How "Joe Isuzu" changed the car sales industry

Published: Wed, 04/02/25

Updated: Thu, 04/03/25

April 2, 2025

TOGETHER WITH

OMG, we did it—we made it to April (and Q2)! There’s nothing quite like wearing your coat to work in the morning, then going to lunch in a t-shirt, then scrambling to find a rain jacket on the ride home, all just to step into a muddy puddle as you get out of your car. But nevermind all that, because The Quota’s here to get your mind right. Enjoy this week’s newsletter, with all the usual goodies, baddies, and in-betweenies. Let’s go!

NUMBER OF THE WEEK

The B2B industry is expected to grow to $31 billion by 2031, up from $7.4 billion in 2022, demonstrating substantial growth potential.

Source: Alore.io

SALES ROUNDUP

Here’s what’s happening in the sales world this week:

A Washington-based family-owned glass company was allegedly the victim of a multi-year crime spree led by a former salesperson. According to the Tri-City Herald, Pedro Rojas Jr. is accused of stealing $400,000 over three years from Tri-City Glass, a Kennewick, Washington-based provider of windows, doors, and more. While he allegedly repaid around $80,000, Rojas Jr. refused to pay the remainder. You can read more about it here.
A door-to-door Verizon salesman was found guilty last Wednesday of stabbing a man to death in New Jersey. Michael Tsamas, 35, was convicted of first-degree manslaughter in the death of 44-year-old Joseph Delgardio in Jackson Township on May 26, 2022. Tsamas had been in town selling Verizon products when he encountered the victim. You can read more about what happened here.

FEATURE

When satire strikes a nerve: How Joe Isuzu changed the car sales industry

In the mid-1980s, a character named Joe Isuzu burst onto television screens across America, forever changing automotive advertising and stirring up significant controversy in the process. Portrayed by actor David Leisure, Joe Isuzu became instantly recognizable for his outlandish claims and the on-screen text that contradicted his every word. While consumers found the campaign refreshingly honest in its dishonesty, many car salespeople and dealerships weren't laughing.

The Man Who Couldn't Tell the Truth

The Joe Isuzu campaign, created by advertising agency Della Femina Travisano & Partners, featured a slick-talking salesman in a suit who made absurd claims about Isuzu vehicles. "The Isuzu Impulse has more seats than the Astrodome," he would declare with a winning smile, while text appeared on screen reading, "He's lying." Another commercial might show him claiming, "It goes 300 miles per hour and gets 900 miles to the gallon," followed by a similar disclaimer.
The character became a cultural phenomenon, with "Joe Isuzu" entering the American lexicon as shorthand for an untrustworthy salesperson. The campaign ran from 1986 to 1990, was revived briefly in the late 1990s, and remains a personification of shady salespeople.

The Industry Pushback

While consumers and advertising critics praised the campaign for its creativity and self-awareness, the reaction from within the automotive sales industry was decidedly mixed. Many dealerships and industry associations expressed significant concerns.

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) formally complained to Isuzu, arguing that the ads reinforced negative stereotypes about car salespeople as untrustworthy and dishonest. Several regional dealer associations issued statements condemning the campaign for undermining consumer trust in the entire industry.

Individual salespeople reported customers making "Joe Isuzu" jokes during negotiations, often creating an adversarial atmosphere before the sales process even began. Some Isuzu dealers found themselves in the awkward position of benefiting from the campaign's brand recognition while simultaneously dealing with customers who approached them with heightened skepticism.

A Truth-Telling Controversy

Ironically, a campaign built around acknowledging dishonesty in advertising created controversy precisely because it hit too close to home. The car sales industry had long battled against the stereotype of the slick, fast-talking salesman willing to say anything to close a deal. Joe Isuzu seemed to confirm these stereotypes while simultaneously making them the butt of the joke.

Industry veterans pointed out that the comedy came at their expense during a period when dealerships nationwide were working to professionalize their sales forces through better training, ethics programs, and customer satisfaction initiatives. The campaign seemed to undermine these efforts by reinforcing the very image they were trying to shed.

The Lasting Impact

Despite the industry pushback, the Joe Isuzu campaign achieved its primary goal: it differentiated Isuzu and dramatically increased brand recognition in a crowded market. Sales increased substantially during the campaign's run, suggesting that the approach resonated with consumers even as it irritated salespeople.

More importantly, the campaign sparked important discussions within dealerships about sales ethics and customer communication. Forward-thinking dealers used Joe Isuzu as a teaching moment, emphasizing to their teams the importance of honest communication and relationship building over high-pressure tactics.

By exaggerating and satirizing the worst stereotypes of the industry, Joe Isuzu may have helped accelerate positive changes in automotive sales. The campaign forced a reckoning with public perception that, while uncomfortable, ultimately pushed the industry toward more transparency and customer-centricity. You check out this collection of the best Joe Isuzu ads here.

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MEME OF THE WEEK

Source: Instagram -- Sales Humor

QUIZ

Who was the lead actor in the 2000 sales movie, Boiler Room?

A. Mark Wahlberg
B. Giovanni Ribisi
C. Sam Rockwell
D. Shia LaBeouf

SALES FAILS

Each week, we bring you the most cringe-worthy sales moments from across the web. To submit your sales fail story for consideration, click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

I was an Account Manager in staffing and recruiting a few years back. I was cold-calling people at some of my targets using the phone numbers in my CRM to speed things up. I called a new prospect and someone picked up after a few rings. I asked to speak with my target and the woman on the phone said that she was his mother. Embarrassed, I tried to end the conversation and promised to update the number in my system. This mother was persistent because she thought I was a head hunter going after her son. She told me all about his talents and why he would be a great fit for a new role. I tried to explain that this wasn't part of my job but she wouldn't listen. When I finally hung up, I immediately took the number out of my CRM.

A couple of months later, I reached out to this prospect on LinkedIn asking for an introduction. He responded and told me he knew my name because his mom had told him about our conversation. He scolded me for calling his family (fair) and said he'd never dealt with this level of unprofessionalism. Needless to say, I didn't get that lunch. I learned my lesson and now always double-check phone numbers before cold calling.

Anonymous Location withheld

GRAPH OF THE WEEK

Source: LinkedIn Poll -- March 2025

WORTH A PEEK

If you were just starting out in sales, which US city would you choose to work in? This question was recently posed on Reddit, with some interesting responses. You can read and join the conversation here.

ASK THE QUOTA

Want to submit a question and be featured in our advice column? Click here. (Don't worry, you'll remain completely anonymous).

Dear Quota Team,

I’ve been with my company for 10 years. I’ve been working in sales for the company for the last 6 years. We manufacture custom building products which used to be some of the top products available in the market. Things seem to be going downhill. Our prices have skyrocketed miles above our closest competition, and we aren’t investing in keeping up with the newest industry demands.

One of my recent frustrations is we must keep a specific minimum margin for our quotes, but sales staff cannot see the margins. We must request a discount approval for every quote and then management tells us what the margin is at that discount. Every product seems to have a different margin, and it can differ greatly from each quote depending on how many of each specific item there are. It’s a complete mystery until you send the quote in for approval, and this process can take days depending on how busy management is. In turn, the customer has to wait longer for their quote.

We have asked management to allow us to see the margins to save time, but they said it’s not possible, and act like they don’t trust us with this information. Is this normal? I think my time at this company may be coming to an end and I am starting to look for a different company to work for. Things have been very frustrating for the last 4 years and they keep saying things will change and get better and they just don’t.

In the Dark in Location withheld

Dear In the Dark,

This level of distrust is not normal, especially since it's directly hurting your ability to serve customers. Trust your gut—you've given this company more than enough time to change. Before you go, you could band together with the sales team in a last-ditch effort to address the problem to management—but be prepared that giving them an ultimatum could lead to firings. Good luck!

Quiz Answer: B. Giovanni Ribisi was the lead actor in Boiler Room (you can read the source article here)

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Today's email was written by Ken Kupchik, Erica Furgiuele, Steve Rado, and Emily Hill.

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