What a Theme Park Can Teach You About Business

Say what you will about theme parks. (Too expensive! Too cheesy and artificial!)

But they do get at least one thing right. They bend over backward to make the customer experience as good as it can possibly be.

Take visitors with young kids, for example. Here are a few conveniences I noticed on a recent trip to an unnamed park in Orlando:

• Baby care stations with private rooms for nursing mothers, diaper changing tables, and comfy couches for quick naps for fussy kids.
• Special seating in the back at shows for parents with infants sleeping in strollers.
• A variety of play areas for every age group from infant onward.

(Funny… I never noticed these things until I had a kid.)

Sure, you could make do with changing a diaper in a regular, crowded bathroom. Or wait outside a ride with the baby while your spouse takes the older kids through. But it wouldn’t be pleasant. And it would probably make you think twice about making a return trip to that park before the kids are much older.

And that’s a lesson you can apply to your own business. Consider your customers’ special needs… and make sure you are addressing them.

For example, are you making it difficult for your older customers to order? (Maybe they don’t feel comfortable giving credit info over the Internet.) Could your products be tweaked and made easier to use – making them more appealing to a larger portion of your target market? Are your marketing messages filled with too much jargon – so much that some of your prospects don’t understand what you’re saying?

You should be able to come up with a fairly long list of special needs your customers may have – needs you should be addressing.

By taking a critical look at your business this way, you could capture millions in lost revenue.