He’s really been out of power for months now, but the lingering effects of Saddam’s rule continued to hold people emotionally hostage until it was proven that he had been captured. Not long afterward the feelings of liberation poured out onto the streets as Iraqis across the globe celebrated their freedom.

When people are subjected to the same type of experience long enough, they become callas or even lose hope that anything will change. Promises alone won’t do the trick regardless of how many positive stories are told. It takes something radical and then a new experience in order for people to buy in and accept that things are different.

In order for the auto industry to overcome the negative image we have - manufactures, dealers and dealership staff must undergo a culture change that radically impacts the customer’s experience. Anything less will not be able to break through the years of abusive experience customers have endured.

Like it or not, GM was on the right track with Saturn. They began at the top with cultures and values and implemented changes at the retail level that were based on what customer said they wanted out of a car buying and ownership experience. And for all of you who believe that people like to negotiate, research clearly indicates the opposite. In fact, the reason Saturn implemented the one price philosophy was because customers said that negotiating was the number one part of the experience they disliked.

Unfortunately, GM chose to hold back resources at a critical time in Saturn’s history so there were limited products to choose from. "We love the experience but our needs have changed", is what customers would say.

When I talk with industry leaders today, they always agree that Saturn’s way of doing business was ahead of its time. And yet virtually every major manufacturer is now scrambling to implement customer focused processes that are Saturn-like in nature. They also agree that without a change of heart, and a real change of culture from top to bottom, we’ll continue to see a negative customer perception surrounding our industry.