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Alexander Ovechkin, exceptional experiences and marketing your business

Hockey is one of the most exciting sports to watch live. If you've never been to a game ... go ... and thank me later.

From 2001 to 2004, Michele and I regularly went to the MCI Center to watch the Washington Capitals. They were underperformers, but the Caps have one hell of an owner in Ted "Teddy E-mail" Leonsis ... and we always had a great time.

Then the league went on strike and there was no NHL hockey for the 2004-2005 season.

During the strike, we found other things to fill out our time. We became used to not seeing live hockey games.

Not seeing hockey live was our "new normal."

And even though hockey came back in 2005, we haven't been to a Caps game since.

When the strike ended, neither Michele or I thought about going to see a live game again. It wasn't on the radar the way it once was.

This was true even though the Caps had one of the most exciting players in the league, Alexander Ovechkin. He is not a good player, he is a great one. A goal scorer with amazing quickness who will knock the stuffing out of people much bigger than him.

Anyway, I was aware of the great season he was having. I checked the stats on ESPN every day, I watched the highlights and I read Ted's blog. But the days of catching every game live or on TV, start to finish, were gone.

Which brings me to yesterday, when Ted wrote:

Sometimes I marvel at what the rest of the world thinks about Alexander Ovechkin. I only hope our fans and the city of DC understand how fortunate we are to have a young superstar right here in DC--blossoming before our own eyes--night in and night out.

And it hit me that I'm missing a chance to watch a great player grow into a legend.

That's an experience I don't want to miss.

And, now, Michele and I are going to see the next Caps game we can.

If you are wondering what this has to do with marketing your business, I'll tell you.

Businesses lose more customers because of apathy than anything else.

You don't see a regular for a few months, and instead of wondering what happened ... they just fade away. A consistent client for several years suddenly stops calling, and, instead of picking up the phone and making sure things are ok, a week passes ... then a month ... and then they are forgotten. Or something out of your control, like a strike, happens ... that turns once loyal fans into fans with a "new normal" about how to behave towards to the team.

If you rely on doing more of what you have always done to get those people back, you will not get them back.

If you make incremental improvements in your business, you will not get them back.

But when you stage an exceptional experience that intrudes on their "new normal" ... they can't stay away.

Alexander Ovechkin is at the heart of an exceptional experience being offered in my hometown. Ted Leonsis has been intruding on my "new normal" for months by writing about Ovechkin, offering highlight videos and talking about the team. And, finally, that post last night was the straw that brought what I' missing to my attention.

And something tells me the next game we see live won't be the last.

My questions for you?

• Are you consistently crafting new experiences to reengage customers and clients who have become bored with you?
• For past customers and clients who have forgotten you exist?
• And are you consistently bringing those experiences to the attention of your market?

Please keep your comments on-topic and civil.

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