SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — General Motors chief executive Ed Whitacre wants Cadillac to treat customers better.
At a June 3 meeting, GM managers told 300 salespeople how a Texas salesman dissuaded a friend of Whitacre’s from buying a Caddy. When his buddy test-drove a CTS-V sedan, it ran out of gas. Whitacre’s e-mailed response was projected in large letters on a screen: “If true, awful.”
The gathering in Chicago — a combined pep rally, lecture and confessional — was part of a GM offensive to revive Cadillac, which has fading appeal, aging customers and trouble persuading buyers it’s worth paying a premium. GM brought in trainers from Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., a unit of Marriott International Inc., to show dealers how to reconnect with customers.
“It’s truthfully a new beginning for us,” said Kurt McNeil, Cadillac U.S. vice president of sales and service. “We know we’ve got a lot of work to do on the product side, the marketing side and the customer-service side.” Bloomberg News
