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You may not want to admit it but there are probably aspects of your business that are the equivalent of the hand dryer. Your customers put up with it and don’t mention it but in the back of their mind, it’s an irritant that they barely notice. That is, until someone solves it.
The universal mantra from people in the Expression Economy is “shut up and solve my problem.” They don’t want to hear excuses. They want their problems solved.
Successful organizations are the ones who are solving the problems the establishment can’t or won’t. For example: Tangerine lets us cash a cheque by taking a picture of it. I don’t have to go to the ATM? Problem solved. Starbucks lets us pre-order our coffee from our phones. I don’t have to wait? Problem solved. Airbnb lets us get a local community experience. I want to live like the locals? Problem solved. Square doesn’t charge me exorbi- tant fees for credit card transactions. I save money? Problem solved. Uber keeps my credit card on file. I can just get out of the cab and get billed later? Problem solved.
The picture of Ron and his two dogs that the Westin had waiting for him in his Hotel room after he checked in.
People don’t come to your course to get lost. They don’t come for slow service. They don’t come for broken down carts. And they don’t come for hand dryers that feel like a 6 year old telling your hands a secret. They come to golf. Anything that gets in the way of that is an irritant.
Add value. Seek out and solve the problems.
BE GENUINE, BE GOOD
Evelyn Hannon is a lovely woman and friend. She’s the 75-year-old force behind JourneyWoman.com, a helpful site for solo female travelers. Be- fore the Internet existed, Evelyn would go to dinner parties and collect information from other women on contacts, safe neighbourhoods, and hotel recommendations for cities she traveled to. She had file folders from cities all around the world. When she heard someone else was go- ing to a particular destination, she’d whip out the appropriate file folder and connect them with the people and places that were most helpful.
In 1997, when the Internet was developing, Evelyn started Journey- Woman. The website hasn’t changed much since then. There’s no HTML5. There’s no flash video. There’s nothing but helpful content.
At 75 years old, she has close to 40,000 Twitter followers. She has an e-newsletter that goes to 75,000 women in over 200 countries. She’s been featured in Time Magazine and People Magazine and was voted the world’soldestblogger.
But it’s not because of her website. It’s because Evelyn Hannon has a genuine desire to connect with people. That desire existed long before the Internet or smartphones or Twitter or Facebook. Sure, she uses those tools to help her out, but everyone has access to those tools.
Her strength is that she genuinely wants to help. She genuinely wants to connect. She genuinely wants woman of all ages to have as much fun travelling as she does. And if she has to fax or pick up a phone or meet you for coffee in person to accomplish her goal, she will do it.
When competing in the Expression Economy, it’s not the size of your budget, the size of your team, or the size of your driver. What really matters is the size of your heart.
Golf Business Canada
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Golf Business Canada