Comments on: How Would You Sell A Toyota Today?

By: GreenPoison iOS

GreenPoison iOS — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:56:00 +0000

Im stilll planing to buy a toyta vechile for my personal use. i still love toyota.

By: CapeLinks

CapeLinks — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:36:17 +0000

Jim, thanks for posting my question.

I wrote this when the news first broke: Toyota Recall: Local Advertising Opportunity

Looks like you got some good feedback. I agree that Toyota should recover fine, like Tylenol, Firestone, etc..., but time will tell.

By: CapeLinks

CapeLinks — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:36:17 +0000

By: Keenan

Keenan — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:38:26 +0000

in any environment where trust has been lost, “acknowledgment” is critical

Nice recommendation

By: Keenan

Keenan — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:36:59 +0000

great points Tony,

they certainly have a lot of years of making reliable cars and an emphasis on safety

By: SkipAnderson

SkipAnderson — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:10:13 +0000

This is an excellent topic (damn, I wish I would have thought of it). Your suggestions are great. It's also important to know that every year consumers buy many, many crappy cars. If consumers were only interested in the best, well-made vehicles, there would only be 2 or 3 auto companies in existence (and up until recently, Toyota would have been one of those companies).

By: Tibor Shanto

Tibor Shanto — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:22:13 +0000

The only thing I could add to the great points you make Jim is to also add some perspective through quantifying the issue. By this I don't mean that they should down play the small number of actual injuries, because there are still individuals involved. But by highlighting the scale of the response vis-à-vis the actual scale of the issue relative to number of Toyota's on the road, their overall track record over the years, and the accountability that the local dealer is will to take on.

If they do the things you suggest, and no more skeletons are discovered, I bet this will go down along with Tylenol as a n example of crises and brand management. Especially leveraging your point number 2. and the brand equity of Lexus.

Cheers, Tibor

By: tlchome

tlchome — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:21:51 +0000

I had planned on writing a blog post on taking accountability – my thoughts were with Tiger Woods after his apology and how I felt it was sincere and complete. There were no signs of shuffling blame or excusing his behaviour, and I believed it.

In Toyota's case it's crucial to present accountable answers and offer timely solutions. After this storm is over Toyota will have earned a reputation as a company that stands behind its product… and its customers.

By: Tony Johnston @ CNi

Tony Johnston @ CNi — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:09:15 +0000

Reaffirm how Toyota continues to view quality and reliability as extremely important to its future success as an auto maker, and how the company continues to be absolutely committed to offering buyers the best and most reliable vehicles at competitive prices, despite how the recent recalls show Toyota has not met its own expectations by keeping up its excellent reputation as well as it had been able to do in the past.

By: Jerry Kennedy

Jerry Kennedy — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:00:05 +0000

Totally agree, Jim. Like any other product, open, honest conversations are the best sales tool you can employ.

I think it's really important for Toyota salespeople to resist the temptation to downplay the prospect's concerns. Instead of glossing over the situation, have a discussion about the facts. Remember that these consumers will, in many cases, be transporting their kids. Acknowledge that they may be feeling a little apprehensive, discuss how the situation is being handled from Toyota's point of view (as opposed to what they're hearing from the media), and be prepared to offer an alternative.

Great question, Jim!