5 business ideas I learnt at Disneyland

When you go to Disneyland you expect a special experience. We weren’t disappointed.

Here are 5 things that I took away from being a customer at Disneyland.

1. Your body language says so much about your attitude. I didn’t spot one grumpy or frumpy employee at Disney. Yes, I was looking. Everyone moves with a spring in their step. Even the vendors selling the world’s biggest Turkey drumsticks or the organic fairy floss stood tall at their booths and served you with a smile.

2. No one puts the hard sell on you. There was no touting. "Buy 2 get 1 free", "offer ends Monday." If you wanted to purchase products they were available, you can’t miss them. People love to buy, but no one likes being hassled into buying things. Disney knows this.

3. You cannot sell a secret. Merchandising is so important. Whether you sell retail products or a service, your offerings need to look very appealing. Everywhere we went at Disney there were products available. They were beautifully presented. When you were ready to buy they were ready and waiting.

4. It was never boring. Now that shouldn’t surprise you, because it is Disneyland. How you keep yourself and your team fresh and engaged at work is a challenge. If you want to retain great staff, you need to find a way of doing this, whilst still getting all the tasks done.

5. They keep their promises. If they say the gates will open at 10am, they open at 10am. If a show is going to start at 8.15pm, it starts exactly on time. If you make commitments in your business, make sure you honour them.

Posted in Leadership; Tagged Leadership; Posted 29 September 2011 by Steve Herzberg