Book Review: Be Our Guest

Sometimes small books carry big punches, and that's just what Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service (Amazon affiliate link) does. The funny thing is, Disney doesn't do anything small. If you want to get an insiders view of how Disney makes the world a happy place, this is the book for you.

When ever I read a book about a global brand, I try and find some small nugget I can use or pass along. Here are three things I took away:

• Employees are Cast Members
• Customers are Guests
• It's all about the Magic

The number one goal is for every Guest to have a magical time. First impressions make all the difference. An exceptional experience keeps guests coming back generation after generation.

Because employees are cast members, they are part of the experience. All the characters are accessible. A photo with Cinderella, Goofy or Micky lasts a life time, and is filled with a thousand memories. From everyone in the ticket booth, ride operators and characters are tasked with making everyones experience at a Disney property magical. There's no other outcome.

There's no mistaking that an over the top experience is the bottom line for Disney. They server millions of customers a year, so I consider them a leading expert in the field. You can't go wrong by giving your customers the same level of service.

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Book Review: CrushIt!

Lot's of people have written reviews of CrushIt! by Gary Vaynerchuk. Here is mine.

This is an easy read. What I mean by that is the book is somewhat short, and Gary does a great job of explaining himself and his ideas. this book could have easily been two or three times as big.

If the first chapter was the only one in this book, it would be worth it. Passion. You gotta have it. Without it, there's little point.

If you're a Vayniak, someone who is a a Garyvee fan, you've probably heard a lot of what's in this book. But even so, now you have everything at your fingertips. I also recommend you get the Vook; a digital enhanced version of the book including videos.

I like how he talks about a few tools, but mostly, find what your passion is and talk about it, through audio, video or blogging.

Have you read it? Tell us what you thought.

*Disclaimer: I didn't receive any compensation for this review.

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Book Review: TwittFaced

Twitter is something I know pretty well. I've been a user for 2 years. While I don't have tens of thousands of followers, I understand the power of Twitter. When I learned Josh Peters wrote a book out on Twitter, titled TwittFaced, I thought I would give it a read. I gave Josh my money and off I went.

It's not a long read, 156 pages or so, but man, this book is packed to the rafters with information. Even if you think yo know Twitter, or several other social networking platforms, Josh and his co-author Jacob Morgan do a great job of outlining the hottest tools and applications you should be looking at. And the most important part of each chapter is explaining why and how to use the services successfully.

The cover reads "your toolkit for understanding & maximizing social media". I would agree. I have marked several chapters for re-reading. Chapter nine is chalk full of statistics on social media. Chapter five talks about Facebook and the many applications which can make your experience better. And chapter 21, how to keep from being overwhelmed. I really like all of the chapters but one, the chapter on MySpace. Maybe I'm being a snob here, but I don't see MySpace as having any relevance in social media. But Josh and Jacob give it some love in chapter six.

This is a great book. Easy to read, lot's of statistics, and some great examples explaining how to get the most out of these social media platforms.

Buy the book here. It's a link to Amazon, and if you buy the book, I get a few pennies.

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