Last week, I finally gave in and took the family to Disneyland Paris. Despite the title of this blog, I wasn't particularly excited about Disney. My wife had been urging me to go ever since our eldest, now eight, was born.
You know what? It wasn’t that bad! The kids and my wife had the best time, and that brought me immense joy. Despite the utter exhaustion, there's something quite captivating about Disney. For a grump like me to admit that, they must be doing something very special.
According to reports, the Paris park contributed to £300m+ net profit to the parent Disney group last year so they know how to make money!
Every small business owner can learn some genuine, tangible lessons from Disney. Here are my top tips to spread some magic on your own business.
Brand Loyalty
Disney has one of the strongest brands in the world. Its products captivate the imaginations of young children and often keep them that way through adulthood.
The amount of fully grown adults, without children, at the park, dressed up as Disney characters were equally surprising and terrifying - each to their own I suppose?
This brand loyalty brings millions of people to the park each year and persuades them all to part with small fortunes for pleasure.
You don’t need an audience the size of Disney in your business, but a very small, very engaged audience will produce spectacular results. Build your community!
Disney = Magic
What does your band equate to in people’s minds?
Customer-Centric Approach
Even I was impressed with the park’s attention to detail and focus on the customer. They really do show that they care. For a place with hundreds of thousands of visitors at any one time, it was immaculate, with no sign of rubbish or dirt anywhere.
The characters are always in character, the food is all shaped like Mickey Mouse (the kids appreciated that), the staff are all great and every single detail is focused on making the trip magical.
The whole place runs like clockwork.
The small stuff matters. The phrase “don’t sweat the small stuff” is the root of all problems when it comes to wowing your customers. Put yourself in their shoes and make every interaction with your business special.
Technology
The tech Disney uses behind the scenes to make everything flow must be impressive, but we don’t get to see this.
What we see as customers is enough to make your stay easier and more enjoyable without being too in your face.
You can enter the park through the digital wallet on your phone, but if you can’t figure that out, you still have your ticket or card.
The app guides you around the park and shows live wait times for each ride so you can plan your day to get the most out of it. Live updates for shows, parades, etc., also mean you never miss out.
The Photo pass meant that any ride we went on or character we met with photos was instantly uploaded to the apps on our phones.
Then there were the drones and tech for the night display and some of the rides' cool features.
This was tech used as it should be: to enhance the experience without being intrusive. I hate it when businesses force tech on the customer because it makes sense for the business, but the customer feels put out.
Pricing
Okay, so it’s no secret that going to Disneyland is far from cheap. Disney knows it has a great offering and a strong, loyal brand following, and it makes the most of it. But importantly, it delivers on that promise of value.
I didn’t come away thinking that was a waste of money. Quite the opposite.
This is such a big lesson for small business owners. Create a premium product, price it at a premium AND deliver the value!
The second secret to their great pricing model (great for them, less so for my wallet!) is how they upsell EVERYTHING!
From upgraded dinner passes to the photo pass, to skip the queues, to get a better view of the fireworks. You name it, you can pay for it. But you know what? It works!
They allow the budget-conscious to go still and enjoy themselves but facilitate those who want to spend more to make the most of their stay.
Sometimes, businesses need to allow their customers to spend more with them to get what they truly want.
A basic trip costing £2,000 might seem expensive to customers because they don’t see the value. But upgrade them, give them all the extras, and charge £4,000, and suddenly they are happy and think it’s great value for money. Cheaper is not always better!
P.S. These prices are made up, I have no idea how much this trip cost us, that is most definitely a question for my wife and one I don’t want to know the answer to…
No, I haven’t suddenly come over all giddy about Disney or Disneyland. I don’t have plans to rush back, but I can certainly appreciate a great business when I see one.
About the author
Luke Desmond
Fractional CFO for Tech, eCommerce & SaaS. CEO @Crisp_Acc provides virtual finance functions. Co-Founder @getvaulta SaaS Startup for accountants.