GM's Steps for a Successful Turnaround
1. Offer a better warranty. Done! - GM now offers a 5 year, 100,000 mile warranty on all new 2007 cars and light duty trucks. If you read the fine print, they highly recommend that you do all servicing through a GM dealer/retailer and keep the receipts. This is a step in the right direction GM! Just make sure you work on steps 2 - 10 below.
2. Fire managers who insist on cutting corners on quality to save a buck or two. Tar and feather any manager that ever breathe the words "planned obsolescence".
3. Hire the best engineers money can buy and fire the ones who make costly mistakes for the company.
4. Strive to make the best and most reliable vehicles on the road. Once the buzz has started that GM is making dependable vehicles (not just on initial quality, but long term reliability), you'll see more sales.
5. Take better care of your customers, all of them; not just the ones who buy the shiny new car off the lot, but the ones who also buy them within the warranty period (see item number 1).
6. If a customer has a problem with your product and it's just outside the warranty period, or if it's something fails prematurely, take care of the customer. This in itself will get you repeat business over and over and over again. Take care of the customer and they will take care of you. If they're happy, they'll tell their friends and family. This in itself will generate revenue. The loss you experience by repairing the vehicle will pale in comparison in the profits you'll make with repeat business generated by that customer and others who hear the story of how well s/he was taken care of.
7. Threaten to pull you automobiles from dealerships that don't support your decision to take care of YOUR customers. The dealerships sell YOUR products to YOUR customers. If they don't comply, fine them, then dump them if they don't turn things around.
8. Reduce your vehicle lineup. Being bloated in this market isn't a good thing.
9. Offer more hybrid, fuel efficient vehicles.
10. Be innovative. To be competitive, you've got to adapt and get ahead of the game.
Need some inspiration? Take a look at what these kids have done:
High School Project - A soybean powered car that gets 50 MPG and can do 0-60 in four seconds!
Think outside the box GM... Need some help? Get your R&D working on hydrogen-based (or other hybrid) vehicles and include the latest in magnetic technologies. For example, using magnetic wheel bearings would reduce friction, greatly increasing fuel economy. Worried about how you're going to distribute hydrogen fuel? Lobby Congress for tax breaks and concessions to allow you to build refueling stations at all GM dealerships... Not only will this allow you to keep in touch with your customers, you could recoup costs by offering extra services for your hydrogen customers (like new tires, wiper blades, a car wash, etc...) Make it fun by offering every 10th fill up free, or even (GASP) fill up their vehicles for them.... Free coffee? Balloons for the kids... come on GM, be creative! Oh, and one more nugget.... build a plug-in gas/electric hybrid that can easily be charged at home and you'll have a hit (just make sure it doesn't have mechanical issues (see item 4)).
It could be a revolution, and GM can be the one to start it. Just follow my 10-step plan GM and you can turn things around....
GM Sucks, but it doesn't have to be this way....
1. Offer a better warranty. Done! - GM now offers a 5 year, 100,000 mile warranty on all new 2007 cars and light duty trucks. If you read the fine print, they highly recommend that you do all servicing through a GM dealer/retailer and keep the receipts. This is a step in the right direction GM! Just make sure you work on steps 2 - 10 below.
2. Fire managers who insist on cutting corners on quality to save a buck or two. Tar and feather any manager that ever breathe the words "planned obsolescence".
3. Hire the best engineers money can buy and fire the ones who make costly mistakes for the company.
4. Strive to make the best and most reliable vehicles on the road. Once the buzz has started that GM is making dependable vehicles (not just on initial quality, but long term reliability), you'll see more sales.
5. Take better care of your customers, all of them; not just the ones who buy the shiny new car off the lot, but the ones who also buy them within the warranty period (see item number 1).
6. If a customer has a problem with your product and it's just outside the warranty period, or if it's something fails prematurely, take care of the customer. This in itself will get you repeat business over and over and over again. Take care of the customer and they will take care of you. If they're happy, they'll tell their friends and family. This in itself will generate revenue. The loss you experience by repairing the vehicle will pale in comparison in the profits you'll make with repeat business generated by that customer and others who hear the story of how well s/he was taken care of.
7. Threaten to pull you automobiles from dealerships that don't support your decision to take care of YOUR customers. The dealerships sell YOUR products to YOUR customers. If they don't comply, fine them, then dump them if they don't turn things around.
8. Reduce your vehicle lineup. Being bloated in this market isn't a good thing.
9. Offer more hybrid, fuel efficient vehicles.
10. Be innovative. To be competitive, you've got to adapt and get ahead of the game.
Need some inspiration? Take a look at what these kids have done:
High School Project - A soybean powered car that gets 50 MPG and can do 0-60 in four seconds!
Think outside the box GM... Need some help? Get your R&D working on hydrogen-based (or other hybrid) vehicles and include the latest in magnetic technologies. For example, using magnetic wheel bearings would reduce friction, greatly increasing fuel economy. Worried about how you're going to distribute hydrogen fuel? Lobby Congress for tax breaks and concessions to allow you to build refueling stations at all GM dealerships... Not only will this allow you to keep in touch with your customers, you could recoup costs by offering extra services for your hydrogen customers (like new tires, wiper blades, a car wash, etc...) Make it fun by offering every 10th fill up free, or even (GASP) fill up their vehicles for them.... Free coffee? Balloons for the kids... come on GM, be creative! Oh, and one more nugget.... build a plug-in gas/electric hybrid that can easily be charged at home and you'll have a hit (just make sure it doesn't have mechanical issues (see item 4)).
It could be a revolution, and GM can be the one to start it. Just follow my 10-step plan GM and you can turn things around....
GM Sucks, but it doesn't have to be this way....
Dear General Motors,
I am offering this advice to you at no charge. If you take it, you will see long term profits, and you will also increase your market share without having to offer deep discounts to sell your automobiles... Sound good?
Without going into a tirade of what you're doing wrong, I'll tell you what you should be doing right...
I am offering this advice to you at no charge. If you take it, you will see long term profits, and you will also increase your market share without having to offer deep discounts to sell your automobiles... Sound good?
Without going into a tirade of what you're doing wrong, I'll tell you what you should be doing right...
The Cure for GM
