Just Below the Surface…

(I preface this blog entry by pointing out how amazing the world of communications is now! I had a very experienced Toyota/car industry expert call me out on my first paragraph stating that it was based on media hype and I humbly admit that I don’t know all the facts of the recall or of the company’s stability. So, he’s absolutely right! I shouldn’t be stating facts that I don’t know are true. I stand corrected and hold myself responsible for my actions. I am leaving my first paragraph in so you can see what I’m referring to but I appreciate his corrections! I guess there are two lessons in this blog entry - starting with how amazing Wed 2.0 is and how not only do we have the power now to hold a company accountable but have the power to hold each other accountable as well.)

[ Just below the surface lays a company in shambles! We've all heard about the Toyota recalls - the largest auto recall in American history. It has devastated the company. Did you know that Toyota knew about the safety issues and had no intentions of fixing them until the US DOT held their feet to the fire? Props to the US DOT for calling them out! ]

My gripe is not necessarily about the cars and the recall but more how Toyota is handling it. I watched the AMAZING Olympic opening ceremonies last night and Toyota ran an ad (which I have seen several times at this point) that carries the message "trust us again; we’re doing everything we can to make this right." As you can tell, I’m less than convinced. Why? Because before you go outward with a message that you’ve changed and are making things right and that you care about us as customers (I own a Toyota 4Runner - not one involved in the recalls but I’m still a customer), you need to sell that idea to your employees - especially your CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE!!!!

So, the millions you’re spending on that ad is in short, a complete waste of money - at least from what I’ve seen firsthand. Unfortunately, my 2004 4Runner’s 4WD died about a month ago. It only has 66,000 miles on it and it’s just out of warranty. I took it to Sloane Toyota in Devon, PA and was confronted with immediate attitude when I asked (kindly, might I add) "why would a truck’s 4WD just die if it has been used according to the user’s manual, maintained to the book and is young in 4Runner/4WD terms?" The "customer service rep" responded (looking at his computer the entire time) that he’s "never seen this happen on a 4Runner with 60,000 miles" but "things just happen - especially if they haven’t been maintained properly." So, as my temperature rose from his complete indifference, I explained that the truck has been well maintained and that I’ve seen many forums online that have users experiencing the same issues. His response - "don’t talk to me about the Internet. There’s all sorts of loons out there gabbing about everything from this to that." I calmly explained that those "loons" are HIS customers!

So, after I left (mad as hell and about $2000 poorer), I called Toyota Corporate to see if they could help absorb some of the cost since the truck was just out of  warranty and the service tech at the dealership said "it shouldn’t have gone" and encouraged me to call corporate. After a 45 minute wait on hold, I got yet another indifferent voice on the other side of the phone that tried to poke holes my story. It was like she was waiting for that "gotcha" moment to say "sorry, we can’t do anything for you."

She told me she’d speak with the dealer and call me back (which she did two days later). When she did, she basically said, "nope, there’s nothing we can do…sorry" and tried to end the call as fast as possible. It was like an insurance adjuster doing everything they can do not to pay the claim.

So, here I am, my truck is still not 100% right. I paid over $1800 in parts and labor just to have the 4wd work only some of the time and was treated as if I was trying to pull one over on Toyota - at the dealer AND corporate level.

So I refer you back to the ad I saw last night during the Olympics. The one that they spent millions on to convince me, a Toyota owner, that they’re going to make things right and gain my trust again. Now I know that that doesn’t’ mean they’re going to start paying for every little issue every Toyota owner is having – nor, in my case, did I want them to (I wanted them to absorb only some of the cost). But what I did believe the ad to mean is that at a very minimum, their customer service reps at the dealer and corporate level would be a) professional b) compassionate c) recognize that these are their customers and try to satisfy them even if they can’t provide the solution the customer is requesting. But NOPE! It seems like it’s business as usual at Toyota and dare I say it, maybe they’re even more indifferent due to the flood of angry customers they have to deal with as a result of their negligence.

So, I use this as a case study and you should too! If you’re selling me on the fact that you care about me as customer, you better sell your employees on it first. Because the Toyota employees that I encountered, clearly don’t believe in that ad that corporate is spending millions on it to convince me to believe! If they don’t believe, I certainly don’t believe! I’m actually even more disenfranchised now than ever before!

Okay….so this isn’t just a rant about my bad experience with Toyota, it’s a lessons learned for all business owners and marketing directors! Your great ideas, messaging, well placed and timed ads mean NOTHING if your own people don’t believe it. Sell it internally first then go outwards with the message. Or, you too, will be like Toyota and have an online war of “loons” waged against you as a result.

This to me is a very sad case. I’m disappointed in Toyota and they should be in themselves. Their customer service reps need to be trained or fired.

This is Meg Ferguson, a marketing expert and consumer just like you, encouraging you to use the power of Wed 2.0. Your voices are being heard! While Toyota might not hear my specific story it is just one of the hundreds of thousands if not millions that they’re being bombarded with. There is a groundswell and it is powerful. Embrace it!

Motion Stays In Motion

How do you keep your numbers positive in a downturn economy?

It’s interesting out there right now. Well, interesting isn’t the word. Bad might be more accurate. The reason I used the word “interesting” is the fact that I’m getting more calls than ever from companies who never did marketing before (or have done very little). They feel that starting to market now will help their business. In a way it can’t hurt but in another way, they’re so wrong.

My Dad told me a great anecdote the other day. He was a Coca-Cola stock holder for years and would attend the investor meetings regularly. He remembers clearly this one particular meeting as if it was yesterday. He tells the story of a woman who stood up and hammered the President of Coca-Cola questioning him on why advertising is the largest line item on the books. She exclaimed that Coca-Cola was twice as big as its nearest competitor, Pepsi Co., and nine times bigger than the next five companies combined. She wanted to know why the marketing budget has to be so big and why couldn’t that money be paid out in dividends? The President stood calmly and replied with this.

Marketing and advertising are like the coal that fires the steam engine. You feed it over time and the engine starts chugging along until finally it’s at a good strong pace. Stop feeding it with coal or slow the coal feed down and the steam engine will continue to run at a good clip……for a while. But eventually it will start to slow and ultimately come to a stop.

I encourage small and medium size businesses to consider marketing one of the most important functions of their business plans. Motion stays in motion. Once you get some traction, you must continue with the momentum. If your momentum is currently slowing or stopped, marketing efforts will not be a quick fix. They will need to be a considerable investment with a dedicated approach. If not, motion stays in motion and if you’re going down, it’s damn hard to pull back from a nose dive!

Importance of relationships in business but especially in marketing!

Marketing a is a fast paced business and at the height of the economy any schmuck could call themselves a marketer.  Today the economy has tanked and clients want to KNOW what they are getting and more importantly if they can trust you with their hard-earned money.  When they are spending money on a marketer they are investing in you and your skill set.

This goes beyond customer service which is important too; but building a relationship with a client means each of you have agreed to put your faith in each other.  For example, I was just asked the question, how do you (Vision House) measure success as a company. My answer: We measure success by our client’s success. If our clients invest in us and trust in us to spend their marketing money wisely, we are compelled to turn a positive ROI for them. When we do, the bonds of the relationship strengthen.

It takes a skilled marketer to know what to do with a client and that knowledge grows over time.  So get to know your clients, focus on doing more than meeting their expectations—exceed them by demonstrating that you view the relationship as important– business-wise of course– but also because you are a firm of integrity and anything less than quality service to clients you value would be unacceptable.

Clients will know the difference between a firm that provides good customer service and one that builds client relationships.  Think about the companies, or organizations that you come in contact with and I’ll bet you can tick off right away those that work harder to let you know your business matters to them in the long term.  And in this economy that is the key to keeping business.

Frequency is Key but do you have the resources?

I’m back. And I’m sorry! I did not disappear. I did what I swore I wouldn’t. I neglected to post anything for a few weeks which brings me to the meat of this posting - frequency and resources!

I was working on the launch of a client’s new website and there was talk of launching a blog as well. I, of course, loved the idea but I’m very much a realist.  I also probably talk myself out of a lot of money but I had to play devil’s advocate. I asked the two questions that are usually never thought of when considering a blog (or any social media campaign for that matter). First, "do you have the resources (mostly manpower and time) needed to maintain this blog?" Secondly, "do you understand that behind valuable content frequency is the most important thing to a blog’s success?" Blank stares. Silence. Papers shuffling.

After my dose of reality, I strongly encouraged the blog - but with a plan. A plan that included things like who would be the voice of the blog? How often it would be updated (preferably 2-3 times per week)? What would the topics of content include? Where would the content come from? With the answers to these questions, a blog has a great chance at success.

So, while it seems so simple, don’t forget to ask yourself these questions. Answer them and stick to the plan!

I am found guilty and accept my punishment for not posting in about three weeks. I’m open to your suggestions for punishment. Keep it clean!

Until next time, this is Meg Ferguson from Vision House Marketing saying have an efficient and effective day!