Story-Teller
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- Feb 22, 2009
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KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS
“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he knows something.”
—Wilson Milzer
Keeping in touch with customers is an essential part of every successful business. One industry that neglected to keep in touch with its workers and customers was the American automobile industry of the 1970s. In a 1983 analysis, a Stanford Sloan student from General Motors observed that people in Detroit had a different view of the automobile world than did the rest of the country. In Detroit, almost everyone was associated with the American automobile industry. As a result, they naturally bought and drove American cars. There were Chevys, Fords, and Chryslers in every parking lot. Automobile executives had their cars checked daily by the company mechanics, and any defect or problem was likely diagnosed and resolved before the end of the day.
At the same time in places like California, the American car was being passed over in favor of new imports which were less expensive and more reliable. While Toyotas and Datsuns were not common in Detroit, they were fast gaining foothold in other parts of the country. It wasn’t until the 1980s that American car manufacturers began to respond visibly to the import threat by significantly improving the reliability of American automobiles. Since then, there has been a continued increase in quality and a realization on the part of U.S. automakers that the public will not automatically buy American cars, they will buy those cars that provide the quality, safety, and features the public wants.
CONSIDER THIS: What are you doing trying to run a business sitting behind a desk? Get up. Get out. Find out what’s really going on.
Submitted by Richard
“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he knows something.”
—Wilson Milzer
Keeping in touch with customers is an essential part of every successful business. One industry that neglected to keep in touch with its workers and customers was the American automobile industry of the 1970s. In a 1983 analysis, a Stanford Sloan student from General Motors observed that people in Detroit had a different view of the automobile world than did the rest of the country. In Detroit, almost everyone was associated with the American automobile industry. As a result, they naturally bought and drove American cars. There were Chevys, Fords, and Chryslers in every parking lot. Automobile executives had their cars checked daily by the company mechanics, and any defect or problem was likely diagnosed and resolved before the end of the day.
At the same time in places like California, the American car was being passed over in favor of new imports which were less expensive and more reliable. While Toyotas and Datsuns were not common in Detroit, they were fast gaining foothold in other parts of the country. It wasn’t until the 1980s that American car manufacturers began to respond visibly to the import threat by significantly improving the reliability of American automobiles. Since then, there has been a continued increase in quality and a realization on the part of U.S. automakers that the public will not automatically buy American cars, they will buy those cars that provide the quality, safety, and features the public wants.
CONSIDER THIS: What are you doing trying to run a business sitting behind a desk? Get up. Get out. Find out what’s really going on.
Submitted by Richard
