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Why CEOs shouldn’t do interviews

Posted on
April 20, 2005

Ugh. Seriously, why do y ou let the CEO out of their office if all they’re going to say is things like this…



 Can you hear me now?


Well, don’t expect to if I’m indoors.


That was the apparent message conveyed by Verizon Communications Inc. chairman and chief executive Ivan Seidenberg in remarks published over the weekend that have left tongues wagging in technology circles.


In an interview published Saturday in the San Francisco Chronicle , Seidenberg seemed to suggest the company’s wireless customers were becoming too demanding.


“Why in the world would you think your (cell) phone would work in your house?” he asked. “The customer has come to expect so much. They want it to work in the elevator, they want it to work in the basement.”


I really do believe, unfortunately, that most senior execs today simply don’t respect their customers. They think that they are clueless idiots who should just shut up and buy. And it’s working out really well for them, isn’t it…..


This blogger had some good points to make. Worth reading his short blog post about this. And there’s a good article over at Corante.


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Viewing 5 Comments

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    "They think that they are clueless idiots..."


    Jake: Well, anyone has done tech support for more than a day or so knows that a disturbing percentage of 'em *are* clueless idiots. The trick is to embrace those idiots, appreciate what they give you, and do your look for ways to help or educate them.



    Jessica Simpson is dumb. She's also pretty, amusing, and a seemingly nice person. Smart isn't everything, and that applies to customers as well as celebrities.
    • ^
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    Make that "do your best to look for"
    • ^
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    But this, this exact attitude is precisely the problem - they aren't "clueless idiots"... they are people are who aren't as tech savvy as you. There is a world of difference between those two. My own mother is a very intellegent but put her in front of a computer and she freezes. My wife is quite computer savvy, but often is unaware of basic key commands you'd think she'd have picked up by now. But neither of those things make either person "clueless".


    The problem with this attitude is that it's really really easy to slide into a mindset where you dislike your consumers. When that happens, you might close the doors because it's not long until your consumers and you are at war.
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    Jake: There's a lack of understanding, and then there's cluelessness.


    If you get in a car and don't quite understand how to adjust the seat, you lack understanding.



    If you get in a car and try to drive the streets without making an effort to understand the rudiments of steering, acceleration, and braking, you're clueless.



    If you buy a computer and aren't up on the details of every next-gen phishing scam that bombards your mailbox, you lack understanding.



    If you buy a computer and refuse to use virus protection, you're clueless.



    If you have a cellphone, and aren't quite sure how the fifteen layers of photo-sharing menus work, you lack understanding.



    If you have a cellphone and believe that signals should penetrate all known substances at any arbitrary depth, you're clueless.



    But again, I don't see cluelessness as a sin. Everyone suffers from it in some way, at one time or another. Me in particular. :D
    • ^
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    I don't disagree with the point you're making. I'm just saying that more negatively we as business people think of our consumers, the more our business will be affected.


    And I'm not sure that wanting to have your cell phone just work is clueless.



    Again, this CEO's comments show an attitude. I'd bet money that he thinks his consumers are stupid. He thinks of them as "marks", and that likely shows through in his daily actions and decisions.







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