Mike,

You and the Japanese get it! We don't sell products and services; we sell experiences. When we buy a car, or any product or service, we expect it to be high quality. If it is, GM met (not exceeded) my expectations. More important to GM is my experience: Did I like the sales person? Was I treated with respect and dignity? Was I oversold? What do the promises look like after I buy the car? Are promises kept?

Good stuff, Mike. Thank you!

Hi Mike,

Great post, as usual. Your statement: "That message of quality might have resonated 20 years ago, but not today" is right on the money. To Lewis's point: we expect quality when we buy a car. The experience we have, the human to human contact with the automaker's dealers, and the intangibles around the brand are the reason we buy some cars and not others. The Japanese car manufacturers are adept at giving the consumers what they truly want. If GM, Ford and Daimler Chrysler do that again, they will sell cars again. Period.

Okay. Maybe I'm missing something here. The experience at a dealership is always bad no matter what the value of the car you are buying is. Is that GM's fault? or Honda's fault? Dealers are dealers whether it's drugs or cars.
As for Saturn, I thought they had already supposedly positioned themselves as a no hassle buying experience company. That always sounded good to me but I hated their cars. If the quality has come up to my standards than perhaps I will take a look. I personally buy a car for the experience the car gives me; that includes quality. I love Honda and I love Infinity and I would like to have a chance to love Porsche but that's not happening anytime soon.
It sounds to me GM is on the right track. American cars have sucked for years. I agree that Japanese have it right, but it's not because of the warm feeling I get from my dealer. It is because of quality of the vehicle. So isn't that what GM is trying to give me?

Saturn probably is a lost cause. The trouble is more basic than anything said so far. The problem is that the Saturn brand got away from its original promise. Now you can get a Saturn "SUV," and did I see something about a larger Saturn? The great experiment has failed because Saturn was "GMized." Each division has tried to be all things to all people, regardless of the brand/nameplate. I have been preaching this for years to "empty ears." A brand must have a definable meaning, a differentiation that pays off the promise. Left alone to live up to its promise, without trying to live up to being a part of GM, Saturn might have succeeded in being the first GM brand in a long time that stands for something. Listen folks it's not a quality thing. Yes, it is, often, a dealer thing. But none of that now matters in this case, because the brand does not fulfill THE PROMISE.

We are back to the old strategy/execution paradox again. Yes the strategy is good, but how is it being delivered. Does it fulfil the brand promise? Does it allow the good GM story to be told far and wide? Do all the elements click into place? And are the feedback/improvement loops in place and functioning?

You know, poor quality can be forgiven if the EXPERIENCE is on the money. In our cars, we call that "character", we make all sorts of excuses for the leaking windows, the rattles or the strange smells that enter the cabin ... but there has to be a trade-off.

Some form of this conversation shows up nearly daily for me.

That's one of the reasons I wanted to post on the subject. That's my not-so-hidden-agenda.

I see a lot of people wondering why product quality is not enough for their business to succeed. It hurts my heart to see them so frustrated.

Yet I see a lot of resistance to rethinking the value of right-brain elements like experience design.

And then there are the big business realities that Dennis points to. Saturn was originally meant to influence GM's way of living and delivering the GM brand.

I like it when Dennis uses "GMized" - good one!

A lot of this reminds me of Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

Some of us value the technical beauty and the science of physics applied to making a motorcycle run: classical quality.

But a lot of us just want to feel the wind in our face and know the motorcycle is working in the moment: romantic quality.

It's beautiful when the two show up in one brand.

Hi Mike,

Just ran across a course syllabus of Philip Kotler's (Kellogg School of Management) for the Inc. Executive Education Series, dated this past June. Course title: "Building a Brand". Mr. Kotler has this to say after citing the topics/modules of his course:
"Remember, Success=Strong Brand Promise + Reliable Customer Delivery." Enough said.

Claire - thanks for the line from Kotler.

The power of promises is especially intriguing to me.

My observation is that every human relationship begins with an offer of a promise and is kept vital by how well those promises are kept.

Promises play a big part in the development of a strong brand ownership business.

Thanks for making the conversation better with your commentary.

I recently test drove a Saturn Ion (about 2 months ago) and hated it. It was small and cramped, the seat was uncomfortable and the dashboard that sat off to the middle just wasn't cutting it. Not that I would have hated their other models, but the Ion just wasn't made for me. However, the salesman was a genuinely nice guy, and very helpful, and the dealership (also for Hummer) had a nice atmosphere. Regardless, I went down the street and bought a used 2001 Mazda Millenia (of Japanese quality) from a Chevrolet (GM) dealership. I loved the car because of the "classical quality," and loved the experience during and after the purchase because of the "romantic quality." The girl who helped me was sincere, helpful, not at all pushy, and very nice. Not only that, but she followed up with a thank-you letter pointing out that they had a free carwash available for all customers...sweet! She also has a referral program so that I could possibly earn some money if I refer someone to her, and given my experience, I definitely will. Unfortunately, of all problems, the side airbag was screwed up and the warning light came on. She helped me contact the nearest Mazda dealership and made sure my warranty would work there. This dealership, and this particular salesperson, know how to deliver on quality. In the end, it's all about having a great product, and having great people throughout the entire organization to demonstrate it.

Hey Mike, great read.

I have the same take, only different:

GM is holding the camera backwards and taking pictures of themselves. They keep talking about the characteristics of their cars (i.e. quality) but not addressing the characteristics of customers (i.e. esteem, desires, fears, and beliefs).

Quality tells me the car is good, but it doesn't say "It's for me."