We went to Mickey's Halloween Party, the Halloween parade and, of course, breakfast with the princesses. The girls are very into the princesses and that was the best part of the trip for them. The best part for me was watching an interaction between Princess Jasmine and my five-year-old niece, Alexa, which began at a "Meet the Princesses" event.
Jasmine asked the girls if they had seen Abu the monkey. She said that Abu had jumped off the magic carpet on their ride over, and that she and Aladdin were looking all over for him. Princess Jasmine asked the girls to keep an eye out for him, which they vowed to do with wide-eyed wonder.
A few hours later, Alexa met Snow White. Alexa fervently asked Snow White if she had seen Jasmine's monkey. Snow White said she saw Abu down in the workshop with the dwarves and that she would let Princess Jasmine know her monkey was safe. Alexa beamed with pride at having helped!
The next morning at the Princess Breakfast, we ran into Princess Jasmine again. She was being played by a different actress this time, but Alexa didn't notice. When Princess Jasmine moved on to greet other families, Alexa pulled on my arm and said in a panicked voice, "I forgot to tell her Snow White saw the monkey!" I called Princess Jasmine back to our table and Alexa told her that Snow White saw Abu in the dwarves' workshop.
Without missing a beat the (new) Princess Jasmine said, "Oh my! Thank you! I forgot Abu likes to go down to the workshop and eat the apples. I'll have to thank Snow White when I see her again!" Alexa broke into an ear-to-ear grin and hugged Princess Jasmine. I was overcome with happiness at her joy.
It would have been an impressive moment had it been the same Jasmine on both days, but the fact that there was no breakdown in the story between two different Jasmines was incredible. Disney World is called the Happiest Place on Earth for a reason. Everyone who works there helps create a wonderful experience for your family, whether they are playing the part of a beloved princess, serving your meal, or keeping the parks clean.
Disney's business is making memories, but that's something we can all do for our customers. CRM systems give you the ability to record and reference personal details, such as birthdays and anniversaries, but you can do that and more without technology, too. Simply listening - truly listening - to your customers, remembering their stories, their needs, their pains, their goals, and making them an ongoing part of your conversation will cement relationships.
What can you do to create memories for your customers? How can you develop an emotional anchor they can return to again and again?
