How does someone go from planning an underground poker game based on Google searches like What do poker players like to eat? to running the most sought-after, high-stakes poker game in the nation? Motivational keynote speaker Molly Bloom started her career hosting poker games by accident. She was thrown into her first game with less than a day’s notice and ended up bringing a mixtape of cheesy poker songs to a table with A-list actors and athletes.
But Molly turned zero years of experience into a multimillion dollar company by transforming her poker game into an unbeatable experience worth buying into. When she started, she was running her boss’s poker game in a dark underground basement of the Viper Room while taking mental notes and soaking in all the information she needed to rule the industry. Other than the celebrity players, this game experience could be found almost anywhere.
While Molly had never read Joe Pine’s groundbreaking book, The Experience Economy, she knew innately that she could attract and keep players by creating a unique experience above all. If you haven’t read the book, Pine explains that customer loyalty is gone. Companies that deliver the same product or service can only gain customers by having a better price…unless they provide an authentic experience—something that cannot be found anywhere else.
When Molly branched off on her own, she decided to focus on the experience she was offering her players. Molly knew the men sitting at her tables could buy anything they wanted—the poker game wasn’t about the money. She knew they wanted something they couldn’t get at home or in a dark basement. The men wanted to feel like James Bond for the night, surrounded by pretty girls with drinks in hand and risk in the air.
Molly hosted her games in penthouse suites with luxurious decor and beautiful servers. She removed the dinginess associated with underground poker games and elevated the experience to her clientele. She made sure she catered to their every want from preferred drink to specific phone charger to favorite tunes.
Molly followed three golden rules to give the ultimate customer experience–
Do customer research
Molly went into every game knowing exactly who would be sitting at her table and all of their favorite everythings. She imported foreign liquor because she heard it was a rare favorite for one of her players. She knew the dynamics of the group of players and who should sit next to who. Her customer research set the stage for an unrivaled customer experience.
Say yes all the time
There wasn’t a single request that went unfulfilled. The customer is always right and in Molly’s case, they were often extreme. But once the men sat down at her table she did everything in her power to create the ultimate experience. She even went as far as to provide her players extensions on their payments when they asked, using her own money as the bank. When the customers feel taken care of they become loyal.
Make the fun effortless
Most importantly, Molly kept all the work behind-the-scenes. Part of Molly’s poker game experience was instant gratification and satisfaction. She created this illusion by doing the heavy lifting before the games and planning everything to a T so her patrons wouldn’t have to concern themselves with anything but enjoying their night.
