To Alex,
I do not know which BZ Results salesperson created the chart that originated this thread... And, if I did I would not be ashamed to say so! However, I had a situation last week that reminded me of this one. An ADP account manager who normally represents DMS related products and services was asked by one of her dealers about the new Ford Dealer Advertising Co-Op reimbursement program. He wanted to know the connection, if any, with the Ford Digital Advertising Program, which my team administers for Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers... She correctly explained to the dealer that the two programs were distinct and seperate from each other. The dealer went back to his Ford Zone Manager and wanted to know why Internet advertising was not covered by the new Co-Op advertising program (which is a false statement). The Zone Manager explained that Internet Advertising is eligible for FLM Dealer Advertising Co-Op reimbursement if it meets program guidelines (which is a true statement). The story got passed upstream to Ford executives and the next thing you know I am being asked why our ADP sales team is telling dealers that the Ford Digital Ad Program is not covered by the Dealer Advertising Co-Op program (which in fact it is!). By the time I was able to identify the ADP sales rep and then speak to both her and the dealer I came to realize that everything she told the dealer was actually true and that the dealer had made incorrect ASSUMPTIONS based on her correct statements! I see this type of confusion, misstatement of facts and false ASSumptions on a daily basis. As a result, I have learned over time to reach out and gather more information and either email or call the parties involved before I make any foolish ASS-umptions about what people say or present when I am not a first-hand witness.
Look, it is real easy to get all hyper-critical and slam suppliers on an open blog like DR, and for the most part none of us have to worry about being held accountable for what we write or statements we make that may or may not be accurate... Other than our own sense of maintaining a reputation for integrity in this business.
I cannot count how many times I have been required to work with irate customers buying a car to take the hair out of a kinked deal because of innacurate statements made by a car salesman trying to close his or her sale... Heck, on the way home today from Sonoma, CA wine country I listened to a woman tell me about how she was considering a 60 month lease on a new vehicle... I found myself explaining the pros and cons of leasing in general and how most experts recommend a 24 or 36 month lease rather than a longer term and that a 36 month lease is comparable to a 72 month car loan and a 24 month lease is comparable to a 60 month car loan, etc., etc.
Plenty of people would argue those points with me as well, but i know in my heart I am making true statements and have been both a consumer of and a merchant of new vehicle leasing for over 20 years! I know what the hell I am talking about!
I wonder if the BZ Results salesperson who produced the chart that started this thread feels the same way? And, what if for some bizarre reason unbeknownst to any of us he or she had a reason for using the furntiure store URL? What if he or she was trying to illustrate the importance of acquiring and managing a domain name portfolio? Has anyone ever bothered to get this individual's response to this post or to send him or her a link to it by email?
OK, maybe I am the eternal optimist and I tend to believe in the inherent good within most people until they prove otherwise, but for crying out loud it sures seems to be easy to post a whole bunch of trash talk about someone when they are not around to defend themselves or provide a response to accusations!
Most, not all, but a majority of the Digital Marketing professionals and suppliers I meet in this business tend to be fairly honest and ethical in their business practices. If a dealer buys technology, turns down both consulting and training that is offered to show the dealership's employee's how to use the technology that was purchased... How can that dealer then complain that his employees do not know how to use that very same technology and as a result the store gets no benefit from it? I have seen this happen for many, many years... And, it stoill happens today! If the person assigned by a supplier to serve a dealer knows that dealer on a first name basis and speaks to that dealer on a weekly basis... Who is responsioble for that same supplier point of contact not knowing who the Internet Sales Manager is? I do not pretend to know all the answers, but sometimes asking a few of the right questions is a gtreat place to start.
