“Just do it.” “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” (or conversely, “If it ain’t broke, break it”). “Be all that you can be.” “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” “The first step is the biggest.” And my personal favorite, “No matter where you go, there you are.”
Throughout our lives, we’re bombarded with phrases like these telling us how to live. Or how to handle certain situations. Sometimes they’re called “mottos.” Or “catchphrases.” “Aphorisms.” “Will Rogers-isms.” “Guiding principles.” “Witty kernels of truth.” Or simply, as I prefer to call them, “Words To Live By.”
Words To Live By certainly are subjective, even though usually thought provoking. They can be heavy, they can be light. Sometimes controversial, sometimes contradictory. They can motivate or they can depress. Enlighten or confuse.
The Ten Commandments are certainly an example of Words To Live By, even if a little harsh or overbearing. Based on how many people break those Commandments, I think we would have been better served by having just One Commandment, maybe something like, “Always do what would make your mother proud.”
I’ve had my own Words To Live By in the gambling business throughout my career. Some I’m not sure where I first heard them. Others came from an associate, friend, co-worker, boss, or mentor and just caught my fancy. I may have carved in stone a few of my very own Words To Live By, but then again, I may actually have pirated them or heard something similar that stirred what I thought was my own creative phrase.
So I share with you now, many of my own Words to Live By that have guided my casino industry career, including attribution to the individual or organization where I believe I first heard them. I thank all of them now for their succinctly packaged wisdom.
“Don’t Let the A**holes Get You Down” (the late Vince Risafi, casino marketing executive) – This one came from one of the earliest bosses in my marketing career who was trying to console me when the bean counters kept trying to turn our clear marketing successes into dismal failures with “opportunity costs,” “allocated costs,” “incremental costs,” “taxes,” and every other cost they could think of. Sure, some of it was fair, but not when they wouldn’t allow for “untracked casino revenue,” “worth of new customers attained,” “incremental non-gaming revenue” and other stats on the plus side of the ledger. I use Vince’s Words to Live By to this day in a variety of situations that you can imagine.
“Clean. Polite. Honest.” (Barona Resort and Casino, Lakeside, CA.) – I’ve seen numerous casino mission statements in my career, but none as simple and as powerful as Barona’s “Clean. Polite. Honest.” (Actually, since COVID, it’s been revised to “Always Clean. Polite. Honest.” Now most casinos have some form of “Clean” and “Polite” in their mission statement. But “Honest?” Noodle on that one for a while and figure out how “Honest” could differentiate your casino property and bring it a competitive advantage. Barona has.
“The Difference Between a Casino Executive and a Great Casino Executive is about 10,000 Customer Interactions” (a Dennis Conrad original, although I may have unknowingly stolen it) – I often write these Words to Live By when I autograph copies of my book. It speaks to my biggest peeve – casino executives who spend the vast majority of their time in offices and meetings, rather than with customers on the casino floor. Or as one fabulously successful casino executive told me, “I spend 80%-90% of my time on the casino floor. Isn’t that where the money is?”
“We’ll Build a One-on-One Relationship with Everyone Who Walks in Our Door” (Steve Browne, Cactus Jack’s Casino, circa 1990s) – This was the first time I ever heard “customer worship” memorialized in a company statement. It was at little old Cactus Jack’s in Carson City during the Steve Browne ownership era. It spawned numerous customer-focused innovations like the Customer Advisory Board, Customer of the Month, using the casino marquee to announce customers’ birthdays and anniversaries, Bosses’ Day (where bosses worked a full shift of a frontline employee), and a whole bevy of initiatives that put people over profit. Of course, profit then magically followed.
“Never Sweat the Money. Treat Players’ Winnings Like a Loan. Give it Easily and Graciously and If You’re Real Nice to Them, They’ll Pay you Back. With Interest.” (Rick Hudson, casino consultant, recounting what his mentor told him in his break-in dealer days) – Perhaps it’s human nature or profit-focused pressure from management, but it’s amazing to me that in many ways and in many situations, casinos still sweat players’ winning. The best free marketing a casino has are the numerous natural occurrences of player wins. Why would you ever want them to feel bad about it?
“You Can’t Put a Toaster in a Slot Machine” (unknown source) – While I believe there is opportunity to use gifts and merchandise in casino promotions, these Words to Live By refer to when some casinos use merchandise as a core of their casino promotions, especially when the “stuff” is schlocky. Talking to their customers would clearly show them their players almost always, overwhelmingly, prefer cash or free play as promotional prizes. Why not give it to them?
“It’s the Gambling, Stupid!” (the late great Michael Meczka, casino market researcher extraordinaire) – Mike Meczka was the best most no-nonsense consultant in the casino industry. When he got in front of a group of casino executives, he typically did two things. First, he asked, “How many of you have ever taken $1,000 of your own money to gamble in a casino?” Typically, very few hands went up. Mike’s rejoinder? “Then how do you know what the exact players you’re hoping to attract are experiencing?” Second, after numerous discussions about marketing strategy and tactics, Mike always left his audiences with, “It’s the Gambling, Stupid!” This meant that gambling was the overwhelming primary motivator of the behavior of casino customers and that anything that diminished the gambling experience, or stole from the gambler’s beloved “time on device,” was frankly a waste of time and resources.
“Find Out What Your Customers Want, Then Give It to Them.” (source unknown, but I’ve used the phrase so long now that I’m claiming ownership) – These Words to Live By was my very first catchphrase when I started my casino consulting company. I believe it sums everything up and can be appropriate for any industry anytime. It puts the business focus exactly where it belongs, on making the customer happy (and don’t forget that employees are your customers too).
I hope you have your own Words To Live By. If not, find some. But then, more importantly, live by them. Just Do It.
