DISQUS

Scott Monty · 11 months ago

Och, yon bonnie Brown! If I dinna have a wee bit 'o Scottish blood coursing through my own veins, I dinna ken ya. ;-)

Thanks for your kind writeup, Danny. It can be hard work at times, but I'm lucky I work for a company that not only embraces this approach, but that has the products to back up what I'm saying. I don't think I could be a corporate mouthpiece if I didn't really believe it what I was saying.

Oh, and for the record: Ford's part in the so-called "bailout" was to take no money. We've consistently stated that we'd like access to an emergency line of credit, should one of our competitors file for bankruptcy or the economy worsen.

Danny Brown · 11 months ago

Was that your Rob Roy impersonation, Scott? ;-)

You're welcome - as I mentioned, although I've been critical of Ford, Chrysler and GM (and will continue to be if and when needed), I can appreciate the job you're doing. And as you say yourself, it's good to see Ford both offering the tools and support you need, and using your experience effectively.

I hear what you're saying about Ford's involvement (or lack of) - and while I don't think there's too much of a difference between asking for money now or having it in reserve, as I say that's a topic for another time. ;-)

Thanks for stopping by.

Eric D. Brown · 11 months ago

Great write up Danny.

Every organization & person can learn from this blog post...authenticity is key. Regardless of what your role is, if you aren't authentic and interested in listening to your client base, they will see through it quickly.

Chad Northrup · 11 months ago

Thanks for the post Danny. I posted some similar postive feedback for Scott on my company's blog a couple days ago. To sum up what I wrote- despite receiving what I'm sure is a huge volume of e-mail, Scott took the time to provide a thoughtful response to a question I posed about an app concept my company is working on. In fact, I thought of him when I read Chris Brogan's recent post:

http://www.chrisbrogan.com/be-wary-of-creating-pe...

Scott comes across as a normal guy who treats everyone with respect, so it's no wonder he's having such a positive impact for Ford.

Danny Brown · 11 months ago

I think that's a key part of his success, Chad. People can see that he's not your typical "corporate mouthpiece" just out to blind readers with the latest PR BS. There are too many companies that ignore what's being said about them and the people that are saying it - Scott's willingness to face the crowd and engage even the most hostile voices earns him kudos in my book.

I'll be sure to check out your own take on it. :)

fendergurl · 11 months ago

Interesting post Danny. Informative and supportive.

Danny · 11 months ago

What a lot of people don't realize about Scott is the background he had prior to joining Ford. He had a very active Twitter presence and following, his social media marketing/PR blog enjoyed a large reader base and his knowledge tank was (and still is) pretty sharp.

Ford may have made some financial mistakes but Scott's appointment is one thing they got right.

Emmet Gibney · 11 months ago

For an interesting story on Ford's efforts to get involved in the blogosphere check out this story, it's about me by the way : )

http://www.filmschoolstudent.com/2007/08/03/my-su...

The Lovable Rogue · 11 months ago

Hey Danny,

I actually first became aware of Mr. Monty several months back following a discussion on one the podcasts which I download. I got the impression at the time that he was very much on the ball. I find it encouraging that an organisation so often defined by the founder’s ‘you can have any colour you want, so long as it’s black’ mantra is reaching out to engage customers. If only they had adopted these principles several years back, instead of pushing their products onto the customer. Imagine how different the situation might be now.

Additionally, I think it’s great that Scott has addressed the comments made herein. It really hammers home the point that these social media enthusiasts are listening and are determined to make their presence known. Whilst we are all likely to have our own opinions of such organisation’s, the actions of those such as Monty can only improve our perceptions thereof.

TLR

DavidGaffaney · 2 months ago

Lastly, be yourself. Be confident and friendly. Strike a good conversation and listen to what your date has to say also. Never fail to blind date uncensored thank a date even if it didn't turn out to how you wanted it to be.