I have always been a huge Disney fan. I marvel at the magic that is created in their theme parks.
The devil is in the details, and Disney is a champion at the details.
Every night at Disney parks, the streets are power-washed and immaculately cleaned and the paint is touched up. You’ll never see a character from one land “accidently” in another land, and you can’t buy gum at Disney parks. Employees are referred to as “cast members,” and the list goes on and on.
This weekend I was doing some research about Disneyland as we prepare for a family trip later this year. I came upon the nostalgic site, Yesterland, which has photos and stories of rides from Disney parks from yesteryear. I was surprised to find out that the iconic letters that spelled “CALIFORNIA” and the Golden Gate Bridge were recently retired from Disneyland’s sister park, California Adventure Park.
As I did a little digging, I soon found out that California Adventure has just gone through a $1 billion (yep, billion with a “b”) remodel. They reportedly spent more remodeling it than what it cost to build it in 2001. Gone is a lot of the California nostalgia, and now there is more of that Disney magic that many felt was missing from the park.
Before:
Photo Courtesy of the Disney Parks Blog
After:
Photo Courtesy of the Disney Parks Blog
As I read through an article on CNN and then The Huffington Post, I thought to myself, “They did it again. They continue to raise the bar.”
Disney undeniably sets the bar extremely high. Let’s be real — there is no park in the world that can match the magic that Disney has created.
But why?
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of parks across the world. Why has no one succeeded in this area? I go back to what I originally said: The devil is in the details, and Disney has mastered the details. Not only that, they refuse to rest on their laurels.
What can the real estate industry glean from this?
Details matter. They matter more than ever before.
Those listing photos taken with an iPhone? Not good enough today. Spend the money on a professional photographer.
Those black-and-white fliers crammed into a flier box that are damp from the sprinklers? Awful. Get rid of them and reconsider if it’s worth even having a flier box.
Speaking of fliers, those misspellings and odd capital letter placement (yes, “gorgeous” never needs to be capitalized in the middle of a sentence) are unacceptable. Have a second set of eyes read and edit every piece of marketing that gets published or printed with your name or brand on it.
An outdated website with links that don’t work? Unacceptable. When is the last time you went through your site and checked every link? Hire an intern to do this and you may be surprised. It’s easier than ever to change your site to something that works, that represents your brand and that gets you business! Here are a few of my favorite agent sites — each one of these evokes an emotion and clearly showcases the agent’s brand and style:
Details matter more than ever. As an agent, broker or anyone in the real estate industry, we can do better. We can do better with all the little choices we make every single day.
Of course, Disney has a multibillion-dollar budget and a rock-star team, but what can you do with what you have today to create that magic?
What can you do to capture the magic, emotion and exhilaration that happen when a client sells her home, or finds the home of her dreams?
Are you just handing your clients the keys to their new home, or are you taking the time to make the most of this enormous moment in their lives?
Are you sending out the same old marketing materials or are you connecting with your clients personally when you see on Facebook that their son won the spelling bee at school, or they just went on an amazing family vacation?
Isn’t it time we infused a little Disney magic into our industry?
