Constance Korol

Last night I had the pleasure of previewing the International Auto Show at the Jacob Javitz Center courtesy of Ford and the Social Media Club of New York City/ SMCNYC.

Scott Monty at the International Auto Show in New York City

We were certainly warmly welcomed as we were treated to a cocktail reception and a great networking opportunity with not only social media mavens but Ford executives such as Scott Monty, Head of Social Media at Ford, as well. I have seen Scott speak before at last year’s BlogWorld show but the event was overwhelmingly huge making  it quite difficult to approach him with so many people vying for his attention. This time it was much easier to get a moment to speak with him

We discussed Ford’s success over the past couple of years due in no small part to the company’s focus on profitability and staying true to the brand  but more importantly, their focus on relationships. He seemed extremely proud to be able to say “We didn’t take a dime from the government”. Ford leveraged social media by aggregating consumer ideas, collaborating with others with one goal, to make the best vehicle….”Together we arrive at a better decision”.  While social media played a role in developing and improving Ford’s relationships with consumers, Scott also mentioned in his short talk that the company also made it a priority to maintain a healthy relationship with its employees. This meant that even during the suffering economy, Ford employee morale remained stable.  I asked Scott if Ford has been struggling with supply chain issues and/or facing out of stock situations as a result of the crises in Japan. He replied on a similar theme, crediting great relationships with their suppliers for the fact that  they are doing OK.

Scott summed up his talk with the words that any good company would want to hear from their consumers, employees, suppliers or simply those that like them on Facebook…… “They built a relationship with me, I trust Ford”

How are relationships benefiting your business/company?  Take our poll on Linkedin and let us know your feedback in the comments.

Constance Korol

The Global Neighborhood of demand planners and forecasting professionals is coming together. Conversations and discussions are happening throughout the world and answers/ comments to common challenges are being addressed in forums.   Since 1981, the IBF has educated and trained this community through publications, events, newsletters , membership benefits and certification.  Now more than ever, professionals with a common interest are listening and being heard through social networks such as Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter.

A few weeks ago, two discussions on the IBF Linkedin group began to swell and became quite popular in the weeks to follow. This led me to ask two of our long time supporters and seasoned practitioners to participate in a webcast, which aired live on June 3^rd and will be available shortly on demand. Mark Lawless, a Senior Consultant for the IBF spoke on Improving Forecasting Performance in Order to Improve the Quality of Business Decisions and Jeff Marthins of TastyKake put his own CSI twist on  S&OP, a case study.

The overall message put forth by the webcast was that forecasting is where success in business all begins.  Our two presenters showed the importance of having the right forecasting model and the right team in place to stand behind the forecast which can ultimately result in greater chance for success. By now we have all heard that upper management support for the Sales and Operations Planning process is key. However, Jeff also pointed out that having a champion to carry out the process is also just as important.  Plus, bring the right data to the meeting is crucial as well.

It takes work and effort to support what you do and what you believe in.  A community that faces the same challenges and engages those issues collaboratively can be motivational and can help overcome obstacles.  Learning and sharing ideas can help prevent another lesson learned of Failed S&OP.  The old saying goes: “If you are a forecaster you will always be wrong.”  I would like to think forecasting morphed into something more sophisticated, providing the best answer, supported by an educated group, that drives quality in making a business decision.

See for yourself! Download the slide deck from the Mini Tutorial here.

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