Disney's 27 steps

While on our adventure to Disneyworld, our "Magical Express" driver had a bit of trivia for us. "What is the most photographed element at Disneyworld?" While many on the bus were guessing the Castle, the EPCOT ball, Mickey, etc. I recalled hearing once what that element was....trash cans. Not necessarily the most glamorous, innovative or creative aspect of the park, but how that came to be is quite fascinating to me.

Once, on a behind the scenes tour, it was a story that really stuck with me. Now I am likely to bungle the facts a bit as it has been a while, but I think you will get the overall concept. I believe this is how it goes...

As Walt Disney was planning the park, he wanted to create an environment which was clean and tidy. Whose business doesn't want that perception? At the time, the trash cans that were readily available were wire mesh. The problem in that is that you can see the trash in the bins, and Walt didn't want that. So his team set out in search of a manufacturer who would be willing to develop a new trash can, one which "hid" the view of trash from guests. After contacting manufacturers from around the country, only one was willing to work to build a better trash can, to Disney's specifications.

That same trash can design is the one that is consistently seen in each of the parks today. And while different finishing techniques are applied to compliment the theme of each park, that trash can remains the same, even after all these years.

OK, so already, there are some lessons there. What about the company who designed the trash can for Disney? How influential was that one person who took the request for a new trash can from Disney. What kind of an impact on the company did that one step of being willing to listen to a potential customer have? What would have happened if the person taking that request really wasn't passionate about their job, engaged in the workplace, empowered to think differently? Who is the person in your workplace that would be fielding that call, letter or e-mail? What would their response be, would you be kicking yourself for years and years to come?

OK, the story continues...

How frequently do you need to place a trash can around the park? Well, many companies would buy a number of them and perhaps strategically place them around the park and be done with it. Not Disney. A master in experiential marketing, it was all about user experience. So how do you know where you need a trash can? Simple, as people are entering the park give them a small wrapped candy. Next, sit back and observe what they do with the wrapper. While observing, it was determined that guests would take an average of 27 steps and if in those first 27 steps they were unable to find a trash can, they dropped the wrapper on the ground.

How do you then reduce the amount of litter in the park? Place trash cans roughly 27 steps apart. It doesn't get much more basic than that. No need for some big elaborate expensive study, survey or consultant. Spend $5 on a bag of candy and take 15 minutes to observe what happens.

Now in some companies, you can imagine the meeting, sitting around a board room table. "Every 27 steps, are you nuts! Do you know what that is going to cost us? Maybe we can put up signs directing people where to find the nearest trash can, since the signs would be cheaper than having an actual can there." But what is the value or a good customer experience? What is the value to your guests of not seeing trash on the streets, of not having gum stuck to their shoes, or increased costs of cleaning and staining on your facades? Disney, forever the master of illusion, knew what this cost was. It was the cost of the peek behind the curtain, a loss of the magic and the dissolving of the illusion.

So what about taking that illusion one step further, meet PUSH the talking trash can:

What about just putting up the signs that were suggested in that fictitious board room meeting? Would you spend the money for a full-page newspaper ad, and then write the words "Trash" and place them randomly around the layout? No.

What are the signs around your facility saying about you? No Parking, Keep Out, Employees Only, Don't Litter, Don't Speed. Are there opportunities to change them to something more customer friendly; Guests Parking, Enter Here, Cast Members Only, Go Green, and Drive Safely.

At one point on our trip, I was standing near one of the bus stops and I took a quick 360° view. Within my line of sight there were no less than 50 garbage cans. They were well maintained, and hid the refuse from view. No paint chips, no remnants of refuse on the closure flaps, just another element in the surroundings.

Do you spend time and energy directing customers to where you want them to go to get what they need, or do you place what they need where they are going to inherently look for or need it?

Take time to sit back and really observe your customer; what do they really want or need, how long will they navigate a site or store to find what they are looking for, how long will they wait in a checkout before leaving, how many minutes or hours will they wait for an e-mail response or phone call?

What is it, in your business, that is the equivalent of those 27 steps?