What To Learn From Toyota’s Problems

This is disgusting so don’t watch it if you really like animals (which I do):

Toyota

What can killing an elephant have to do with Toyota?  Please bear with me for about two minutes.

Toyota has been making excellent cars for decades now, with three main brands: Toyota, Lexus and Scion.  They have been regarded as the most reliable cars and among the best value over each cars lifespan. What’s changed?

Some months ago, it came to the attention of the media that Toyota cars were experiencing problems with the cars accelerating out of control.  At first it appeared that this was simply the car-mats getting stuck on top of the gas pedals, and people were too stupid to use the BRAKE (which will ALWAYS override the power of a car’s engine).  At the time I write this, the media is saying it’s a software problem, though Toyota denies this.

Whether it’s driver error, car-mats or software, none of this has anything to do with the point I’m about to make.

Toyota and Killing Elephants

In his attempt to discredit Westinghouse Electrical Inc. and his greatest competitor, Nikola Tesla,  Thomas Edison suggested the use of A.C. electricity to electrocute an elephant named Topsy.

Nikola Tesla is the man responsible for the electrical power distribution throughout the world today, namely Alternating Current.  Thomas Edison, though very clever, was, I believe,  more of a businessman than he was an inventor.   The killing of Topsy was meant to show the world how dangerous AC was compared to DC (the fact being that at a high enough voltage in either AC or DC can kill elephants……………and humans).

The question I’m asking myself is this: are there similar things happening now in the business world as this?  I believe that there is and always has been.  I’ve actually HEARD sales people try to discredit their competition during sales calls and presentations.  When I was first in sales I did it myself, but soon learned that it was not only immoral, but also counter-productive.

What YOU Should Learn From This

Because I KNOW this happens on a small scale, I asked myself if this also happens on a grand scale, perhaps the scale of the current “Toyota crisis”.  In my opinion it certainly can, and probably does.

Now, I’m not saying that this is what’s happening with Toyota, because I simply CANNOT know.  However, I think that as an internet marketer, or just as a business person, you should consider that this DOES happen and you should choose NOT to do it yourself.

Not only this, but I think the MAIN LESSON to be learned from this kind of industrial warfare is that the media (newspapers, TV, internet etc.) are VERY powerful and they DO influence people’s beliefs.

The FACT is, there MAY be absolutely NOTHING wrong with Toyota’s.  Equally, it’s ALSO a fact, that there MAY be something wrong with them.

Free Money

Why would so many people suddenly start reporting that their cars are accelerating out of control?  Well, as a suggestion, PERHAPS they want some free money.  NO?  You don’t think people want money for nothing?  Have you ever bought a lottery ticket?  Have you ever gambled in some other way?  If you have, then you wanted free money.

I would even argue that handing out speeding tickets (and other fines) is simply legalized theft, but that’s for another post.

The fact is, LOTS of people want money without having to work for it, and it’s POSSIBLE that this is the reason there are suddenly so many people coming forward with their horror stories about their Toyota cars.

THINK for yourself, don’t rely on the TV or newspapers to do your thinking for you.  If you don’t think for yourself, it’s VERY likely that somebody (probably a politician or religious leader) will happily do it for you.

Luke.