Just as fast as the page was uploaded, the criticisms about the design of the crosstour and the price tag avalanched.  Time, money and energy that were invested into this car design were quickly becoming time, money and energy to salvage their reputation.

In a Columbus Dispatch article the execs of Honda USA talk candidly and openly about how this debut went wrong.  Dan Gearino, the journalist of this story, summarizes “The two campaigns (Ford’s Fiesta subcompact debut) show some of the opportunities and pitfalls for big companies when they make the public part of the marketing” (Gearino, D1).

The news here is not that a new product seemingly failed upon debut.  The news is what this journalist is hitting upon what the business world views the consumer as–a roadblock to making sales.

All though Honda and other fortune 500 companies may have not realized it, the consumer has always been a part of marketing efforts.

In a pre-digital world, this failed design would have affected an inner circle of buyers who would tell their family, friends and co workers “do not buy this car.”  Due to the top down communication print and electronic media bring, Honda would never have believed there would be an outcry.  They controlled the message.

In today’s world–the consumer has the platform to tell anyone they want.   Facebook pages, twitter posts, personal blogs and consumer sites all allow for a conversation between brand and consumer to occur.

How are you opening up to Ms. Jones?  Are you allowing for user reviews on your website or just letting the consumer review you somewhere else?  Do you talk openly about the under belly of your industry which sometimes affects what you can get done on an everyday basis?

The ballgame has changed.  It is now a two way.  Changing the look of your ad is not going to change your reputation—talking openly about it is.

For information, education and products related to “opening up to Ms. Jones” be sure to attend the 2010 R&A Roundtable at Deer Creek Lodge & Conference Center.  This two day educational event will talk about all things related to the web and how to market to today’s consumer.  Click here to sign up for more details.

The turkey’s tryptophan took the blame when it was the fork’s fault all along.

Your body redirects its effort and energy to the most urgent job at hand. This is a fairly simple biological concept, isn’t it? It’s also an economic concept Ms. Jones has been dealing with since her excessive overeating at the banquet of credit card spending, negative home equity and debt refinancing. She redirected her energy toward the urgent task of digesting that heavy meal.

Now it’s the week after Thanksgiving and the leftovers are gone (if you’re still holding onto that green bean casserole, it’s time to let go). But guess what? I’m hungry again! I’m already planning my next meal, albeit a bit smaller one than the great Thanksgiving Day feast.

Ms. Jones will get hungry again, too, and I think she’s really looking forward to eating at your table. Do you think she’s going to be more concerned with indulging herself, or with making smart choices? Can you serve her a smart salad bar instead of a smorgasbord of sugary treats? Do you have to change your product selection to do this, or just change the way you talk about it?

Does your marketing direction match her menu?

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.

Who knew? Now the sweetest of celebrations is embroiled in controversy (and I’m not just talking about the pumpkin pie).

Why is it so hard to be thankful? Does saying “thanks” for some great gift make you feel somehow less? Does saying “Thank you” make you feel uncomfortably indebted, incapable or inept? Do you express gratitude gratuitously or grudgingly?

Thanking Ms. Jones is a given. You probably have pre-printed “Thank you for your patronage” postcards and loyalty programs for her. She’s looking for a thankful company who appreciates her.

So is your staff. How do you express your thanks to them? Sure, a paycheck is a nice way to say “Thanks,” but I guarantee they’ll work harder and expect less if they feel truly appreciated, valued and respected on a spiritual, emotional and mental level – not just financial.

I don’t recommend tofurky or trite “Thank you’s.” You can’t fake Thanksgiving. We hope yours is blessed.

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.

I’m sure you can think of ten stories off the top of your head when Ms. Jones was dead wrong. The sofa she saw in a magazine was never meant for her living room. She gave you the wrong dimensions. Her credit was declined. She twisted what you said. These are the stories you laugh about now, shocking your friends who work in more civilized fields like banking or taxidermy. But as it happens, as a red-faced Ms. Jones sputters in your face, it is definitely not funny.

Just between you and me, she was wrong. Between you and her, you’ve got to do everything you can to make it right. How do you protect her from her mistakes? How do you protect yourself? Are you a hardnosed “Dem’s the rules!” kind of company? Or are you a namby-pamby “Whatever it takes,” sort of store?

Somewhere in between must lie an area called common sense. In between “I’ll call the television station if you don’t give me my money back!” and “I’ll call the police if you don’t leave my store!” must lie room for compromise, admitting our mistakes and calling a spade a spade.

Have you ever fired a customer? There’s a time to decide you aren’t going to be pushed around like a kid on the playground and stand up to a bully Ms. Jones. There’s also a time to give in to unreasonable demands just to keep the peace.

Here’s to the days when we don’t have to decide at all, when we lift a glass to a gracious customer and thank God for decent people who make retail fun. Thankfully, most Ms. Jones don’t try to steal your lunch money.

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.

In the same click that sent my email, I also received a email from him: “Hey, you might get a message saying we have changed some settings on your account… nothing to worry about.” Whew! Problem solved – no, there was never a  “problem” to begin with.

This Ms. Jones does not like problems, especially those without answers. What’s more, I do not like it when I discover a problem and have to go sleuthing for clues. What’s this charge on my bill? When will the repairman arrive? Where is the product you said would be here last week? How much is this going to cost?

As a business owner myself, I hate it when our customers have to ask us for information. I want to be in front of a problem with a solution prepared in advance, not cleaning up its muddy mess. I don’t like being caught with my pants down.

Do you let Ms. Jones know what’s around the bend? Do you give fair warning about missed deadlines, unexpected costs, a box that arrives in pieces, an employee who royally screwed up her order? The only salvageable scrap from these situations is your reputation and her peace of mind. She might not like to hear it, but she dislikes not hearing even more.

Forewarned is forearmed – or Ms. Jones might just jump to the foregone conclusion that you don’t know what in the world you’re doing.

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.