Hi all,
I know there are lots of questions and conversation fragments about the advisory group, so thought it useful to start a dedicated thread. I'm also happy to keep responding to the PMs I'm getting through various channels, but many are understandably similar questions. So pardon the ramble, but:
This group is not being convened specifically to address the Arizona battery issue in any specific sense (though certainly it can have some relevant impact in the grand scheme.) It was conceived to help Nissan learn how to better communicate and engage with the EV community, both current drivers and potential ones. To "hold up a mirror", as they describe it. Beyond that, they're pretty open-minded on the group's focus.
In my observation, some of that need is pretty granular, e.g. literally helping them get into/used to participating in forums like these. Some of you have seen a little of that start to take shape, as an advisory group is obviously not needed to start that sort of effort. Jeff Kuhlman has jumped into a couple threads, for example, and the video Andy Palmer and I did in NY went up last night. I know, it's "not rocket science" to communicate with your customers...and yet the amount and frequency of bi-directional communication that the EV community has always wanted is more than automakers (and most companies of their size) have been accustomed to for decades. There is a lot for these companies to learn- and knowing how much frustration has been brewing in spots of the LEAF community, I appreciate that this group has been willing to embrace these efforts, even if they seem delinquent.
More broadly, I can see the group focusing on a variety of topics, and the group will ultimately decide- but three in particular are the most obvious and urgent to me. In no particular order because they're all somewhat intertwined, and yes- far more layered and complex than these simplified descriptions (but hey, this post will be long enough!)
1) Marketing- more effective advertising in the thematic/creative sense, but also in understanding what potential buyers really want to know, and how to appropriately talk to them about things like range and the factors affecting it, both when the car is new and over time. Focusing on what the LEAF is great for today and not trying to sell it for the other 5% or based on what it might be able to do in the future if and when batteries are perfect and infrastructure is everywhere. Appropriate expectation-setting, etc. It's a reality that the LEAF, Nissan, and EVs in general will only ultimately succeed if we can get sales up and more cars on the road, but new buyers need to be set up for a really good experience with these cars. As you all know, if the industry doesn't do right by the early adopters, we'll never hit mainstream.
2) Communication- some of this ties into the above references to expectation setting from the start. But I also mean in an ongoing sense- basic engagement with the community, when something's going wrong, etc. How much information you want (I know, no such thing as too much! ), how you want it, best mechanisms for your feedback to them, and so on. So there may be some input into the capacity issue in the long run, but as discussed in the "Open Letter" thread, I'm encouraging the most urgent aspects of that resolution not to wait on this group.
3) Dealer experience- pretty obvious. Getting them more on board, improving the sales process, dealer training, service department, etc. And for that matter, what should even be happening at a dealer vs somewhere else.
Again, very simplified descriptions. They will continue to evolve as this takes shape and I know other topics altogether will come up. Ultimately, I'd like to see the current owners shape next-gen product as well. But as 2013's pretty locked, it seems most useful to focus on what we can help in the near term.
next piece, logistics and membership....
I know there are lots of questions and conversation fragments about the advisory group, so thought it useful to start a dedicated thread. I'm also happy to keep responding to the PMs I'm getting through various channels, but many are understandably similar questions. So pardon the ramble, but:
This group is not being convened specifically to address the Arizona battery issue in any specific sense (though certainly it can have some relevant impact in the grand scheme.) It was conceived to help Nissan learn how to better communicate and engage with the EV community, both current drivers and potential ones. To "hold up a mirror", as they describe it. Beyond that, they're pretty open-minded on the group's focus.
In my observation, some of that need is pretty granular, e.g. literally helping them get into/used to participating in forums like these. Some of you have seen a little of that start to take shape, as an advisory group is obviously not needed to start that sort of effort. Jeff Kuhlman has jumped into a couple threads, for example, and the video Andy Palmer and I did in NY went up last night. I know, it's "not rocket science" to communicate with your customers...and yet the amount and frequency of bi-directional communication that the EV community has always wanted is more than automakers (and most companies of their size) have been accustomed to for decades. There is a lot for these companies to learn- and knowing how much frustration has been brewing in spots of the LEAF community, I appreciate that this group has been willing to embrace these efforts, even if they seem delinquent.
More broadly, I can see the group focusing on a variety of topics, and the group will ultimately decide- but three in particular are the most obvious and urgent to me. In no particular order because they're all somewhat intertwined, and yes- far more layered and complex than these simplified descriptions (but hey, this post will be long enough!)
1) Marketing- more effective advertising in the thematic/creative sense, but also in understanding what potential buyers really want to know, and how to appropriately talk to them about things like range and the factors affecting it, both when the car is new and over time. Focusing on what the LEAF is great for today and not trying to sell it for the other 5% or based on what it might be able to do in the future if and when batteries are perfect and infrastructure is everywhere. Appropriate expectation-setting, etc. It's a reality that the LEAF, Nissan, and EVs in general will only ultimately succeed if we can get sales up and more cars on the road, but new buyers need to be set up for a really good experience with these cars. As you all know, if the industry doesn't do right by the early adopters, we'll never hit mainstream.
2) Communication- some of this ties into the above references to expectation setting from the start. But I also mean in an ongoing sense- basic engagement with the community, when something's going wrong, etc. How much information you want (I know, no such thing as too much! ), how you want it, best mechanisms for your feedback to them, and so on. So there may be some input into the capacity issue in the long run, but as discussed in the "Open Letter" thread, I'm encouraging the most urgent aspects of that resolution not to wait on this group.
3) Dealer experience- pretty obvious. Getting them more on board, improving the sales process, dealer training, service department, etc. And for that matter, what should even be happening at a dealer vs somewhere else.
Again, very simplified descriptions. They will continue to evolve as this takes shape and I know other topics altogether will come up. Ultimately, I'd like to see the current owners shape next-gen product as well. But as 2013's pretty locked, it seems most useful to focus on what we can help in the near term.
next piece, logistics and membership....