Page 68 - Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company

You Better Believe It 49

Despite our excitement over buying a Disney product, we still dreaded
the thought of closing, particularly a closing conducted by long distance.
We both had memories of incomprehensible papers to read and sign, not to
mention the mind-numbing and time-wasting interval spent sitting through
the formalities. When we spoke to a Vacation Club cast member about our
desire to buy and our fear of closing, he assured us that Disney had taken
the pain out of the process. What an understatement! Within a few days, we
were sent an accordion file with color-coded and tabbed sections, all clearly
marked and explained in understandable, nonlegalese. Even the place for
signatures was designated by its own color. Plus, there was another video.
This one walked us through each step of the closing process. It was so simple,
so attractive, and so enjoyable that we were almost tempted to buy a second
unit just to repeat the experience!
In coming up with a successful process innovation, Disney basically rein-
vented the entire sales and closing procedure that has been standard in the real
estate industry since time immemorial. The result for us and for every other
Disney time-share condo buyer is fabulous service. Our experiences with The
Walt Disney Company reinforce the point that innovative companies begin
to achieve real success by clearly stating their values and communicating
them effectively to their staffs. An inspiring, well-written vision statement is
imperative in achieving full employee participation. However, writing such
statements is not a simple task. Michael Snyder, former vice president of
public relations at Caldwell VanRiper (now MARC USA), relayed to us his
experience in this area:

During Caldwell VanRiper’s conversion to client-centered teams, we
began the task of preparing a new vision statement of what the agency
would reflect in the year 2002. The first two versions I prepared were
rejected; they contained the content of an executive retreat we con-
ducted in 1997 but did not reflect the spirit. After the second ver-
sion was rejected, I had the opportunity to hear your presentation of
“Dream, Believe, Dare, Do.” Following this, I rewrote the statement as
I really believed it ought to be. When the statement was later presented
for the discussion, there was total silence. One of the first comments
from a CVR executive was, “I want to work for this agency!”

Surging energy, great people, and a near-fanatical obsession with excel-
lence will drive Caldwell VanRiper into national prominence. Top clients