Our Recent Project

The Honda Revolution Project

This was a market research project, and not directly connected to intelligence or security analysis.

The Honda Revolution Project examined a decisive shift in customer behavior among non-EV auto buyers who experienced prejudice at competitor dealerships and subsequently migrated to Honda dealerships. The research documented how these customers, after encountering dismissiveness, stereotyping, or bias during the sales process elsewhere, were received with openness, respect, and genuine engagement at Honda—ultimately becoming loyal and outspoken Honda advocates.

The project captured a critical moment in the automotive retail industry, revealing how human interaction, empathy, and inclusivity directly influenced purchasing decisions in a highly competitive and technologically advanced market.

Research Focus and Scope

The study analyzed completed customer journeys involving buyers who:

• Entered competitor dealerships with clear purchasing intent

• Experienced bias related to age, appearance, income assumptions, or non-EV preferences

• Disengaged from those dealerships despite viable product offerings

• Completed purchases at Honda dealerships where they felt respected and understood

These cases were examined through customer interviews, post-purchase feedback, and dealership interaction reviews.

Key Findings

The research confirmed a central conclusion:

Prejudice in the sales process was a stronger driver of customer defection than pricing, inventory, or product features.

Customers did not leave competitor dealerships due to lack of interest in the vehicles. They left because they felt:

• Talked down to

• Dismissed as “non-ideal” buyers

• Pressured toward products misaligned with their needs

• Judged based on assumptions rather than intent

At Honda dealerships, these same customers reported a markedly different experience.

The Role of Honda Sales Professionals

Across all documented cases, Honda sales professionals demonstrated behaviors that directly countered the negative experiences customers had elsewhere:

• Active listening without preconceived assumptions

• Respect for non-EV purchasing preferences

• Clear, transparent explanations without condescension

• Willingness to meet customers where they were, not where the salesperson expected them to be

This approach restored trust and reframed the buying experience as collaborative rather than adversarial.

As a result, customers frequently described their Honda purchase as emotionally corrective, not merely transactional.

Human Touch in a Digital Sales Era

The project underscored a central paradox in modern auto sales: while digital tools, online research, and automated processes have increased efficiency, they have not replaced the need for human connection.

The research showed that:

• Technology enabled comparison, but empathy closed the sale

• Data informed customers, but respect earned their loyalty

• Automation streamlined transactions, but inclusion defined the experience

Honda dealerships that prioritized interpersonal engagement outperformed competitors who relied heavily on scripted or assumption-driven sales tactics.

Outcomes and Impact

Customers who transitioned to Honda after experiencing prejudice elsewhere demonstrated:

• Higher brand loyalty

• Increased likelihood of repeat purchases

• Strong word-of-mouth advocacy

• Willingness to share their experience publicly and privately

Many explicitly stated that their loyalty was not solely to the vehicle, but to how they were treated during the buying process.

This loyalty extended beyond the initial purchase and translated into long-term brand alignment with Honda Motor Company.

Strategic Implications for the Auto Industry

The Honda Revolution Project demonstrated that:

• Bias—subtle or overt—is a direct threat to sales performance

• Inclusivity is not a social initiative but a revenue driver

• Every customer interaction either builds or erodes trust

Dealerships that fail to address prejudice risk losing customers who are fully prepared to buy—but unwilling to tolerate disrespect.

Conclusion

The Honda Revolution Project was not merely a collection of customer stories. It was a blueprint for the future of auto sales in a diverse, competitive, and digitally saturated marketplace.

The research confirmed that:

• Every handshake matters

• Every assumption carries risk

• Every customer story deserves to be heard

Honda’s success in these cases was not accidental. It was the result of sales professionals who understood that the most powerful differentiator in auto sales remains the human connection.

This was not just a sales strategy.

It was a revolution in how customers were seen, treated, and valued..

Photo credit: BGStock72 - stock.adobe.com

Explore our other recent projects:

• The Question of a Coup: Applying Calculus in Intelligence Calculations: A practical intelligence manual showing how calculus-based reasoning can prevent false certainty, expose hidden coordination, and reduce strategic surprise in coup analysis.

• National socio-digital early warning and strategic foresight architecture: a computational intelligence ecosystem to anticipate mass sentiment shifts before coordinated unrest and destabilization emerge.

• Understanding the Lockwood Analytical Method for Prediction (LAMP): my firsthand experience applying one of the intelligence community’s most rigorous forecasting methodologies.

• Self-disruption research: Applied Whitney Johnson's four principles of self-disruption in addressing unconscious bias among intelligence analysts.

• Intelligence training manual: Self-disruption as analytic tradecraft

• Self-disruption as analytic tradecraft: Classified-style analytic vignettes and tradecraft alignment

Not Intelligence-Related:

• The Honda Revolution Project

• Top 20 mistakes immigrant healthcare professionals make (with Mercy Nwankama)