When the first Toyota arrived in the states in the late fifties, no one could have ever imagined - five decades later - Toyota would become one of the best-selling brands - dominating GM, Ford and Chrysler on their own turf. Furthermore, who could have envisioned that Jim Colon, Toyota's first African American vice president of sales, would become the Asian-based automaker first U. S. sales executive steering the wheel, helping to displace Chevrolet from its former number one position, as the best-selling brand in the U. S. (Prior to Colon's recent appointment at Toyota in January, he was the first and so far the only African American to serve as vice president and general manager of Lexus - Toyota's luxury brand.) In an industry, which has not provided many opportunities for women and people of color at the top of the ladder - specifically a foreign automaker - Colon is leading the company sales division through these turbulent times.In Colon's first one-on-one in depth interview, we caught up with the jet-setter, who often travels the country meeting with dealers and his field staff, looking for innovate ways to enhance sales and improve each aspect of every Toyota customer car-buying experience. Nine months after being appointed to his latest assignment at Toyota, Colon opens up, talking about everything from politics to the current state of the auto industry to his legacy to how he taught Oprah to parallel park in a Lexus. Since this is an extensive interview, we've taken a page from noted CBS journalist Katie Couric's series of interviews with Governor Palin. Like CBS, we will share excerpts of Colon's interview over the next month, too. Being that we don't have access to the traditional media formats, Colon's interview will be available initially on our blog. Thereafter, the interview will appear in its entirety on JeffCars.com.
2009 Toyoto Venza (a crossover based off of the popular Camry)JeffCars.com: Jim, when did you realize you had a passion for automobiles?
Jim Colon: I realized my passion for cars and the automotive industry at a very early age. As a child, my father was a body shop manager for a Pontiac dealer and that’s what sparked my interest in cars. He never encouraged me to get involved in the automotive business though - rather he wanted me to get a good education.
JeffCars.com: After graduating from Manchester College, what were your career ambitions?
Jim Colon: My primary goal was to find a good job. In the 70’s, there were not a lot of career options for African American males.
JeffCars.com: When and how did you begin your career at Toyota?
Jim Colon: I began at Toyota in the early 1980’s as management trainee in the Kansas City office.
JeffCars.com: As you may know, you’re one of the best kept secrets in the industry. When minorities find out that you’re leading the sales division of Toyota, what has been the reaction?
Jim Colon: I receive a great deal of support from the minority community. People often tell me how much they love Toyota and Lexus products and ask about exciting projects in the pipeline.
JeffCars.com: When do you project Toyota will overtake GM in U. S. sales? And why do you believe Toyota has been able to beat GM and the other domestic automakers on their own turf?
Jim Colon: We respect what all the manufacturers are doing, but we’re really focused on our own business right now. At Toyota, our main focus is providing our customers with quality products and a great service experience. Ultimately our customers determine our success and rankings aren't important to them.
JeffCars.com: Why do you believe minorities – specifically African Americans - have a love for Toyota vehicles? (According to a recent industry study, Toyota ranked number one in sales with African Americans.)
Jim Colon: Toyota and Lexus’ reputation for quality and reliability, appeals to all customers, including our African American consumer base. Our customers are the heart of our business and we listen to them, offering the products they need and want. We’re proud to provide valuable products people can depend on and look forward to doing so for years to come.
JeffCars.com: Lexus has been known for offering a world-class automobile and service experience. However, some critics have found that Toyota has been known for building a world-class quality vehicle, but not providing a world-class service experience from their dealers based on industry customer satisfaction rankings. What is Toyota doing to address this issue?
Jim Colon: We’re in the midst of a national dealership revitalization program, called Image USA II, to help our dealers better meet the needs of their growing consumer base. With the number of Toyota cars on the road increasing, our dealers realize updates and expansions to their facilities will be necessary in order to maintain, and exceed, the level of excellent service their customers are accustomed to. A portion of our dealers have already completed the program and are experiencing great results and more than 70 percent of dealers will complete renovations by 2010. We have also implemented internal corporate-wide program focusing on ways to continually improve customer interaction at every touch-point to increase retention, advocacy and loyalty.
JeffCars.com: Why do you think so many advertisers only appeal to the urban consumer using music – when we don’t see the same strategy with other demographic groups? Do you think there are other ways advertisers can tap into the urban market?
Jim Colon: The media overall often has a one-dimensional view of African Americans, which can underestimate the intelligence and complexities of our community. Moving forward, advertisers should focus not on what worked in the past, but what will be successful for the future. Companies targeting African Americans in advertising need to be much more innovative to appropriately reflect and capture the diversity within our community.
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Look for more of Colon's candid one-on-one exclusive interview next week. (To read part two of Colon's interview, click here.)
2 comments:
This reinforces my decision to consider buying Toyotas.
I have known Jim Colon for over thirty years. What you see is what you get. Jim is a great husband, super dad, wonderful friend and extremely successful executive, who encompasses the belief, that it is not what you have but what you give. His success dispells the old adage because nice guys often can and do finish first.
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