loops and side tabs.  I will be submitting my measurements this weekend.  Simon has been great with his communication.  I am very excited to see how my first Elite Suit order goes! If anyone is interested I can let you know how the process and the results of the final products.  I have to mention by no means am I affiliated or have purchased anything from Elite Suits in the past.
 


It also seems strange that he could have placed (and potentially paid for) an order without submitting measurements. It looks like you have to submit measurements before you can actually place an order on the website...

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post #108 of 245
10/18/12 at 10:50am

None of this is doing Elite's brand any good. If I was Simon, I would ask SF to remove this thread, spend some time reworking the website and rethinking marketing strategy, then relaunch here when ready.

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post #109 of 245
10/18/12 at 11:29am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. B. Bear View Post


Generally low post count members (<5 or in this case just 1) who post in affiliate threads are deemed a little suspect (ie - paid reviews or alias').

 

Or they could be simply people excited about buying their first ever custom made suit who want to be helpful in sharing their experiences. I don't need shrills. In the two years we have been going we have gained many highly satisfied customers who are only too happy to write about their suit buying adventures on various forums. If you read the comments here from people that have actually purchased something you will find them overwhelmingly positive.

 

It's more than just about great suits. It's also about providing a better service

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by ZirconiumZephyr View Post

I've been in contact with Simon and will likely be ordering a suit this weekend. Going to take advantage of the free shirt deal with the relatively cheap Bejing collection suit (with full canvass option). Just waiting to get my measurements sorted out (want to have a few samples to average) and will let you guys know how it goes.

 

 

All I can say is that so far, Simon has been amazingly helpful with fabric suggestions and further information on construction, certainly have more confidence about the purchase.
 

Our business grows mainly due to repeat business and referrals. I don't want to sell ZirconiumZephyr a suit. I want to sell him ten suits, 20 suits or more as well as suits to his family, friends and colleagues. So, with our personal tailoring packages on our full canvas suits we work closely with customers to get their suits as close as possible to what they want. I'll assist with styling and fabric selection and try to add as much value to their purchase as I can. When they send in their measurements one of the staff will go over them looking for errors and ask for confirmation on anything that looks out of place (unlike some online MTM operations we don't arbitrarily change measurements without contacting the customer).

 

It's all about getting that order for the second suit. If we get that first suit right we can use that as a template especially if they take my advice and have the suit tweaked after delivery to get that even better fit. We can make further adjustments for the second suit so when it arrives it's even closer to a perfect fit. After buying their second suit they are familiar with the high quality of the construction and know that they can now order any suit they want in any fabric and any style and confident that it will be a great fit straight our of the box. When you can then buy great fitting, custom made, hand tailored full canvas suits for the same price as you would pay in store for a far inferior product why would you buy anywhere else?

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post #110 of 245
10/18/12 at 11:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gibonius View Post


Why would anybody commit to buying three suits from a MTM operation they've never ordered from before? Seems...risky.

Apart from the three or four weddings we do every week we get a lot of multiple suit orders although most tend to come from some of the package deals we offer. This is very popular

 

Back to Work Special

 

Two full canvas suits, two extra trousers and five shirts. There's your corporate wardrobe sorted for the year for a grand.

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post #111 of 245
10/18/12 at 11:55am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MZhammer View Post


It also seems strange that he could have placed (and potentially paid for) an order without submitting measurements. It looks like you have to submit measurements before you can actually place an order on the website...

Definitely not true. In fact it's something I strongly advise against. Standing in front of a computer screen trying to quickly take measurements to complete your order is only a recipe for an ill fitting suit. I would much prefer customers print out the guide and either take their time if doing it themselves or even better take it to a tailor or even an alterations outlet and have it done professionally.

 

You can print the measurement guide here in advance of your order and if you do decide to self measure there are some handy tips here.

 

Or once you place your order I'll send you an email with full instructions and all the forms needed to order your suit

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post #112 of 245
10/18/12 at 6:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingMonkey View Post

None of this is doing Elite's brand any good. If I was Simon, I would ask SF to remove this thread, spend some time reworking the website and rethinking marketing strategy, then relaunch here when ready.


+1

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post #113 of 245
10/18/12 at 7:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon at Elite View Post

Definitely not true. In fact it's something I strongly advise against. Standing in front of a computer screen trying to quickly take measurements to complete your order is only a recipe for an ill fitting suit. I would much prefer customers print out the guide and either take their time if doing it themselves or even better take it to a tailor or even an alterations outlet and have it done professionally.

 

You can print the measurement guide here in advance of your order and if you do decide to self measure there are some handy tips here.

 

Or once you place your order I'll send you an email with full instructions and all the forms needed to order your suit

 

Just me but....shouldn't you guide the customer through the measuring? Yes I recommend getting measurements done professionally, but wouldn't guiding customers through the process before paying be better? Just would give me more confidence instead of feeling scared that I've taken such a huge risk...

 

And the website should definitely be reworked. After looking at it, I felt like I was reading an essay or a blog. After scrolling for a while past the words, I didn't even spend a second looking at the pictures at the bottom..and that all black coloring made it worse for me.

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post #114 of 245
10/18/12 at 9:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingMonkey View Post

None of this is doing Elite's brand any good. If I was Simon, I would ask SF to remove this thread, spend some time reworking the website and rethinking marketing strategy, then relaunch here when ready.

 

If this sounds rude or arrogant please forgive me as it's definitely not my intention but I'm sure you understand context is difficult in written form.

 

In the just over two weeks since this thread started both site traffic and sales have increase measurably. I can also trace six new customers directly back to this thread. Furthermore, referrals from Styleforum spend more time on the site and visit more pages than those that stumble across the site from search engines. So all in all I'm far from unhappy.

 

While I certainly accept the criticism as valid I think many people are willing to look past critical internet postings and make up their own mind. No matter what I do there will always people ready to make critical comments. Also don''t forget the comments here from people that have actually purchased something form Elite Suits are in the main very positive

 

My marketing strategy is based on four simple principles

 

  1. We are not aiming to go mass market. 
  2. There are already many pretty websites that sell cheap fused suits poorly made in Asian factories.
  3. There is at least a small percentage of customers who want a better made suit at a better price and want to know as much as possible about why our suits are better.
  4. If you can provide a superior suit combined with excellent service people will buy from you again and again.

 

Seeing both site traffic and sales are both up more than 50% year on year over a not exactly insubstantial base and continue to grow every month as existing customers reorder and new ones join then you might agree that it's not just my personal stubbornness that's stopping me from rethinking my marketing strategy.

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post #115 of 245
10/18/12 at 9:40pm
I don't think anybody is questioning your business model, nor is anybody suggesting that you aren't doing well, or even that traffic hasn't increased. As you mentioned in a PM, any attention is good attention. But isn't running a business about doing as well as you can? I don't think making the easy changes that have been suggested is going to chase away your current or potential customers, just create new ones.

And though I do think this thread pounced on the site a bit harshly (we probably could have been a bit more diplomatic), in the two weeks since this thread has started, you haven't posted any real pictures of your products...I'm sure you own a few yourself...so this makes people understandably suspect. Nor has any established SF member come here to comment on your products, only two new members.

The skepticism does not seem unreasonable.
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post #116 of 245
10/19/12 at 12:52pm
Here's the average person's thoughts after reading this thread, in my opinion:

I'm still trying to figure out if the suits are good, but there's so much bickering and criticism going on here that I'll just look somewhere else.
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post #117 of 245
10/19/12 at 1:09pm

I think maybe only 1 or maybe 2 on this thread actualy have an Elite Suit so you may be better of asking them what they think about Elite suits, I have one on order and will post photos ounce I have it.

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post #118 of 245
10/19/12 at 2:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon at Elite View Post


In the just over two weeks since this thread started both site traffic and sales have increase measurably. I can also trace six new customers directly back to this thread. Furthermore, referrals from Styleforum spend more time on the site and visit more pages than those that stumble across the site from search engines. So all in all I'm far from unhappy.

Seeing both site traffic and sales are both up more than 50% year on year over a not exactly insubstantial base and continue to grow every month as existing customers reorder and new ones join then you might agree that it's not just my personal stubbornness that's stopping me from rethinking my marketing strategy.

Ouch! Big smackdown by Simon

I've read this thread with total amazement at the ignorance displayed. Seriously some of you really need to get over yourselves.

Heres my tip for people reading this thread. Read every comment with this thought in mind

1. Simon owns a successful suiting business and these self appointed internet marketing experts clearly don't

2. The only people, and now that includes me, on this thread who have dealed with Elite Suits have had nothing bad to say about their experience

Yet these people are dismissed by these, again self appointed, sanctimonious "arbiters of style" (despite clearly never having seen an extra slim suit) as people with questionable taste or even stupid which must apply if you don't follow what's been decided as the SF long established "style rules" I actually laughed out load at that one.

Like too many people today they have the attention spin of a gnat and instead of taking the time to read too minutes of text about a decent size purchase can't wait to rush off to the next website that has lots of pretty picture and nothing else. It's also apparent many haven't read the posts made by othersproperly before rushing into add their ill-informed two cents

Simon is successfully selling suits for over $1,000 (including mine) and at least one for $2,300 which has been confirmed here by the guy that bought it. That's pretty damn good for an online suit site. Reading most of the comments I wonder how many of those giving their so called expert advice have ever paid over $1,000 for a suit anywhere and I have no doubts about there inability to sell one especially online.
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post #119 of 245
10/19/12 at 2:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Claghorn View Post

I don't think anybody is questioning your business model, nor is anybody suggesting that you aren't doing well, or even that traffic hasn't increased. As you mentioned in a PM, any attention is good attention. But isn't running a business about doing as well as you can? I don't think making the easy changes that have been suggested is going to chase away your current or potential customers, just create new ones.
And though I do think this thread pounced on the site a bit harshly (we probably could have been a bit more diplomatic), in the two weeks since this thread has started, you haven't posted any real pictures of your products...I'm sure you own a few yourself...so this makes people understandably suspect. Nor has any established SF member come here to comment on your products, only two new members.
The skepticism does not seem unreasonable.

If you werent the worst offender I might take your comment seriously. You have done nothing but write one snide comment after another. You obviously have some sort of beef with simon so how about doing us a favor and ntelling us what he has done to you?
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post #120 of 245
10/19/12 at 3:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Archibald Longfellow View Post


Ouch! Big smackdown by Simon
I've read this thread with total amazement at the ignorance displayed. Seriously some of you really need to get over yourselves.
Heres my tip for people reading this thread. Read every comment with this thought in mind
1. Simon owns a successful suiting business and these self appointed internet marketing experts clearly don't
2. The only people, and now that includes me, on this thread who have dealed with Elite Suits have had nothing bad to say about their experience
Yet these people are dismissed by these, again self appointed, sanctimonious "arbiters of style" (despite clearly never having seen an extra slim suit) as people with questionable taste or even stupid which must apply if you don't follow what's been decided as the SF long established "style rules" I actually laughed out load at that one.
Like too many people today they have the attention spin of a gnat and instead of taking the time to read too minutes of text about a decent size purchase can't wait to rush off to the next website that has lots of pretty picture and nothing else. It's also apparent many haven't read the posts made by othersproperly before rushing into add their ill-informed two cents
Simon is successfully selling suits for over $1,000 (including mine) and at least one for $2,300 which has been confirmed here by the guy that bought it. That's pretty damn good for an online suit site. Reading most of the comments I wonder how many of those giving their so called expert advice have ever paid over $1,000 for a suit anywhere and I have no doubts about there inability to sell one especially online.

 

From what I've read on this thread....I think most of people are "scared" to make the jump to purchase from Elite Suits. No doubt, most of the people here already have suits over $1000 and are experienced buyers. But buying online after reading a thread where there aren't any good pictures of works and having to go through a horrible website that makes people feel like they're reading a blog, is making people, myself included, feel like I'm taking a huge risk.

 

Maybe the thread did get off on the wrong foot with the criticizing of that 18 year old, who probably did a lot better than his peers, but I think we can agree we're all just waiting for some nice pictures of Simon's works. I'm a complete idiot in terms of knowledge of suits compared to someone like jeffreyd, but even I can see that that suit didn't really give a good image of Simon's capabilities. The suit just didn't really fit him and he could've gone to a retail for something similar.

 

And 2 things...

- Yeah I have the attention span of a gnat. I'd rather look at nice pictures of what is being offered than read paragraphs. Of course, some "beginners" may enjoy the long words....but most people here don't need that.

-Not sure why you're so angry...some people did give bad advice but a lot of good advice is given too. We just want to see pictures of works and a better website...which will definitely help Simon. And congrats on ordering a suit over $1000...I'm sure a lot of people here probably have spent over $5000 on suits.

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