Now that I’m using Reading Refresh to keep myself up to date on books I’ve read in the past, I thought I’d share some of them as they came back up. Today is “Banana Ball” by Jesse Cole. This book is also available as a free flashcard deck on Ripple Recall.
I went to my first ever Savannah Bananas game last year, and it was certainly… bananas. I remember before the game started just seeing how crazy everything was with the music pumping and people dancing everywhere. What really surprised me was when the game started and none of that stopped! I’m used to a game starting and everyone “settling in” (music off, focus on the game), but that wasn’t the case here. It was a party from start to finish, with some folks playing baseball in the middle of it.
The story behind the Bananas is perhaps equally as crazy. Jesse Cole walks through it all in this book, and it’s a fascinating tale. He had a dream, and literally did everything he could to make it happen. He shares how close they repeatedly came to bankruptcy, and how his belief in two main things pushed them to success: have fun, and always put the fans first.
Have fun
He says:
Some people won’t take anyone or anything seriously unless they’re buttoned-up and professional. Well, I have a different perspective about that. I don’t believe anybody comes home and says, “Honey, I met the most professional person today. She was just so professional.”
Fans first
He makes it very simple:
But it’s really not a secret at all. It’s Fans First. Entertain Always
He makes it clear that he wants “fans” over “customers”, saying:
To me, customer suggests some sort of transaction. Customers come and go. Fans never leave.
He also shares something that I know all of us have dealt with:
Here’s what I don’t understand about many businesses. Why do they continually do the things that their customers hate? Why are people endlessly put on hold, while a message plays that tells them how “important” their call is, but they do a slow burn while waiting to talk to an actual human being . . . and maybe they still hang up in frustration?
In the Bananas’ organization, we have a word for this—friction.
We looked at all the friction points from a baseball experience—ticket fees, price gouging on parking and concessions, as well as limited access to autographs and fan photos with their favorite players—and we did the opposite.
It’s stunning to see what they’ve become. Their games all sell out months in advance and they very clearly give 100% every time. It’s amazing to see.
If you’ve not been to a game yet, start doing some digging to see when they’re coming to your town and when you can start applying for tickets. They can be hard to get into, despite their best efforts, but it’s worth it.
For more on his story, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of his book and you can watch this short video for a bit more:
