How Disney says, “I’m sorry”

This is a guest post from Drew McLellan, CEO and Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group. See the original post this is adapted from and more like it on his blog.

It’s inevitable… we’re going to make a mistake or disappoint a customer.

Disney dessertAnd while Love Story might have told us that “love means never having to say you’re sorry,” I’m pretty sure that if we really want to create a love affair with our customers, we do — on occasion — have to apologize.

The brilliant marketers at Disney know that for many, a trip to one of their resorts is a once in a lifetime event for a family. So if they mess up, they’d better apologize in a big way.

Like most hotels, check in at Disney’s Boardwalk is 4 PM. But our room wasn’t ready until around 6 PM. Oops.

How did Disney handle their error?

First, we got a $200 credit on our room tab. And then, there was a knock at the door and room service presented us with this beautiful (and delicious) 8″ white chocolate Mickey and four tuxedo’d chocolate covered strawberries.

Do you suppose that right after we finally checked in, someone scrambled to figure out how to make things right with us? Of course not. Disney had a plan in place and all the cast member had to do was put it into action.

How about you — what’s your white chocolate Mickey? Don’t wait until after you’ve disappointed a customer to figure out how to apologize.

About Drew McLellan

Wall Street Journal calls Drew McLellan’s blog, DrewsMarketingMinute.com, "one of the ten blogs every entrepreneur should read." His passion is helping clients discover their story so they can create authentic love affairs with their customers. He's also an author, national speaker, and has owned his own marketing agency in the Midwest since 1995.

Tags: , , , ,

Comments

  1. WordPress › Error

    There has been a critical error on this website.

    Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress.