Getting closer to the decision makers
I used to own a white 1987 Volvo 240, a silver 1984 Volvo 240 sport model, and a maroon 1982 Volvo 240 wagon. And I spent more money rebuilding each of these cars because Volvo couldn’t seem to make them right the first time. After years of becoming a close friend with my mechanic (always a bad sign), I decided to write up a list of my frustrations. One page turned into another, and another until I had written a five-page, single spaced tome which I entitled, “25 Reasons Why I Love to Hate My Volvo”. It was not a friendly letter. After all, I was not a satisfied customer. But it was factual. Sarcastic, funny I thought, but definitely full of undeniable car facts.
Well, I mailed the letter to Hans-Olov Olsson, then president and CEO of Volvo North America, to his corporate office in northern New Jersey. And then I forgot about it, that is, until one Saturday morning when the phone rang and it was Hans. Putting my sarcastic thoughts on paper was one thing, mailing them was a bolder move, but now I was voice-to-voice with the man I seriously wanted to have a conversation with. I took a deep breath and said hello.
Hans was laughing. He said he had just finished reading my letter and 85% of what I said was correct. I had to stop myself from asking him, “then why did you only make 15% of the car right?”. He said my letter was very technical and he would forward it to engineering. We joked about his company’s negotiations to buy Renault. I told him they were unsafe cars and offered to lend him my Volvo. He finally said he didn’t want to lose me as a customer and offered to give me a free, two-week test drive of the new (at the time) 850 series.
All in all, it was a very pleasant ten-minute conversation with a major corporate executive. I had stated my concerns about his product; he told me his company was making improvements; and he made me an attractive offer. Our conversation was frank, and funny, just the way I like it. We listened to each other. Our two-way communications worked.
I never did get to test drive the new model Volvo. At the end of the call, Hans connected me to his secretary and his offer never materialized. But it didn’t matter. The fact that a company president took the time to read my 5-page letter and picked up the phone to talk won me over. I believed what he said, and to this day I still love to like Volvos.
Blogging: a new way of doing business
At the time, this was a rare and unexpected response to a customer complaint. Back then, as well as now, business as usual did not include a personal response from the CEO. A form letter from customer service was the best anyone could expect. But today, blogs are changing the way companies do business.
In Naked Conversations, authors Robert Scoble and Shel Israel share their interviews and insights of how today’s executives and company personnel are changing the way businesses connect with their customers. They have found that in order to be successful and remain competitive, companies have to “shift the focus from products to relationships”. (1)
One blog that has been successful is Fastlane Blog which features GM chairman Bob Lutz. By talking directly to customers and prospects, his goal is to reinvigorate interest in GM cars and boost sales. Imagine that, you can talk to the man who led the successful Viper team at Chrysler. What better way to understand a company than through the ongoing insights of its upper management team? My phone conversation with Volvo’s CEO was just a one-time experience. With blogs, the opportunities for personal communications are unlimited.
Making the human connections
If you study the nature of man, you see that we have very defined traits as humans. We seek out the company of other humans. We need to share and communicate. This doesn’t suddenly change when people come together in a business environment of buying and selling. In the end, it is human connections that drive commerce. Businesses who build and maintain these relationships with blogs have a market advantage and will stand out among the crowd, be trusted, and be successful.
Citations
1 Scoble, R. & Israel, S. (2006). Naked Conversations, John Wiley & Sons, p.15.
The Art of Communications 