Sports leaders who treat patrons as loyal fans rather than transactions unlock deeper engagement and lasting business growth
In this captivating episode of the Fans First series, Jesse Cole, the mastermind behind the Savannah Bananas, share with us that in the competitive sports marketing landscape, understanding and enhancing the fan experience is crucial to prioritize fan satisfaction and engagement
The key challenge posed to sports marketers and business leaders is to rethink their approach: stop considering patrons as transactional customers and start treating them as fans. This paradigm shift can significantly affect how businesses interact with their clientele, enhancing loyalty and fostering long-term relationships.
This paradigm shift can significantly affect how businesses interact with their clientele, enhancing loyalty and fostering long-term relationships.
The notion of loyalty is further exemplified by the case of lifelong sports fans who remain committed to their teams through ups and downs, driven by passion and a sense of belonging. Similarly, when businesses treat their patrons as fans, they cultivate an environment where fans are more likely to remain loyal, even in challenging times.
The strategic takeaway for marketers is to consistently apply a “fans-first” filter to decision-making processes, ensuring that every business choice prioritizes fan satisfaction and engagement. This approach not only elevates the consumer experience but also sets the stage for sustained business success and fan loyalty.
Is it fans first?
Video TranscriptExpand ↓
We are in our stadium club, and this is our premium area at the ballpark, and I think a lot of people would call this the VIP area. But, you know, we treat all our fans for VIP, give them a VIP experience, but this is a little different. This is an upper level of cream, as you would say. And inside this, stadium club, not only is all the food inclusive, but so is all the alcohol, and so is special catered meals. And they have private bathrooms and indoor outdoor. And we added this the second year because of demand from our customers. They said, hey. Can we have something even nicer? And so we created this and immediately went to a wait list in the thousands just for this club alone. And, yes, we've been fortunate with what's happened here. But I think the challenge I have for everyone is to stop thinking about your customers as customers, to change the language. When you change the language, you change how you treat your people and your customers, and that's why everything for us is fans. We need to understand that there's a difference between fans. As we sit in this premium area, they are treated different than a typical customer. And so when we look at a customer, customer is transactional. You know, they buy from you. You don't really have an amazing relationship, But fans are different. And the way we look at fans is think about what is a team or a a business that you're a real fan of. And the question you ask is, alright. You're passionate. You're enthusiastic. You're loyal. There's a different way that you treat someone when you're a fan. And they may let you down for once in a while, but you're gonna stay with them because you're a fan, because you've been there, because they keep showing up. I grew up in Boston. Alright? I was a Red Sox fan. The team hadn't won a World Series in a hundred years, but I was still a fan of them because they were constantly showing up and everyone was talking about it. It was something special. They were always there, and they were always able to watch. How are you always there for your customers to create fans out of them? And so I challenge to change the language as as there's challenges in the economy, challenges in business. People that look at their customers as transactional, their customers will leave. But if you're a fan of something, you'll stay through the thick and thin. And so if you start looking at your customers as fans and everything you do, is that how you would treat a fan, or is that how you would treat a customer? And that's how we've changed the language and changed the game on our experience. Here's one simple way, and and I'll make your next ten decisions very easy for you to ask one question, one filter for all your decisions. Is it fans first? Is it best for your fans? Will it create fans? Always starts with that question. Is it fans first? And everyone on our team, before they make any decision, they ask themselves that. And it speeds up the whole process. It makes us get things done. And a lot of times, that's the best thing to do, to take care of your fans, is get things done. And that's our one question that we ask over and over again.
