Chantal

At the beginning of October my husband and I went to Disneyland Paris. We acted like big kids for three days and had loads of fun. I tried not to think about work while I was chasing Tigger and whizzing round Space Mountain, yet I kept thinkg that there?s a lot that businesses can learn from Disney. Here are a few of my thoughts:

Make it easy for your customers to buy from you. All round the Disney park are shops where you can buy Minnie Mouse ears, Snow White outfits and pirate hats. There are large and small shops everywhere, so then you decide you want to buy something you?ve seen someone else wearing, it’s easy to find it. There are no barriers.

Do you make it that easy for your customers to buy from you?

?Walk your talk. On our third day at Disney, I met one of my heros ? Tigger! He was bouncing around the park with his friends Eyore and Baloo. He was playing with anyone who wanted to play with him ? adults and children alike; he was dancing and bouncing along, with a line of children chasing him. He was living his name and walking (or bouncing!) his talk.

Do you walk your talk and deliver what you promise?

Service with a smile. All the staff at Disney smile nearly all the time. In our three days there, I only saw one person not smiling. All the others did. And they looked like they were enjoying themselves. Whenever a member of the public asked for directions, or another beer, or how long the wait wold be, they were answered politely and with a smile. Nothing is too much trouble.

Do you keep smiling, no matter what your customers ask you?

I think there?s a lot more we can learn from Disney and all they?ve achieved. For now, think about how you can make it easy for customers to buy from you, deliver what you promise and keep smiling all the time, and just watch the impact it has on your customers and your business.