Last weekend, Lainey (my wife) and I were up in Breckenridge, CO celebrating our wedding anniversary (our 28th thank you very much). We were hungry for some good pizza but not being that familiar with Breck we weren't sure where to go.
So I contacted the daughter of some friends who have a place in Breck. I contacted the daughter because I thought it was much more likely that she'd be online at the time than her parents (thanks Makay!). I didn't email her, I sent her a message on Facebook. One, I didn't know her email address, two, I figured she'd be much more likely to be checking her Facebook than answering emails. Makay is 13 years old.
I asked her about the best pizza in Breck. She answered quickly…gotta get Fatty's! I went online and found Fatty's Pizza in Breckenridge. I was quickly able to find the online menu and their phone number (they didn't offer online ordering). I called to place the order and spoke with Diane who was awesome. She was outgoing, knowledgeable, fun. She took my order and told me to meet her in twenty minutes at the end of the bar.
I arrived at Fatty's 20 minutes later. As I walked through the door a woman at the end of the bar shouted, "Hey Mike! I've got your pizza ready!" She got my pizza, we talked for a bit. I took it back to the house and Makay was right. It was great.
What a great experience. It worked just the way it was supposed to. Facebook helped me connect quickly with someone I knew would have an answer. Someone I had no phone number or email address for. Fatty's had a good website with the information I needed. Then, the real kicker, Fatty's had Diane. This woman "got it." It was if she understood that I didn't just wander in her door by mistake or just happen upon her website. All of that took work. And she was committed to seeing that the work paid off.
What about you? Do you have your marketing channels in order? Have you given tools to your tribe to empower them to help spread the word about you online? How's your website? Good information, easy to find? Finally, how are your people? Well trained? Committed to the positive customer experience? What a tragedy to have all the greatest marketing and then drop the ball when the customer actually calls because you've got someone answer the phone because they don't know what they're doing.
I'm now a Fatty's fan. I'm sure there are other pizza places in Breckenridge who serve find pizza, but I'm a Fatty's guy now. In your case, you've got the power in your hands, now more than ever, to develop committed, strong, loyal fans. Do you have the pieces in place? Are you making it work?
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