Focus On The Experience And NOT The Product

If you're like me, the first thing you did when you read the title is think that concept is full of it. Why would I focus on the fluff when the quality of the product is what I'm interested it? I agree to a certain extent with you, I do. I will say, however, that when I sit down and really think about the products I consume, the experience is what I'm thinking about and not the product itself.

Here's what first came to mind: craft beer. Shocker. A local brewery, One Well, has become a mainstay in my places to go in the area. I bought a lifetime mug membership. They sell pretty good beer, and their food is above average. I can't say their beer is great though, and for me that doesn't matter as much as the experience of when I go there. They've went out of their way to foster a culture within their staff of knowing their regulars / mug club members names by heart. When I walk it, it's like Cheers - and I've went there at most twice in one week. The bars are made out of reclaimed wood, and the tables themselves are made from a local woodworker. All of the art around the room is for sale by a local artist, and they host events with local groups to enhance the experience. I say their beer is good and not great because on the top of my head I can think of 3 Bell's beers I like better, but I would much rather go to One Well for their atmosphere than go to Bell's. One Well focuses on providing a great experience to whomever walks through the door, and Bell's considers everyone just another paying customer. Part of this would be due to size, one would argue, as Bell's has a national footprint and the majority of readers of this outside of the Kalamazoo area haven't ever heard of One Well. Bell's has been on the scene longer and is by all capitalistic measurements outperforming One Well, but when was the last time you saw Larry Bell walking the brewpub floor chatting with local patrons? I've never seen him there. I know Chris and TJ at One Well by name... I know they love high fives, I know TJ's wife who is a beertender there, and they've sponsored my volleyball team the last two seasons. In return, every Sunday after volleyball a group of us come into the pub after the games to drink and have some laughs. It's great to see places like One Well pop-up in places that most breweries wouldn't focus on the local community -  Milwood - but they love it there and I'd be lying if I said that our new house we're in was purchased without any thought that One Well was less than a mile away.

The next business that comes to mind also comes at no surprise to people who know me well - Indian Run Golf Club in Scotts, MI. IRGC was the local course when I was growing up and where a handful of my golfing friends grew up with their back yards being fairways. The course itself won't be hosting any PGA events anytime soon, and they're perfectly comfortable in their niche. The greens will roll as well if not better than any public course in the area, and the clubhouse will always serve craft beer and pizza from one of my best buddies, Mark Bush. I've been a member out there for three years now, and I don't see any time in the future where I will not have a membership there. Again, the staff gets to know their regulars and take care of you whenever they can. This isn't a foreign concept to those who frequent a specific course often, but what IRGC is willing to do is try out different events that their membership would want and not price those events where people feel cheated on value. Mark has been running beer dinners at the course, a foreign concept in the area but something I obviously appreciate. The owner sends out email to the distribution list, talking in his voice and not some watered-down version of himself to appeal to the masses. There will always be a lyric from a song at the end of the email, and there will be upcoming events mentioned along with the Friday menu which is always rotating. Friday nights in the winter have created their own cult following, with the bar side of the clubhouse packed with music from local talent, laughter from patrons, and great food flying out of the kitchen. As with One Well, I can think of 3 courses in the area that are nicer than IRGC. That said, none of them have the personal feel that IRGC provides to their customers. I am constantly thanking them for going out of their way to make my wife feel comfortable at the course, even though she has about 0% desire to golf and doesn't drink the craft beer they emphasize. She WANTS to go to the course to hang out with other members we've become friends with because of my play at the links, and the beverage selection always has a cider that she loves and a shot of well tequila that only she can appreciate! Know your customers, and they will never feel forgotten. 

The third "case study" is a sad one because they're in the process of going out of business, but I can say with 100% certainty is isn't because they weren't getting an incredibly passionate following: Alamo Drafthouse in downtown Kalamazoo. Alamo is a national group, started out of Austin, TX, that focuses on providing an experience that movie lovers crave. They are serious when they say that you'll be escorted out of the theater if you don't zip it and hide your cell phone - I've seen it happen multiple times, and my wife and I pump our fist when it happens. Why would they deny paying customers to experience the movie how they want? Because they know that disruptive individuals affects the rest of the patrons, and that is unacceptable in their brand. They have waitstaff that bring food and drink to your seat so you don't have to miss a minute of the movie, and their craft beer selection is up there with any local spot in terms of selection. Other theaters in the area are moving to nicer food and more craft beer selections, but they're a day late and a dollar short. They lack the authenticity that Alamo provides. Alamo host "quote-along" events for movies that die-hard fans love to spout off the entire movie anyways, and they are selective in which movies fit their brand. They bring in the top titles typically, and they will try their best to get lesser known movies that their customer request. They have a loyalty rewards program that offers kickback promotions and free early screenings to its membership. They also partnered with the Kalamazoo Film Society and bring in films that wouldn't have another venue to be seen if it weren't for Alamo. They're going out of business in Kalamazoo unfortunately, a move that seems to be due to being outbid on their lease and not because they weren't turning a profit. I know individuals that literally cried when they heard the news, and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't bum me out. Their staff didn't know me by name like the other two examples I gave above, but they listened when I had movies I couldn't see at other venues. Their staff busted their ass to make sure my friends and I didn't go long without a refill on a beverage or take care of a noisy table that didn't have the common courtesy to understand the rest of the quite customers didn't want to take part in their conversations. 

The experience that customers return to time and time again will always require authenticity rather than just a superior product. There surely is a balance between experience and the product, and if that equilibrium drops and the product is too far gone that the great experience can't bring it back, customers will leave. In my experience, however, I haven't seen an example where the experience was amazing but the product declined to a point of no return. Listening to your customers and their desires will be the golden ticket for decades to come. Thank you to the business I've mentioned here and the other businesses I frequent for "getting it". 

If you're asking yourself why the image in the blog is an eagle clutching a duck, it's because I first read the concept of replacing our brains with our hearts in You Can't Send a Duck to Eagle School (And Other Simple Truths of Leadership) by Mac Anderson. The book was a gift from a local CEO and philanthropic leader in Kalamazoo, and I highly recommend it for a quick yet insightful read.