Where's the loyalty? Look in the mirror
by Jeffrey Gitomer
I went to the first ever Charlotte Hornets basketball game in the fall of 1988. They played the Cleveland Cavaliers - screaming fans watched the Hornets suffer a humiliating defeat, but the fans loved every second of it.
The Hornets set an all-time NBA attendance record that year - every game was a sellout. Broke the record the next year. And the team was horrid. But the customers were loyal.
Last night the Charlotte Hornets played the Philadelphia 76'ers in the second game of the NBA playoffs. Alan Iverson, arguably one of the league's marquee players was here for all to see, and the Hornets won by 10 points in a classic NBA overtime battle. Fewer than 12,000 fans were there. Why"The romance is over. The loyalty is gone. The Hornets were winners and losers at the same time.
So much for the sports news - let's get down to business. The Hornets took a financial bath last night. And at best suffered national humiliation for "lack of fan support." (a.k.a. lack of customer loyalty.)The team won, but everyone else lost - except for the 12,000 who saw a great game.
What happened" Where did the fans (customers) go" Why are they deserting a winning team" And how does this relate to your business"
The subject is loyalty, customer loyalty. The Hornets lost theirs and the reasons stated below will help you understand why. Take the lesson back to your company and customers and turn their loss into your gain.The root of loyalty lies at the top; they set the example for others to follow:
The owner or CEO must be loyal to the employees.
Sports Question: How loyal is the Hornets' ownership to the players"
Answer: Not at all.
Your business question: How loyal is your CEO to you and to your team players"
Answer: Want a clue" Look at your employee turnover rate.
The owner or CEO must be loyal to the customer.
Sports question: How loyal is the Hornets' ownership to the fans (customers)"
Answer: Try to buy a ticket, much less a hot dog and a soda at the game without your banker.Your business question: How loyal is your CEO to your customers" I'd like to ask that question to a CEO myself, but most of them don't talk to customers.
The owner or CEO must be respected and liked. Let's be kind and say it's lacking. For a fleeting moment, there was a story that Michael Jordan was going to have an ownership interest in the team. The town went wild. In one of the dumbest egotistical moves in all sports, the deal fizzled. So did the fans (by the way, if Jordan had made the deal, 25,000 people would have shown up last night just to watch him sit in the stands). What is the reputation of the ownership of the Hornets" Ground zero is a stretch.
The employees must be loyal to the company.
Sports question: How loyal are the Hornets' players to the Hornets' organization"
Two-word answer: Free agent.Your business question: How loyal are you and your coworkers to your company"
One-word answer: Downsizing.
The employees must be loyal to the customers. How loyal are the players to the fans" Ask a kid who was refused an autograph from some arrogant, abusive, multimillionaire felon.
The employees must be respected and liked, on the court as well as off the court. Ouch. How is the reputation of the players" (See reputation of the owner.)
There must be a common enemy. A competitor we can all hate. Fierce rivalry breeds loyalty, and the Hornets have no "arch rivals."
You want to see loyalty" Look at a Carolina grad at a Carolina-Duke game. Fifty-plus-years-old and screaming his head off in a packed arena in lousy seats that he paid $150 a ticket for, just to go in and cheer his alma mater, and equally as important - boo the enemy!
"The Hornets games are on TV, that's why no one goes." Oh really" The home games are on TV in every NBA city" Somehow people in Portland, New York, Salt Lake City, and Indianapolis find their way to the arena.
Want to know why no one showed up for the game" To get loyalty, you"ve got to give loyalty. The owners of the Hornets are loyal to no one. The players on the Hornets are loyal to no one and there is no real archenemy to rally behind the home team to go out and beat. You"ve got to have an arch rival to keep internal and external loyalty running deep.
I grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I hate the New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics, and I"m proud of it. When it's football season " it's the Giants", Cowboys" and Redskins" turn to be hated, and I mean hated. Booed by tens of thousands.
Fierce competition breeds internal loyalty. Band together for a common cause. Win the game. The same is true for your business. The big winners are the ones willing to stick together and fight for victory.
Who are the loyalty breeders in your company" Who are the fighters in your company" How loyal a team member are you" Need an answer" Measure how loyal your customers are to you and how many are willing to come out and pay to watch you play, and cheer you on to victory"
For the Hornets the answer is two words: Not enough. I hope the answer is different on your team.
Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of "The Sales Bible," and "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless." President of North Carolina-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts training programs on selling and customer service. He can be e-mailed at salesman@gitomer.com
