The school holidays are coming to a close and many of you reading this blog will probably have had some time away with friends or family. For me this year, we had the rare luxury of a holiday in the USA.
To begin the trip, we spent a week not far from New York, staying with my wife’s uncle who lives on Upper Greenwood Lake in New Jersey. Then we were lucky enough to have 10 days in Orlando at Disney and the Florida theme parks!
Holidays are most definitely not the time to be thinking about work, however, some of the things we encountered could not fail to resonate with me in their relevance to my professional life.
The first presented itself while we were messing about on the lake and happened in an eventful split second; I will share more on that later! The second relates to the time we spent at Disney. CIG CEO, Greg Ellison, often challenges CIG directors to think of companies that are market-leading in their sector and consider how their approach could assist our business. So, here is my list of eight things that I believe Disney excels at that have direct application to delivering a leading international investment platform:
1) Clear vision – everyone knows what Disney is about, what Disney stands for and customers understand what they can expect when they visit the parks.
2) Variety – Disney is not one-dimensional but offers a wide range of complementary services and attractions.
3) Broad appeal – Disney may not appeal to everyone but the company clearly aims to please a broad spectrum of customers, whatever their age and background.
4) Innovation – Disney never stands still but is constantly evolving and improving for its customers.
5) Trust – Disney has clear values and a demonstrable track record meaning that customers trust the company and feel safe within its services.
6) Customer Service – Anyone who has had any experience of Disney will know how well-trained the staff are and the excellent levels of service that abound across all its areas and all personnel.
7) Value for money – I cannot mention Disney without mentioning cost! Yes, Disney is expensive but you would struggle to find a customer that does not say it offers value for money.
8) Dreams – a big element of the Disney magic is of course that it inspires people to fulfil their dreams!
The eight points mentioned above are of course only part of what it takes to create a successful investment platform.
But I believe that there is a lot that Discretionary Investment managers can learn from Disney. After all, we’re in the business of helping clients fulfil their own financial dreams and aspirations.
We at CIG are passionate about our investment platform proposition. To find out more and to understand how we try to deliver to the Disney magic to our clients, contact the Business Development team at businessdevelopment@capital-iom.com
Before I end this blog, I promised to share the other bit of learning I reflected upon during my holiday. This came to me whilst being towed behind a speedboat with my youngest daughter! Whenever things get tough…just remember to keep a tight grip and persevere! Smoother waters are just around the corner.
Disclaimer: The views thoughts and opinions expressed within this article are those of the author, and not those of any company within the Capital International Group (CIG) and as such are neither given nor endorsed by CIG. Information in this article does not constitute investment advice or an offer or an invitation by or on behalf of any company within the Capital International Group of companies to buy or sell any product or security.
