Each spring, professional golfers and legions of sports fans alike gear up for the Masters golf tournament, one of the sport’s four Majors. To many, it’s the crown jewel of the golf season, if not the sports year itself. It’s been said that “the Masters transcends the golf world.” Wouldn’t it be great if your business was thought of in a similar way?
The Masters is a standout, revered event, produced and presented at a level all its own. It has such a recognized brand that people simply say“it’s the Masters” without further explanation needed. Players and patrons alike say that it that produces more adrenalin and emotions in them than any other tournament, as the history and tradition can be overpowering.
A Masters invitation is coveted by the pros like no other. It’s the one title they all want to win during their career, the coveted Green Jacket. And for patrons, securing a ticket to the Masters is truly a lifetime thrill. Just ask anyone who has ever stepped through the gates at Augusta National Golf Club. You can feel something special in the air.
Can you create a winning Masters-like experience in your own organization?
Let’s use the backdrop of the Masters to pose a pair of questions. Can your company or organization find ways to create a similar Masters-like vibe for your customers? Can you offer something of such esteemed quality in ways so special that people clamor for it?
OK, so your products and services may be as far away from golf as Mars. So what? The concepts are transferable and scalable. The Masters is a successful, time-tested business model that might just translate to your organization or company by applying genuine imagination, effort, diligence, and commitment. And it has to be lasting, not just once in a while.
To start, it’s going to take a Masters-type of mindset from ownership or upper management (or fromyou if you’re the entrepreneur), and an understanding of some of the elements that go into making the event so extra-special. You don’t have to know golf or even play the game to study what happens at the tournament. It’s about how they do things – the Masters way – that really stands out.
At the Masters, they “twist the familiar”
I’ve been fortunate to attend the Masters twice, and I have been impressed firsthand on how they do things with such class and so differently than other events. Patrons (calling them “customers”, “the crowd”, and the like is forbidden at the tournament) are treated with politeness, courtesy and care, no matter the most inane questions the volunteers get. And if it’s got the Masters logo on it, it’s high quality done right, from ball caps to chairs to signage to food. And to do all that, they don’t charge an arm and a leg, either – and they could if they wanted to, people would pay it.
The Masters is famously reasonable with their food, beverage and merchandise pricing. As USA TODAY recently pointed out, “Aside from the golf and history itself, the food has become a popular reason why people try to go to the Masters. Not only is it cheap, but it tastes amazing. It’s an intentional thing done for the tournament. Former Augusta National chairman Clifford Roberts once wrote, ‘We believe that one of the reasons the Masters is popular with patrons of the game is because they can obtain good food and drink at reasonable prices.’”
It sounds almost too simple and good to believe.
For example, this year a Masters bottled water was $2.00, and while attending a recent MLB game the same-sized bottled water cost me $6.00. You want a cold beer at the Masters? It’s $6.00. The same beer at my local MLB stadium is $16.00 or more. A chicken sandwich at a local NBA game will set you back $14.00, and at Augusta National it’s $3.00. It’s like stepping into a time machine back to the 1970s. Who says you have to gouge people in order to deliver “best of” experiences?
And their patrons act differently, too. All of this commitment to making the event special rubs off on them. It’s as if they absorb and embrace that Masters vibe ahead of time and make a pact to respect the event and its atmosphere. They act differently than at other venues. There is no raucous stadium hole with inebriated people throwing beer down onto the green and laughing and booing when golfers miss a putt. That works as an accepted theme in some other places, but it’s not the scene at Augusta.
Do your customers seek out and embrace your vibe like that?
What – no cell phones?
And here’s a big twist to the familiar for tens of thousands of people – how about being without your cell phone for an entire day or more, for any reason let alone attend a sports event? If you want to attend the Masters, then that’s what you’ll have to do. Cell phones are strictly prohibited. None, zero, zilch. And just to have the overall experience of being at the Masters, 40,000 people a day spend fortunes to get there and agree to give up their scrolling, texts, and selfie opportunities. Can you imagine that? It’s a modern miracle! Patrons somehow survive and live to tell about how they were separated from their phones for days. It seems incredulous in these times to think of such a thing.
But they do it, because, well,it’s the Masters.
Let’s get to work to create and deliver your own version of the Masters
While you don’t have to prohibit cell phones with your customers, you get the point. So let’s give some thought to a plan for creating Masters-like moments for your customers. First of all, it’s got to be great, not just good. It’s got to be special, not just ok. It’s got to be a culture, not just a fad. And it’s got to be consistent, not a sometime thing.
What specific components will you need to embrace and deliver in order to elevate your company’s game in the eyes of your customers, to become a version of the Masters tailored to your industry?
Some of these elements may be right under your nose waiting to be dreamed of, planned, and executed. So stretch yourself and your organization. To be done right, this must carry across all of your organization’s areas – sales, customer service, management, front-line teams, support teams, etc. Silos between business units have to come down and stay down. “Black holes” in your organization’s communication space have to be sealed up.
To help you get into that Masters state of mind, I’m offering twelve points here to help you navigate your way around the “course” to victory. The notion is that nothing is off the table or ruled out just because it might seem difficult to do:
- Boundless creativity and energy; how can we “twist the familiar”?
- Clear understanding/shared commitment as to what our “True North” is
- Inspiring and effective leadership at all levels
- Defining and focusing efforts on Job One for everyone
- Communication – clear, constant, consistent – and encouraged for all
- Teamwork/coordination/high trust among teams
- Highest quality products and services, and outstanding delivery
- Customer recovery program
- Accountability of all stakeholders
- Training and sustained coaching
- Fluidity in operations (Shift happens – “bend don’t break”)
- Regular reviews, re-directs, and revisions where needed
Why do all this? To raise your culture, your game, and your RESULTS, of course! To be recognized as the Masters version in your own niche, standing out among your competition. To be the leader in offering a top-of-the-game experience. To become the product or service everyone wants to have.
So grab your clubs, your bag, and your rangefinder, and let’s head to the first tee. Put your ball on the tee, take a swing, and start moving toward the flag. After all,it’s the Masters.
After all, no one ever won a Green Jacket by just talking about it.
Gary R. Hernbroth
Chief Motivating Officer – Training for Winners
+1 925 736 9392
Training for Winners
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