Finding Success by Providing the Best Customer Experience

Last year I had a moment to sit down and visit with Brandon Steiner on my show. Now Brandon Steiner is the CEO and founder of Steiner Sports, a company that has established itself as one of the premiere names in sports marketing. In looking at what Brandon built during his life, some may assume that his success can be attributed to his family’s wealth. What I found surprising is that Brandon was dealt what some may consider, a hand of cards that weren’t in his favor. During our interview, Brandon shared some of the most valuable lessons that he’s learned in life and what has helped him arrive at the point that he is today.

Acquiring wealth and growing company revenue has not been Brandon’s number one interest during his career- his focus has been on providing good service to his customers.

Brandon learned this lesson years ago when he was helping to run the Hard Rock Café in New York.

One night, while Brandon was working as the night manager, he ran into the restaurant’s founder- Isaac Tigrett, The restaurant was packed that night. Noticing how busy the café was, Isaac turned to Brandon and said, "I'm scared we're too busy and I'm scared we're going to disappoint people- we're not going to be able to give enough good service.. I don't worry about much money I make, I worry about doing the right thing"

So here Brandon was trying to develop his career and his boss was telling him to slow things down by providing their customers with the best experience. His objective wasn’t supposed to be making money by moving people in and out quickly. The experience had to be right for the customers- even if the business made a less money. 

Brandon said, “I hadn't had a boss tell me that before. And I always remembered it… It’s about over delivering and being empathetic and thinking of people when you're serving them in a authentic way. I think that at Steiner [Sports], I really try to do that. We put extra products in the boxes, we put personal notes in them, we send people gifts without them ever expecting it.

"Every morning at Steiner Sports my first thing I do is two acts of kindness, been doing it for years, I send random things out, a check, a book, a note to somebody that I know needs it. I see on the news someone had a fire, we sent them a box of stuff that they could put up in their new house or maybe a check or whatever it is and it's the best thing I do every day and then that about two hours later the mail comes and I get two thank-you notes"

Ironically, out of all of the sports collectibles that Brandon is surrounded by, those thank you notes are his favorite items.

In conclusion, focus on serving others first, it may be tempting to think about the profits but remember, that’s not your objective. As you wake up each day, ask yourself what it is that you can do to better serve others. Only then will true success will follow.