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It’s not you, it’s me

posted by McKenna @ January 15th, 2009

I know, I know – I’ve heard it all before. You have a great service. You’re a fantastic company. You have amazing products. You win awards and influence your industry. You are really nice to work with. You do great things with great people for fantastic results. I know all that.

But it’s not all about You.

It’s all about Me. The consumer, that is.

It’s tempting to tell customers about all of your company’s great assets. After all, you have a great story to tell. But if you want to get people talking about your products and services – and who doesn’t want some positive chatter about them? – you really need to get over yourself.

A few nights ago, I heard a maddening interview with GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz. It’s actually kind of shocking that Lutz’s handlers – or whichever PR people aren’t currently embroiled in crisis control – let this interview happen.

I think it’s fair to say that Lutz still believes it’s all about GM. In fact, it seems fair to say that Lutz also believes it’s all about him and how he can’t fly on the corporate jet anymore. (I’m crying inside for him, too.)

It’s clear that GM is fighting a losing battle right now, and Lutz’s inability to make it about the customer is digging him even deeper.

So what’s the solution to something like this? How does a business like GM change? And how are you going to avoid GM’s fate this year?

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