PGreenblog

Organic Social Networks, The Yankees & ...Wha? (UPDATE: WE WON OUR 27TH WORLD SERIES!)

Needless to say, being a Yankees fan of the entirely driven and committed sort, I'm biting every nail on my hands off and frankly, if I could reach my feet, would go at those nails too (Ugh.). I do that every time that the Yankees are in the playoffs or World Series particularly, though, I have to admit, I do it to a lesser degree, but to a degree during the 162 game regular season too. Meaning, from April through hopefully early November, I don't need nail clippers.

But this year is very, very different. Aside from being in the World Series for the first time since 2003, which makes it different, Twitter, Facebook, text messaging, push technologies and an iPhone make it different.

I no longer watch the game by myself though I'm the only person in the room (my wife, also a Yankees fan, is up in Newfoundland at the moment with her mom who's recovering from surgery). I'm not even just watching the game with friends of mine who are Yankees fans on Facebook such as fellow Yankees fan David Sims, who is without a doubt one of the all time great writers and columnists in CRM and other IT matters - and one of the funniest. I'm also watching the game with several thousand people who are actively conversing from the stands at Yankee stadium or watching it on TV themselves - all members of either subgroups within social networks communicating via channels or members of organic communities - outcome based communities that have come together for the World Series and the World Series only and who will, for the most part, disappear after the Series ends.

But note something, I said will disappear for the most part, not entirely, which we'll get to

If this were 2003...

If this were 2003, I think probably by now I'd be hating Josh Beckett (wait I still don't like Josh Beckett) for beating us and Jesus Hoyos, a CRM thought leader in Latin America, would be the happiest man on the earth because the Marlins had beaten the Yankees - though to his credit, he'd be happy if the Marlins had beaten anyone at all in the World Series because he's not a Yankees hater, he's a Marlins fan. But how would he be letting me know (if we knew each other - which then, we didn't)? An email maybe - a phone call? And only after the result itself was in and done. To communicate in some real time fashion with even one person was either cumbersome or expensive even then. Or at least more cumbersome and expensive.

But This is 2009....

While the Series isn't quite over when I'm writing this (prior to game 6), here's the picture so far and now.

The kicker is that I'm in Bogota Colombia, as one of the keynotes at CRM conference here, but no worries, broadband is solid and I have a subscription to MLB television on MLB.com which gives me streaming video live for the game. Or, I can watch it - yes watch it - using the MLB iPhone application streaming via Wi-fi that's readily available.Or if for some feverish reason, I'm sick of Tim McCarver and Joe Buck (which is a frequent occurrence) I can listen the audio/radio feed from NY with John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman - our homie broadcasters.

In the meantime, David Sims is getting ready to watch it from New Zealand somehow - TV or streaming maybe. The key Yankees bloggers for the press like Mark Feinsand are already starting to set their tweets out to the Yankees fan faithful to get prepared for the game. The conversations are already beginning on #yankees on Twitter and in the "enemy camp" at #phillies on Twitter.

When the game begins, I'm watching somehow or listening and in the meantime, between communities and sub-communities on Twitter and my Facebook buds, we're rarin' to go. So the night is a viewing experience and a conversation stream that organically evolved that includes my CRM colleagues, my cousins, a good friend who roots for the Phillies and other friends I have who happen to root for the Yankees or the Phillies who I had lost touch with but am now hooked up with primarily on Facebook. Plus there are the myriads of unknown folks gathered either physically at the park or watching on the tube or the web who are connected in total through twitter via their mobile device.

The conversation stream is real time and its intense and responsive to the game itself.

What's remarkable is what organically happened from the beginning of the playoffs. People who I've befriended over the last couple of years and vice versa, or who are mutual followers began yakking about something they are passionate about using not email but social networks and communities to correspond. Which dovetails with the Nielsen data from their Global Network Survey in March 2009. Their finding was that more Internet users correspond via social networks (66.8%) than via email (65.1%). WOW.

The Social Side

But think about this. I'm working on a personal social graph that is outcome based - i.e. built around an event - the World Series - that incorporates my family, sub-communities of CRM influencers; large communities of yankees fans who I only will know for the games - and phillies fans - and fans who are converging because of the World Series only - regardless of who they root for #WorldSeries - using social channels like Twitter and social networks like Facebook. What makes this even more fascinating is due to Facebook Connect, my tweets are carried to Facebook allowing my friends on Facebook who don't tweet much to comment and converse on the content of my tweets.

And this is all organic.

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post on outcome based social networks (OSN) which was an excerpt from the 4th edition of CRM at the Speed of Light. What was most prominent about it was that the OSN was pretty much archived when done. That's likely, hopefully after tonight. But in the course of this amazing playoffs, two things happened. I made some new friends and found a bunch of new people on Twitter who follow me and/or who I follow. I saw how quickly that even existing social networks and communities can morph themselves into new forms with new rich results and conversation - which tells you how important it is to not just understand the business value of the communications revolution that we've seen in the last five years or so, but the social value that's been added when it comes to being able to converse with "people like you" in real time in a few seconds after you decide you want to. Extract what business value and thinking you want from this observation. I've got to get ready with my laptop and iPhone, for the game, sitting at my hotel in Bogota.

Though I wish I could be at Yankee Stadium tonight

Take Me Out To the Ball Game Cuz I'm a FAN, I'm A HUGE FAN

#1 - Story of the Pro Athlete and The Fan

There's this really famous story, see, about Stan Musial from the St. Louis Cardinals- a Hall of Famer, yes?

You might not know about Stan Musial, because you prob'ly weren't alive when he played ball in St. Louis, but he was goshdarn near to one of the greatest hitters ever to play the game and no slouch on defense, neeeether. Nope. One year, (think it were '47 er .48 or so) he hit somethin' like .376 with 39 homers and 131 ribbies or somethin' like that...there.

Story goes that one day, afore a game started, Stan was near the dugout of the Cardinals, mindin' his own beeswax, tossin' a ball up in the air, ketchin' it and tossin' it back again. This guy with his little kid, young'un about seven years old or so, came to the rail by the dugout and the kid began yellin' "Mr Musial, Mr. Musial!" Well, he caught Stan's eye - see Stan was just a regular guy, grew up in the steel town of Donora PA, and made it to the Bigs by talent, and made a little bit of money but he was a man (and is a man) with a big big heart. So, see, this kid catches his attention and Stan the Man (that was his nickname, see) comes over to talk to the kid and his dad. He autographs the ball and then the kid, bein' just a kid and not knowin' that you don't ast baseball player big shots this - sez, "Mr Musial, will you come to my birthday party tonight?"

Well, the dad turns red as a beet, which can be good for you I s'pose, but Stan Musial looked that kid square in the eye and sez, "sure, kid. Write down your address. What time?" When he got the address and the time, he took his leave and went off to throw baseballs and be a god again - a god from Donora PA that is.

Well, the dad, knowin' his boy was going to be disappointed, said to him,"hey, you know, Mr. Musial is a very busy and important man, so he probably won't come." The kid hung his head so low he could see the underside of his shoes.

Well, round about 7:00pm, the birthday party was well underway, cuz you know how 7 year olds can be, and there wuz this knock - at the door ackshully. Dad went to answer it.

You cud guess the rest.

Yup. Stan Musial came to the birthday party of the kid.

True story. You could look it up.

#2 - Story of the Pro Athlete and The Fan(s)

This is the story of Chris Bosh, Toronto Raptor's power forward and his desire to be on the all star team and to meet his fans. How? This YouTube video on his drive to be on the All Star team. This has been viewed 454,241 times as of today; rated 1993 times; commented 1768 times, favorited 1898 times. According to Sports Illustrated this week, Bosh, who is a self-professed geek (even has a technology company, Max Deal Technology, which does solutions for high-end clientele, primarily in entertainment and sports. (Not bad for a great shooting, strong defending, All Star forward).

More numbers: December 27, 2007 - 313,983 All Star Votes. Released the YouTube video January 2008. Voting closed January 21, 2008 - 838,498 All Star Votes.

He has a MySpace page

Thing is how Chris sees all this stuff. Same SI article says he sees all of this as a "great way to connect with the fans."

#3 - Story of the Pro Athlete & The Fan - The Analyst (Not the Fan) In Me Shoots and Scores...No, Wait...Shoots...Off His Mouth

The eras are strikingly different. The means and methods entirely alien to each other. Even the psyches and cultures don't jive at all.

Stan Musial - humble, no publicity (no PR agent) - just connecting with the fans the way that he thought best - making a 7 year old boy turning 8, happy. Chris Bosh - not humble at all, getting twenty-five minutes of fame - connecting with fans with a giant, very funny public display (the accent really is good. Guy has other talents beyond basketball). Getting the votes, comments, favoriting, adulation. Not exactly the Stan Musial way.

But wait a minute before you go all "awshucksStanMusialisjustdoingawonderfulthinganddoesn'twanttobeseen" on me. While that's absolutely true, and Stan Musial was one of the greatest players ever and a humble, honorable, decent gentleman if there ever was one. AND that was what the culture was like in the late 1930s, 1940s and early 1950s.

But that was then and this is now as the trite old phrase we love to repeat says.

Don't see Chris Bosh's approach as self-aggrandizing. The reality is that he is an athlete connecting with his fan base the way that they want to be connected to NOW - not in 1946. Sure, he could show up at a 7 year old fan's birthday party and make him and the 25 or 30 kids his mom and dad invited feel really cool, but he's reached 454,000 fans or would-be fans with this YouTube video because that's the way that they feel connected to him. Look at the MySpace page. What you don't see is the comment field for him there which says things like "Great game last night, Chris!" which he is as likely to directly respond to as he isn't. How cool is that?

If you eat the dog food here (cat food in my case), and truly believe that we have a customer ecosystem that places the command in the hands of the customer - then figure out what LOGICALLY follows (much less non-linearly) in the Stan Musial v. Chris Bosh cases. The logic says there is no Stan Musial v. Chris Bosh. They aren't competing. Both are doing what made sense to them for the fans - based on how the fans wanted to interact with their heroes in the respective eras. Stan Musial's is more heartwarming and anecdotal and seems more personal. The elements are those of a movie - big sports hero, surprise visit to little guy on his birthday to make him a big boy in front of his friends and Stan the Man becomes more of a hero than ever.

But Chris Bosh is reaching out to the fans the way that they love being accessed. YouTube, MySpace and other digital media that are how they can feel all warm and fuzzy about Chris Bosh high fiving them - and its online so EVERYONE can see it - not just the 30 kids at the party. I mean, how cool is that for a 20 year old or 15 year old or 58 year old (not me, I'm a Knicks fan - for clearly no good reason)?

Way cool.

So times are what they are, memories are what they are and customers are what they are.

Recognize this from the CRM 2.0 perspective. Both of these guys did and are doing what their fans want and communicating with them in ways that are appropriate to their cultures.

Which is more than I can say for Barry Bonds, Terrell Owens, and about 98% of the National Basketball Association.

Technorati : CRM 2.0, Chris Bosh, MySpace, Stan Musial, YouTube, baseball, basketball, consumer in control, customer experience, user generated content

The Pure Arbitrariness of It All....Sunday is a Great Day For That.

This is a pure gathering of absolutely not-coherently-tied thoughts and ideas.

Favorite Rock Groups of All Time - Top 7 in No Particular Order

1. The Who
2. CCR
3. Traffic
4. Cream
5. Jimi Hendrix Experience
6. The Rolling Stones
7. The Beatles

Movies That Made Me Cry - I'm A MAN I Swear!!

1. Glory
2. Field of Dreams
   Old Yeller

Favorite Songs Of All Time Without You Reading Anything Into The Choices

• Sympathy for the Devil - Rolling Stones
• Bad Moon Rising - CCR
• The Weight - The Band
• Hey Jude - The Beatles
• All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix

Commentary on the Yankees

Joe Torre landing in LA with the Dodgers and Joe Girardi as the manager of the Yankees, makes some form of cosmic sense to me though I have NO idea why that is. I've read the articles that said, its good if Joe goes to LA because he's a native of Brooklyn, where the Dodgers orginated, and I suppose I like Girardi as the manager of the Yankees because he's the only graduate of my alma mater in the majors. That would be Northwestern University. So that's pretty cosmic, too, I think - especially if he gives me tickets. Now, we have to sign Posada and Rivera. A-Rod is a total putz and I wouldn't want the guy back - and I have been a supporter of his from the get go - even when he was bombing in the post-season and endured the wrath of the fans. But $350 million? 12 years? What an inflated ego. Enough is enough. I hope he lands no deals.

Back to CRM tomorrow.

Technorati : Beatles, CCR, Cream, Glory, Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, The Who, Traffic, Yankees

LABEL WARNING!: This is on the Yankees, NOT CRM. Read at your own risk.

Its truly amazing when an organization that I have rooted for well over 50 years, makes such a classless move, when in fact, they've made so many before. Yesterday, the Yankees organization took the manager that was one of the primary reasons the Yankees pack in 50,000 plus at EVERY ballgame - break attendance records regularly, managed to make the playoffs 13 of the last 13 years, won 4 World Series titles out of 6 World Series appearances - this after 15 years of no playoff appearances in fact - and gave the Yankees a measure of dignity (though it wasn't easy with their idiot owner) after they had been called the Bronx Friggin' Zoo for years - and made him an offer that was performance based - with a nearly 30% pay cut for managing underperforming superstars and green rookies to the playoffs when they had been ruled out by everyone. Torre is a gentleman and a good soul who, while being of course a second-guessing fan, wasn't good at handling pitchers, but was superb at handling people and made ball players believe in themselves and perform up to their potential. But even more, the guy was a icon for NY. He's a native of the city and, perhaps with only an equal in Derek Jeter, was not just a manager but a face of the city. Which, being a New Yorker, believe me, needs a face like Joe Torre.

I know I'll go on to root for the Yankees. I know Joe Torre didn't die, for chrissakes. But how a team that I've invested 50 plus years of my life in to some extent - in a sport I totally love (me and Alyssa Milano) could do this craven thing astounds me. I not only wish Joe Torre well and the Yankees well, but wish that the classless Steinbrenner family - Dad and boys, and their toady president Randy Levine would just simply go away and own some other team. When ANY person is a dignified, classy person, they deserve to be treated with the dignity and class that they always showed. The Yankee management sure as hell didn't do that.

Maybe a boycott of Yankee Stadium in its last year..........

Technorati : Joe Torre, NY Yankees

Now A Few Victories From Our Sponsor..

I'm not a big America's Cup follower but I have to admit I watch how America does in the race for the cup each year. It has a perverse pleasure for me because it is the one place I can root for Larry Ellison - the only place, in fact. This morning I read that BMW Oracle, the team that's piloting our chances to win the America's Cup is winning everything out there including leading the standings in the (what else?) Louis Vuitton Cup (I wonder if there's a knockoff race?) by winning 8 races through yesterday.

But imagine my delight when NetSuite, one of my six Steppin' Out finalists and a smart company that knows how to live, turns out to be powering the BMW Oracle team's financial operations - including global accounts, payables, taxes, financial reporting and team expenses. That's cool because they're doing that to the four winds so to speak and across three continents - which speaks to the incredible anytime, anywhere capability of the on demand model.

Louis Vuitton Cup, Third Race, Halfway: A Dialogue with the NetSuite Dashboard...Sorta

"Hey, watch that turn over....whoa! Look at that hotel bill...TURN!! Whew. You made it....up the speed about 5 more knots...wait a minute, that means that our fuel costs are going to rise. Look at the change to the dashboard...hey!! We're losing ground. FIVE MORE KNOTS!! $#@@!&@!! Damn the dashboard, full speed ahead!"

Very cool, which is why it's powered by NetSuite. They have their strengths, they have their weaknesses, but they understand cool and cache about better than anyone.

Plus what they do actually works.

Technorati : America's Cup, BMW Oracle, NetSuite

I Love The Dog Days Of August - Especially When It Dogs the Red Sox

As those of you who know me are aware, I'm not a Red Sox hater. But I AM a Yankees fan and I just can't resist.

FIVE IN A ROW!! BOSTON MASSACRE II!!
Whew.

That's out of my system now.

I don't rule the Red Sox out with 40 games to go.

But...this....was....just...SO SWEET.

NOW it's out of my system.

So a shout out to the Yankees and Joe Torre for one of the most entertaining and best baseball years in a long time regardless of outcome. Everyone contributes on this Yankees team and we just seem to be getting better - even without Matsui and Sheffield.

Just...one...MORE!!

What rivalry?



Red Sox vs. Yankees: The Ultimate Rivalry

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

But I don't hate the Red Sox.

Honestly.

Technorati : Boston Red Sox, CRM, NY Yankees, baseball
Del.icio.us : Boston Red Sox, CRM, NY Yankees, baseball

All Hail To The Orange & The Black, The Orange & The Black, THE ORANGE & THE BLACK

 

Okay, first a disclaimer. I love the Yankees first and foremost. Then I love all other teams NY in this order - Giants, Mets, Jets, Knicks, Rangers, Islanders - though the order is skewed toward my interest in the particular sports more than the teams. That said, that doesn't make ANY of the NY teams first in CRM, though they are first in my evangelical heart. I'm a diehard advocate of teams without a particularly good CRM program.

That also means that I only give respect to teams that earn it and its a begrudging respect when it comes to teams outside the city. For example, I like the Washington Nationals. The logical thinking is that I live in the area and thus have a "local" rooting interest when I need it. You could say that - but it would be wrong. I have an interest in the Washington Nationals because Alfonso Soriano and Nick Johnson star for them - and that's because they're two ex-Yankees. I applaud ex-Yankees and hope that the teams they populate lose. Only David Wells gets my half-hearted dislike at this point because he's with the Red Sox and he is not a particularly nice guy - though his strong commitment as a fan of the Yankees does buy him the other half of the heart that doesn't dislike him.

That said, I REALLY admire the Philadelphia Flyers. Not because of their great teams of the past - because I'm a Rangers fan. But I TOTALLY admire their front office for what they are doing with CRM and the fan experience - one of the most well thought out programs that I've run across in my life as a sports maven. So, I guess you could say

I DON'T admire them for this guy (though he was one of the best and played with diabetes, for cripes sake):

Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers Team Captain

But I DO admire them for this guy (hey, he's running one of the smartest clubs in sports when it comes to the fan experience):

Bobby Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers Team General Manager

All that said, the guy on the Flyers, and by ownership extension, Comcast Spectacor, I admire the most is Shawn Tilger, the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Flyers, because of his unrelenting commitment, good or bad season, to not just making the fan experience a great one, but recognizing that you have to make the art of the fan experience both an art and a science and, with his staff, and colleagues (like his counterpart Lara Price at the 76ers, another Comcast Spectacor vassel), creating a method that works.

But I come to speak on the CRM program of the Flyers, not just to praise Shawn, who is incidentally, a very good guy too. So lets boogie, guys. Go Fly-ERS. Go Fly-ERS

Gettin' Into It Bigtime

First things first. Break out your jerseys and play this.

If you want to, keep looping it so you can stay in the spirit.....

How YOU Doin'

Just want you to know, first off, this is neither me nor Joey. This is the name of one of the programs that the Flyers (actually Comcast Spectacor) use to reach the crowds they do and to get the rates of return that they do. They have a 10 question "How YOU Doin'?" list that looks like this:

1. How You Doin'? Ok, that seems easy enough - I just need to ask people that question right? - Comcast Thought: This is both a question but a way to "convey philosophy" too.


2. Ok, now I'm confused. How can How You Doin'? be both a greeting and a philosophy? - Comcast Thought: Say something nice at the entry point of an experience (like How You Doin') and you feel good about the experience right at the get go


3. So I'm trying to understand how this program pertains to me. I don't work out in the parking lot or at the doors. I really don't deal on the front line with our customers or guests. - ComcastThought - "...regardless of what your job is, we all have customers." Maybe the direct customer has been greeted by a front line employee but you might run across them too and "you only get one cance to make a great first impression." "Anyone you provide a service to is your customer." PG Thought: This is REALLY important. In my evaluation of customers in the 21st century, its no longer those who you exchange cash for products/services with. Its those you exchange value with - and Comcast Spectacor is right on the $$$ with this one. REALLY IMPORTANT.


4. I guess that includes when someone gets my office extension by mistake? Comcast Thought: Go the extra mile. If they get the wrong extension, don't just give them the right one. Transfer them and stay on the line until they get someone live, not just dumped into voicemail.


5. Great, but in my job function I don't I don't answer telephones or direct guests in-arena, so how does that help me? Comcast Thought: The golden rule. PG Thought: Pretty much Principle #4 of my Four Principles of CRM.


6. Look, this is a great concept, but do you have any idea how many people I come in contact with at every event?Comcast Thought: All impressions are lasting. Millions of opportunities to hold open a door, smile, shake a hand.


7. Like I said, I think this is a really good idea simply because I enjoy being friendly to people. Is it important beyond that? Comcast Thought: Hell yes!!! Our jobs depend on it because one of the first things to go when belts tighten is luxury - and hockey/basketball/other entertainment is a luxury. Competition is intense because we are competing for luxury dollars not just money that goes to sports teams. Our differentiator has to be the levels of service through the employee. PG Thought: Another mission critical point. Most folks tend to think apples to apples, oranges to oranges. Here they think, hey high grade chocolate and alcohol cost $$$ and they are not diet necessities. Its luxury dollars to luxury dollars. So the experience is the differentiator.


8. Are there a couple of key points I should remember? Comcast Thought: "How You Doin'...ask it and smile when you do. Don't assume for the customer in any way. Get help to meet customer needs if you need the help. First impression is most important. Exceed expectations - but find out what they are. PG Thought: Tres bon, Aeros


9. Ok, I think I'm just about ready to go. When does this program begin and when does it end? Comcast Thought: Our employees always conducted themselves this way and that's great so no real "begin." No end. PG Thought: This one is the one that's a little too pat for me and the only flaw in this.


10. Wait, you said there were ten questions. That's only nine. What's the tenth? Comcast Thought: This is the tenth and its How You Doin' Rewards. These go to season ticket holders, supervisors, department heads, mystery shoppers. Those cards are for looking for the employees who go the extra mile. The spotter then gives the card to the employee. Then each card is put into random drawing for prizes monthly and a grand prize in June - big vacation. Anyone could be a spotter.PG Thought: That is smart. Appreciation needs to be valued and value has to be returned for the value that someone is given. Just the way people are. You do that and the customer experience starting with everyone operating as if they were valuing and valuable customers and you got a winner. Though hopefully, NOT the Stanley Cup.

I'm still a Rangers fan.

Okay, Then What?

The beauty of the Flyers/Comcast Spectacor plan is that its part of the DNA of the entire organization. For example a random look around their corporate materials incorporate things like "Maximize Customer Experience" and then incorporate the best practices they learn from doing that into continuous cultivation of the improvement in customer relationships. Make sure that their internal performance management stresses employee empowerment to do just that and have programs to both train the employees and reward them for their cultivation of those relationships and improvements in services.

Their Comcast Spectacor Self Appraisal sheet STARTS with how well you're doing on "Customer First" which is stated as "Use all resources available to serve internal and external customer interactions."

Their communications training includes the difference between Great Customer Service "Not always easy to think about, as customer we have an expectation level of how we should be treated..." and Poor Customer Service "Good news travels fast, bad news travels faster."

Their remedy for problems is the LAST program - Listen, Apologize, Solve, Thank. Peppered throughout this program are words like "creative", "empathy" which, oddly is one that I very rarely see when it comes to thinking about customers or CRM or the customer experience. People seem to think that if you don't say the word "ROI" or "profitability" or "customer segmentation" or "marketing campaigns" that you're not very business-y. Emotional metrics are not part of most companies equation - except with these guys they seem to be.

Let's take a big picture breather for a sec.

What have I been outlining here? This is actually a corporate culture based on sports (Whoa! How much of a CRM male consultant-fantasy is this one!!!) utterly committed to a great experience and one that recognizes the value of that great experience with their customers. They get it. They KNOW that CRM is not just a bunch of technology shoved into a server and made operational (sometimes), but in fact, permeates the soul of a company in a way that simply is...human. That's why Comcast Spectacor does as well as they do. They recognize the art and science that it takes to make a human experience exceptional - and translate it into a successful business.

They understand the simplest and most difficult part of the value proposition that comprises business, CRM and everything associated. They are dealing with PEOPLE who have desires, needs, responsibilities, dreams, hopes, stress, jobs, family, - and things they like to do on their day off or when they have some extra cash.

Moving to the Left Brain

They also know the numbers. They still recognize they are driven by their business requirements. Which, as a business, they are.

Obviously.

They understand that their research says it costs six times as much to acquire as retain a customer. Of course, I think those are conservative figures. But I'm not going to argue numbers here. Microsoft will say about the same as Comcast Spectacor does and between the two of them, they could beat me up, so I'm going to agree.

That said, they are doing a concerted set of campaigns and initiatives built around these embedded set of customer-driven chromosomes they have. (makes me wonder if the Human Genome Project mapped these guys?).

For example: Starting in early November 5 different Pepsi cans with the 10 greatest Flyers in history will hit local retail outlets. Cool cans. Each can will have a player and one trivia question pertaining to the player. The answer will be on the Flyers website. Don't know if you get anything by going there but cool cans, cool cola, cool customers.

For example, season ticket holders get a dedicated customer service department (good...), and a personal account manager for each of them (awesome!). They can get first choice in relocation of seats to best available when something comes open. Flyer dollars which are discounts scrip for both merchandise and publications but also for drawings for a trip to the NHL All Star Game in Dallas, Texas. They even have a season ticket holder of the game promotion - winner gets to ride the zamboni. (not sure about THAT one. Zambonis aren't exactly luxury vehicles. Though it is kinda funny). There's membership in a private restaurant and a cigar club, special nights for them and only them. etc.

But it doesn't stop with the season ticket holders. They have a "game strategy" - the concept is "value add to the tickets." Much of this is sorta typical of sports events, like bobbleheads, T-shirts, car magnets,etc. but there is one really cool one where they will celebrate each era/decade of Flyers' hockey - 70s, 80s, 90, and current. Giveaways, presentations and appearances by players of the eras, etc. Very cool. Wish the Rangers would do that though they'd have to go back to, like 1919 or whenever they were created.

They sponsor community work, wellness programs, kids programs, mentoring programs, cheer up the sick. If they weren't a hockey team, I'd nominate them for sainthood, though I'm Jewish, so I don't suppose that would work.

The number of programs I haven't mentioned is phenomenal. I can't begin to even catalog it.

I would have to say that this is one of the most impressive contemporary CRM efforts I've seen. Contemporary to the strategic thinking, voice of the customer, customer value and valued, participatory experience.

Consider this a case study that every team in sports could learn from. Every sport. In fact, that many non-sports businesses should scrutinize. The best practices they apply to their genetics works for a lot of the entertainment and more boring business world.

It just flat out works.

I don't have the numbers here, but I do know from discussions with Shawn Tilger (listen to the interview with him on podcast number 5 of my Route 56 CRM 2x monthly effort) that they have been successful and profitable rain or shine in the standings.

And I love them for that. They are amazing and they get it right.

But I'm still a Rangers fan.

 
  Technorati : CRM, Philadelphia Flyers, customer experience, sports

We May Have Lost, But We're Smarter Than You

Its not a great secret that I'm a rabid Yankees fan, I suppose.

So I finally found something that is both relevant to the new business models that I'm always harping about and is a bit of a delicious consolation for our (Yankees) loss in the 2004 ALCS to the Red Sox. And it comes from Harvard no less. This is just so cool - sorta that is.

A Rare Study, Indeed

A study was completed at Harvard by an as yet fan-interest unknown researcher, though I could guess, named Elizabeth Kensington on the relationship between emotion and memory. Recently published in the Harvard Gazette, the article about the study proved that "...a person with a positive memory is more likely to be more confident of her or his distorted memory than someone who has a negative memory of the same event.".

The events that they used were the 2004 American League Championship Series where the Red Sox came back from a 3 game deficit and took 4 straight...from....the....Yankees (still hard to talk about).

The idea was to see how participants reported (remembered) the events right after and awhile after the events were over with. The three control groups were rabid Red Sox fans, avid Yankees fans (note the clever use of the word "rabid" for Red Sox fans and "avid" for Yankees fans. Smart, huh?) and neutral people - who clearly are people with severe issues. How can you be neutral about such momentous happenings? There were 76 "subjects" all told. They filled out questionnaires six days after the last game, and then 23-27 weeks later. The scores were based on quantity and consistency of information (between the two surveys), confidence in the memory and the vividness of the memories. If the information was entirely different on the survey, the constancy score was a big zero. Emotion, vividness was 1-7 with 1 being highly negative and 7 being highly positive about how the memories "felt." So the Red Sox fans averaged 5.5 and Yankees fans 2.5 though of course my personal preference on a 1-7 scale was minus 10. There was an interesting line after this was explained in the article: "None of the participants reported a history of psychiatric or nervous disorders." Which makes me think that none of the participants have ever been to either Fenway Park or Yankee Stadium.

The study looked at event and personal memories. Event memory = Johnny Damon (Ha! Ha! Red Sox fans) hit a homer into the upper deck." The personal was "I dropped mustard on my Yankees Suck classless teeshirt." (I don't think that was an actual personal detail, but who knows?)

Here's what they learned:

"It turned out that both happy and unhappy fans remembered an equal number of personal details. However, the losing Yankees fans recalled more details related to the game than the Red Sox fans. "This finding is consistent with prior evidence that negative emotion enhances memories for detail tied to the game itself rather than to personal details," the researchers report in an upcoming issue of the Psychonomic Bulletin and Review. Taken together, the Harvard results show that memory distortion can be less for negative events than for positive or nonemotional happenings."

So the results conclude that those with a negative response to events have a richer contextual and more vivid memory. Which makes me conclude that Yankees fans are thus smarter than Red Sox fans.

Okay, that's small consolation, but it does say, hey, Red Sox fans, if you want to be smart, lose to the Yankees again and again and you'll be geniuses with a photographic memory. Actually, over decades you ARE geniuses with photographic memories.

The Real Lessons Here

There is something to actually take from this, aside from the 86 years of Red Sox fans' brilliance.

The reality is that this kind of study validates something about the differences between creating a customer advocate and a verbal terrorist. Sadly, it shows that it is a lot easier to create a dangerous verbal terrorist who can use the tools that he/she has access to for the destruction of your credibility as a company or at least damage to it. Think about this. Positive memories around events are less accurate, less vivid and more distorted with less emotional investment. Negative memories around events are vivid and detail rich. Meaning simply, that a verbal terrorist is more likely to be able to convey what they hate about you for a longer time period than an advocate can convey what they like about you. That implies it will take continuous good deeds to create and retain that advocate. On the other hand, we all know that people love to complain, so it may not take more than a loss in game 7, so to speak, to create an enemy who will be ruthless in their recourse against you.

The obvious lesson? Work hard to not just to create your advocates - but work even harder to retain them so that they will spread the joy and be vivid about it to those they speak to in person or online. But the results of this study also point out the volatility and power of bad memories too, so watch your step as you move along whatever business path you choose - or you'll litter the field with verbal terrorists (remember Dell Hell?) and you will be hurt badly - as we will do to the Red Sox in the next ALCS we meet up.

Random De Dum Dum

I feel sorta "random" today so I'm going to jot down some random thoughts and ideas that have been either observations or tidbits.

CRMish Stuff

• YAY CMC - I want to send a major shoutout to Customer Management Community. They simply don't get enough attention in the United States for their consistently interesting work, and very well organized site. I've never written for them, don't know a soul over there personally (my bad) which is unusual for me, but they have done some excellent work on things like public sector CRM (see this report on governments redefining marketing in the UK); customer service; some very good industry software/SaaS analysis; very good work on customercentricity and just a multitude of other things. I think if they have any weaknesses its that they don't focus enough on the emotional and behavioral side of the transformation to the experience-focused customer that we're seeing pretty acutely now and they need to do a lot more with that. They are fine when it comes to process and metrics. Generally, they are a winner all around and, though based in the U.K. with a strong Euro-flavored dollop in their tea, they are a site that American audiences need to pay attention to. Thank you, Stuart Lauchlan.
• THE "DUH" FACTOR #1 & #2 - Amdocs came out with a study on February 13, called "The Customer Experience Survey" which pretty much validates what some of us have been saying all along (so, of course, it must be accurate and right). It found that "both consumers and businesses say that they are more likely to stick with a telecom provider based on the quality of the customer experience than on the cost of its service." Another conclusion? Customers want more control over that experience "Self service also continues to grow in importance. More than three out of four consumer respondents asked for online access to their account to handle administrative tasks such as reviewing and paying bills." Money wasn't the issue, nor was paying for new services. Control and the experience were. Good for Amdocs. Finally a technology company survey done with some meaningful questions. I don't know Amdocs all that well but I've tracked them enough to know that they are on the path to recovering some of the ground they lost after the Nortel Networks acquisition. This survey was very smart so it now puts them back on my radar so watch the blog for something on them some time in the future (how's THAT for vagueness?) I don't have enough current knowledge of their products or services to make any definitive judgement - though ordinarily that lack of knowledge that doesn't stop me!
• GEE THANKS, I DIDN'T REALIZE I WAS THAT STUPID - I like CRM Daily most of the time. They and CRM Buyer keep me up with the latest CRM news and some of their authors (especially the incredible Louis Columbus at CRM Buyer) are neat-o writers. But when I read articles like this one from the CRM Daily on January 31, 2006 "CRM Resolutions for the Year Ahead" I can only wonder things like, "why do I exist?" I begin to wail loudly, knash my teeth and tear some follicle-based protein from from my increasingly thinning hairline. Listen to this one. This is CRM Daily's anonymous writer's advice for 2006 to all you apparently clueless CRM practitioners out there. Resolution #1 - Evaluate the integrity of your data. Resolution #2 - Take stock of your current CRM solution. Resolution #3 - Plan now for the year ahead. Does it really take a CRM expert to tell you these things? If it does, then here are some resolutions for you personally. Resolution #1 - Make money this year. Resolution #2- Make sure that you and your family eat food as close to daily as you can. Resolution #3 - Treat yourself to something once in awhile. Resolution #4 - What-EVER.
• YOU'RE IN THE FACEBOOK GENERATION - Sasha Cohen won the silver medal for her woman's individual figure skating performance last night. She deserved it. She fell once in the beginning of her performance and then nearly fell again about 10 seconds later. But she hung tough and skated elegantly and just picked herself up and got back in the race (Tha's a Frank Sinatra reference - The song? "That's Life"). That gave her a sweet #2 finish. Her maturation from being a youthful hothead to a smart young, articulate woman is both obvious and welcome. But her victory isn't the reason for this musing. After the competition was over, this 21 year said something that made me pause, not because she used buzzwords that were cool to me (though they were). Instead, what made me stop in my tracks was her reflecting on the "four minutes out of her life" that she skated last night I think with this unpretentious, unrehearsed thought, she expressed how her generation actually thinks so CRMers take heed. Here's her quote: "Ultimately, a medal just signifies what youve accomplished. My focus is not on the medal. Its the experience and the process." Not bad, Sasha. Those of you reading this can make of it whatever you want to. But don't ignore the thinking that went into her comment. She ain't alone in it.

Not CRMish Stuff

These really are my code words for talking about the Yankees or philosophy or something just arcane so one thought on each.

• Let's start by looking at the Yankees, arguably my favorite subject. You can check what I say in my Yankees box over on the right side of this blog but I have to tell you something. At first, I was really wary of Johnny Damon, the Yankee, because of his committments but he is trying SO hard to fit in, reporting early, trying to say the right thing and working overtime to be a "teammate" that I'm starting to like him, even though I think he's being too propitiatory. That said, we have one powerful team this year and when Randy Johnson can even be relaxed in front of the NY media during the early days of spring training, then the world spins, the tectonic plates shift toward the Yankees. Thus, the only disruptive innovation that I will be concerned with during the summer will be the disruptions of sleep that the Yankees will cause the diehard Red Sox, White Sox and Oakland fans (their teams are my picks for the other two division winners and the wild card - though maybe the Indians or the Blue Jays rather than the Red Sox).
• I find that when I muse over things blog-related or not, I often think about a question which could be a bummer for some -one that has been a concern of moral philosophers since the 18th century" such as Immanuel Kant and GWF Hegel: What actions should we take in our lives that are in accordance with the Highest Good? How does that constrain us? Or does it NOT constrain us and instead provide us with increased freedom? That leads me to wondering that if I'm doing what I think is good for goods sake and it seems to work against my own interest, is this good? OR On the other hand, if I do something strictly out of a sense of duty and don't believe in it, but it has a good result or result for The Highest Good, was it good - for me? Which boils down to the difference between self- interest and selfishness. It also identifies the conundrum of how you reconcile freedom and necessity. All of this is why I have no friends anymore, and I presume when you're done reading this, no blog readers either (you're probably thinking "where's the sex part?") Actually though, all of these questions impact the way I conduct business because they impact my moral and ethical code - which means, of course, how I'm currently conducting my life. That's why I think about them sometimes. This is one of those days.



• Just to not leave you on an existential note, here's a joke from one of my favorite comedians:

  
  Mitch Hedberg:"I'm a hard act to follow, because when I'm done, I take the microphone with me".

(PG) Thank you. Thank you very much. I'll be here all millennium

George Steinbrenner is Customer Centric 2006

A story today out of Arkansas about a 12 year old boy who was saving his money for a trip to Yankee Stadium - $1000.00 - who gave it up to save his school which was in danger of closing. As always in situations like these, so called tough businessman, so-called maniac owner George Steinbrenner did the right thing when he found out about, wrote the boy, replaced the money, told the boy that education was more important than baseball and invited him to NY for a personal tour of the Stadium and the field during batting practice. Steinbrenner's quote:

"Steinbrenner said the youngster was absolutely right, and it takes quite a man to give up his personal dream for a higher purpose."

For more on George's customer-centricity see my entry last year on the subject. He's a lot better a person than he's given credit for, despite whatever you see as his eccentricities. I really like him. He's got a heart and can be emotional. He's also overcome the issues of his more youthful days. He's a man facing his later years with actually a measure of decency.

Yeah, so there. I said it

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ALL OF YOU, NOT EVEN GENDER SPECIFICALLY!!!