It’s Not Personal. It’s Business: A Brand’s Dumbest Mantra

My wife and I are expecting our third child, so needless to say, we started minivan shopping. As reluctant as we both were, we decided that this was the best option for accessibility, cost, and space. After a very detailed option summary we decided on the Nissan Quest. We figured Memorial Day weekend would be an optimum time to buy because of the deal we could get.






If you’re wondering where this is going, please bare with me. I hate car shopping. However, I do know how to get a good deal, so this was a time for my wife and I to shine. There actually was a moment there where we felt like the Wonder Twins. I widdled the guy down to $3500 below dealer cost, but something seemed funny. There was about $173.00 that didn’t seem right. My wife just felt uneasy, so we walked. Literally got up from the table and walked away.






Now I had the deal. The problem wasn’t the salesman, but his sales manager. He was so upset that I actually did my homework as a consumer, that when we walked, he stupidly stated “It’s nothing personal. It’s just business.” What?! I was the one that walked away form the deal, and he had the nerve to make it sound like I was making a mistake by walking away from such a good deal! Well, unfortunately Nissan of McKinney won’t have my business or any of the people from my network. And that’s the power of consumer homework!






Lesson: If you are a big brand or smaller subsidiary doing business on the behalf of a bigger one, remember that consumers have a choice. They can choose to walk away and they can choose to trash you if you don’t treat them right. Also, in any business transaction, consumers will do their homework. Because of technology, we are smarter and can make more educated decisions quicker than most managers take the time to come up with a “deal” to screw over their customers. Finally, business is personal. Why? Because money is involved. Anytime we make a purchase, our emotions are directly tied to it because somehow, someway we as consumers believe that this purchase is going to enhance our personal well being or give us a leg up somewhere in our lives. Brands that take people out of the equation and just relegate the transaction to making a sale instead of a perceived exchange in values, are setting themselves up for failure. That failure usually means a slow death in reputation, or a big hit in the wallet. I’m sure they will take that transaction personal.