All great brands do one thing alike, they create fans.
When was the last time you saw a Lenovo sticker on someone’s car?
Or when did you last have your brother in law telling EVERYONE they need to buy a Dodge Stratus?
Never.
The Savanna Bananas baseball team has mastered creating FANS.
People that see attending a game as bordering on a religious experience.
The craziest part?
They spend $0 on marketing.
Their genius? A “fans first” mantra shared throughout the organization.
And a maniacal focus on customer and employee experience with every employee participating in the the “fans first” focus.
The current WAITING LIST to get a ticket is 500,000+ deep and growing every day by the 1,000s!
It’s even produced a cottage industry of ticket scalpers selling a coveted seat at a premium.
Jesse Cole the Founder and Owner of the Savannah Bananas has distilled their genius with this.
The Four Es to Create Raving Fans:
Eliminate Friction: Stop doing things customers and employees hate.
When was the last time you went through your buying process as a customer?
How did it feel? Where was there friction or annoying parts?
Walt Disney himself had an apartment above the fire station at Disneyland so he could personally walk the park to hunt down friction points for guests. And of course remove these friction points.
(Except the lines Walt!!)
Consider further that every PAY POINT is a PAIN POINT.
When you buy a ticket to the Savannah Bananas, the only thing not included? Your ride to get there.
That means all you can eat and drink. No parking fees. No ticket fees. No taxes. Nada.
The price? $25!
What’s your all inclusive model?
Also…make paying FUN!
…the Savannah Bananas aren’t in the baseball business CLEARLY.
They’re in the business of family fun.
Ask your team…
What business are we in? Then ask, but what business are we REALLY in?
And go to your customers and ask…
What is the ONE THING we should Stop Doing?
Entertain Always: With an already tense social climate, a weird economy, and the list goes on, people need a break from the everyday chaos.
How can you make it entertaining/enjoyable to do business with your company?
What can you do so that every time you have to go to a customer’s home for service, they celebrate you showing up?
Instead of dreading the fact they have to pay you, again.
You must do things that don’t scale first. Then you can do things that actually scale.
The Bananas have hired a 6 year old kid to give everyone high fives on the way into the stadium every game.
And what about when things go wrong? They’ve got a script for that.
The biggest nightmare for baseball? RAIN.
The Bananas have a plan for that. A fully scripted show for rain delays that’s just as entertaining as the game itself!
So….
Start writing 10 ideas every morning about client experience. How you can make it entertaining? Most will be garbage. But a few will change the trajectory of your company!
Engage Deeply: Do things for one, that you wish you could do for many.
Consider the Magic Castle Hotel in Los Angeles.
Every guest is greeted like they are the only guest by first name when they arrive. Guests are offered free food and drinks when they check in.
And custom gifts in the room based on guests interests and preferences.
All captured when guests booking the hotel and the reservations agent listening DEEPLY to customers.
So, listen carefully, respond creatively.
You can’t do it for EVERY customer, but when the opportunity arrives, make it DRAMATIC.
Or better, empower and engage your TEAM in the game.
And then gather as many stories of putting “fans first” as possible from your team. And CELEBRATE them.
This is how the Bananas do it so well.
Massive reinforcement of company VALUES AND PURPOSE.
Because, they’re not in the baseball business remember.
Just like you’re not in the _____________ business.
And Walt Disney wasn’t ever in the cartoon business. He was in the business of HAPPINESS. And look how it has entirely shaped their organization.
Empower Action– stop standing still, start standing out
Jesse’s dad was his little league champion and always told him…swing hard, in case you hit it.
The reality is? People don’t remember swings/misses.
They remember the hits.
Are you playing not to lose?
Or playing to win?
Reggie Jackson has more strikeouts than anyone else!
Amazon Fire Phone =170M failure that turned into echo and fire tv
Where are you NOT taking big swings?
Plan on making mistakes. And your team too.
Just get in action and empower your team to experiment more in trying to create fans.
Not a single person goes home and says, I met the most professional person today. People will talk about unique and memorable.
Is your business “professional” or unique and memorable?
If you think it takes turning your industry on its head to achieve this, you’re likely wrong.
In MOST cases it’s a matter 5% tweaks to how “it’s always been done” and removing much of which is annoying for customers and employees to be truly differentiated from your conveyors and create RAVING FANS.
Do yourself a favor, check out Jesse’s Book at: https://www.amazon.com/Fans-First-Change-Unforgettable-Experience/dp/154452921X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1680283423&sr=8-1
And get on the waiting list for a game 🙂
If you want help executing the four Es in your company consistently, let’s talk.
