Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Dennis Snow. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Dennis, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry? Any stories or anecdotes that illustrate why this matters?

I have the opportunity to work with a lot of businesses in a lot of industries. I believe that the most common thing companies across industries get wrong is thinking that they’re selling a product or a service. The problem with that belief is that in today’s market most products and services are commodities. One product or service can easily be replaced by another.

Today’s reality is that the true differentiator from one company to another is the quality of the overall experience, which includes every touchpoint in the customer journey. When you make the experience at each touchpoint excellent, you’ve created a true differentiator.

At Walt Disney World, we always stressed to “cast members” that Disney World isn’t in the business of selling rides. People can get rides at any nearby amusement park. Disney is selling the overall experience, which includes every moment from the time you start planning your vacation to Disney World until the moment you leave at the end of your vacation. Everything in between is the true product. This mindset forces a company to look at every aspect of the business.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started working at Walt Disney World in 1979 as a ride operator on the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea attraction. By far the best job I’ve ever had! I was promoted into management in the early 1980s and supervised various operating areas in the parks. I also spent many years with Disney University which provided all of the training programs for the Walt Disney World cast. My last few years with Disney were with the Disney Institute, where we worked with other companies that wanted to benchmark Disney’s best practices.

After 20 years with Disney, I started my own speaking, training, and consulting business. I help organizations create customer loyalty by engaging their employees in delivering world-class customer experiences. I use my Disney background to provide the foundation for the principles I teach, while customizing the details to the individual client.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Since starting the business in 1999, we’ve used many approaches for growing our clientele. From direct mail, email, social media, and several other approaches. The most successful strategy by far has been referrals. Sometimes those referrals have been actively solicited by us, others have just occurred organically. But when a potential client receives a referral from someone they trust, we are starting way ahead of the game in closing that sale. Referrals are the lifeblood of our business.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

The professional speaking and training market is pretty crowded. It’s tough to differentiate your offerings from other speakers/trainers. I’ve been pretty fortunate to have the Disney name behind me. It’s opened a lot of doors and we definitely market my Disney background.

But if I could pinpoint one thing that has led to success in repeat business and referrals, it has been providing value to my clients. Rather than just giving an entertaining and motivating speech, I provide specific tools that attendees can apply immediately in their businesses to improve the customer experience. I do try to make my programs fun and engaging, but put most of my focus on providing valuable, actionable principles and tools. Program attendees and meeting planners appreciate that, which results in repeat business and referrals. I think this applies to any organization. People will recommend you when when the value you provide exceeds the price your customers pay for your product or service.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.snowassociates.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dennissnowspeaks/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DennisSnowSpeaking
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennissnow/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/snowdennis