Just how important are the details? Well, perhaps it's better to ask "how
important is being better than your competition?"
The details are the competitive advantage. Buyers have the right to expect excellence. Excellence simply must reflect, as part of
its definition, an unwavering commitment to getting the details right.
Let me illustrate this with a story about mustard (yes,
mustard). Up to the 1940's, Major League
Baseball ballpark experiences had always been only slight variations of each
other - all had games and hot dogs, but the creativity was pretty limited over
the then 70+ year history of the game.
Then came Bill Veeck, and nothing would ever be the same.
Veeck bought the Cleveland Indians in 1947 and set out to
entirely change the fan experience. He
also intended to win more games and fill more seats. In fact, he led the Indians to their first
(and only) World Series championship in 1948 and set an all-time Major League
Baseball attendance record in the process (an attendance increase in just one
year of an astounding 72%!) There were
many reasons, but the details of the fan experience played a major part.
This insatiable innovator set out to create the most
extraordinary fan experience possible.
He was famous for grandstanding with outlandish promotions that turned
the conservative world of baseball on its ear.
However, the painstaking research and preparation he insisted upon really
helped to create the right environment for magic to happen.
Veeck personally evaluated every detail, including the
choice of mustard for the hot dogs, ensuring that it was consistent with the
pallets of the local fan base. It just
wouldn't do to throw out the conventional yellow bottle we all know so
well. He knew that getting people to the
ballpark was a local/regional thing - the Northern Ohio fan was his market, not
the average supermarket customer anywhere buying normal old French's.
I believe this story reflects a parallel with our
business lives. Following the lead of
great innovators can help us focus our efforts and remind us of what is truly
important. Also, while Bill Veeck was a
true maverick and a very controversial figure, the success of his team on the
field was unmistakable. I can’t help but
believe that his attention to detail had a lot of influence on the team’s
success – certainly a lot more than just having crazy promotions. He insisted on as much focus on detail with
his player decisions as he did with the mustard.
Perhaps we should ask ourselves how we might tailor our
approach to our own customers in order to ensure we are focusing on the details
that matter most. Customers don't all
need the same solution, but each of them definitely needs something
specific. We had better be thinking
about what "mustard" our customer really likes and make sure to serve
it every time, on time and under budget.
If we don't, our competition surely will.
Here's to paying attention, reading the tea leaves, and
taking nothing for granted.
Thanks for sharing
time with me; as always, I welcome your feedback. Please feel free to pass this message along
to others who may find value.
Sincerely,
Jeff Black
Partner, McDermott & Bull Executive Search
Cell: (714) 356-1949 Office: (949)
529-2672
2 Venture, Suite 100 Irvine, CA
92618
black@mbsearch.net
www.mbsearch.net http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffblackmcdermottbull http://www.jeffblackmcdermottbull.blogspot.com/
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