St. Louis Blues Hockey Organization Sets a Good Example

I’m impressed with Dave Checketts, the new owner of the St. Louis Blues. For those who aren’t into hockey, this is a National Hockey League team that was just sold to new ownership after a player strike that was followed by one of the worst losing records for a professional team.

So, Mr. Checketts stepped up to the plate and bought the team. First thing he did was raise ticket prices. If the fans were mad at the team for such a poor record in the prior season, they were really mad now. The Blues went from having some of the best attendance in the league to one of the worst.

What did Mr. Checketts do? He talked to the fans. He sent out thousands of surveys and believe it or not, many came back. What he found was there were three things that could get the fans back. One is a team that wins. Not necessarily the championship, but one that occasionaly wins. Two is a team that that has a good work ethic. When you lose it’s hard to get motivated. The Blues had to show they wanted to win, at a minimum. Three was ticket prices.

Mr. Checketts said that he wanted the Blues to win and try hard, but that was up to the coach. However the ticket prices were up to him. So, just a few weeks after the surveys went out he started lowering ticket prices. He sent letters to the fans saying that he wanted to earn back their loyalty.

Good for you Mr. Checketts! You stepped up and took ownership of the team – and their problems!

Shep Hyken, CSP is a professional speaker and author who works with companies who want to develop loyal relationships with their customers and employees. For more information on Shep's speaking programs, books, tapes and learning programs please contact (314) 692-2200. Email: shep@hyken.com – Web: www.hyken.com – Click here for information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs (www.TheCustomerFocus.com).