The Brand Man Speaks

GM cuts ties with spokesperson Tiger Woods after nine years due to dire financials

GM has announced they are cutting ties with phenom golfer Tiger Woods after nine years of endorsements. Woods was earning nearly $7 million from the relationship. GM and Wood's handlers say the announcement was mutually beneficial to each party; GM needs to reserve cash and Woods wants more family time.

I never understood GM's Buick divisions deal with Tiger. It was not a believable brand effort. Buick is GM's aging brand still pulling in mostly 60 plus year olds. Tiger was supposed to dramatically make the brand more appealing to younger car buyers but it really didn't work. Buick has had one auto entry success with the Enclave SUV/Wagon but other than that, the brand is nearly dead. ( I did see a great looking Riviera concept car at the LA Auto show this week...but it may be too late to revive that marque).

Tiger seemed the wrong sports guy to be affiliated with Buick. It was so NOT him to be a Buick man---Buick is so not youthful, over the top fantastic or always poised, polished and polite---it's a cranky old brand for pete's sake.... and I always felt it was just a good money deal for Woods and one that gave senior GM execs who love golf face time with the world's greatest golfer....not a brand relationship that could help the Buick product line.

In a way this move by GM is good for both parties. GM saves cash and Tiger who doesn't need money stops hurting his image by this miss matched association. No one looks bad with this split because of the circumstances.

Tiger I am sure can find a much more suitable automotive deal now worth more money even in this weak economy he is that valuable a resource. Although, he has been out of the limelight recovering from knee surgery and thus not as valuable as he has been....but relative to other celeb endorsers he's still King.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

"Let The Seller Beware"-#2...in a series-by Eli

This post is the second installment of helpful hints for consumer satisfaction based on my book, "Let The Seller Beware".

Today I present "Face to Face" problem resolution: Although the most dreaded because of the emotional and psychological difficulties people encounter dealing face to face, this is the fastest, easiest and most effective opportunity for achieving a positive resolve to a problem.

Face to face is best used when dealing with:
    - Portable products (personal items
    - Small appliances
    - Product service repair
    - Automotive repair
    - Ticket reissue or refund (other than e-tickets)
    - Accidental Occurrences

Your strategy:

Transactions are a two-way street. Inasmuch as many store employees don't display ideal human qualities, neither do many customers they are serving. Employees are regularly assailed by consumers who seem to believe that obnoxious, rude, pushy and aggressive behavior is both appropriate and necessary. A consumer primed for battle will generally not get satisfaction.

How should you behave?

Do not confuse aggression with assertion. Aggressive is negative. Assertion is positive. It indicates that you have rights and are pursuing them. Aggression breads aggression and defensiveness.
Be persistent and polite. Leave your emotions at the door. Reduce or eliminate your need for confrontation. Remain objective and unemotional regardless of the provocation. Your outcome will most likely be positive.

Do your due-diligence. Prepare your Fact Form (as discussed in previous series). Get all your materials together (product, receipt and any other appropriate documents). Find out when the retailer or place of business is least crowded. Source out the original salesperson and/or his/her manager.

The encounter;
Look the person in the eye, stand straight and begin with pleasantries. Say something complimentary about the store or place of business.

Say you are a loyal customer with a small problem. Deliver your problem statement. Be brief, concise and clear.

State your desired (and reasonable) solution.

Create empathy. Ask the salesperson or manager what they would do if the shoes were reversed if they are not responding or interested in resolving the matter.

Make sure the person you are dealing with has the authority to resolve your problem in the first place.

If this process does not work, thank the person for their time and forge ahead...and find the next level up to talk to. This may require another visit or a call/letter or email. Use the data collected from this first experience as part of your on-going story.

Next week series #3: The phone as a consumer weapon.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

"Let The Seller Beware"-#1 in a series-by Eli

This is the first installment of a weekly series post called, "Let the Seller Beware" the Complete Consumer's Guide to Getting your Money's Worth, named after the same book title I wrote in 1990.

The goal of this series is to empower you, my blog reader, to 1) act on your own behalf without the need of a lawyer, and 2) to keep you from feeling that making a complaint is doing something wrong.
All you are trying to do is to get what you paid for in the first place based on the inferred or expressed promise of the seller.

Lesson #1: Facts = Power
If you know how to play your facts right, you nearly always get what you are entitled to from companies.

Why?
• Facts are neutral
• Facts are easy to communicate
• Facts tell people you know what you are doing and are serious about asserting your rights.
• Facts enable you to be brief and concise, and, therefore, effective.
• Facts create empathy.
• Facts keep you from getting (too) emotional and losing sight of your objective.

It is important to know  how to separate the valuable and relevant facts from those that are not important or may be irrelevant to your case. Relevant facts are the ones a company truly needs to know to resolve your matter. For example, the color of an appliance is not important to your case if your problem is a malfunctioning ice-maker unless the color coating or stainless steel veneer is also discoloring in addition to ice problems. Pretty straight-forward, huh?

I always recommend creating a "fact form" for each undertaking. This form, which you can use for any consumer issue, has five components.

#1 Product and service information
#2Problem Statement
#3Desired Solution
#4Names and contact information you gather along your journey to get satisfaction along with dates/times/comments about the actions taken or information received, (step #4 is the most important part of this process).
#5Actual solution and confirmation documentation.

As your first exercise may I suggest you create your own form including these components on your computer and save it as a template for all future consumer issues you may face.

Next week I will discuss how to deal with face to face problem resolutions.

Any questions or comments? Email me as well as add your thoughts to the "comment" section of this post.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli

Getting satisfaction for Dummies: First in a series-by Eli

Starting tomorrow I will begin a new weekly blog post about how to get satisfaction from problematic consumer experiences based on my book, "Let the Seller Beware, The Complete  Consumer's Guide to Getting Your Money's Worth," Collier/Macmillan 1990.

In a nutshell, this will be customer satisfaction for "dummies"...successful strategies and tactics to prevail against companies and other entities who deliver unacceptable consuming experiences.

Based on the feedback I have received since starting this blog, readers crave information about problem resolution and I am committed to provide easy to use and follow directions to "win" when you think you will "lose".

The post will be called "Let the Seller Beware". Look for it...subscribe to this blog for regular updates.

Watching out for you everyday.

Eli