Are your customer problem resolution skills as strong as Disney’s? Artwork

Sales Leadership with Jim Pancero

Jim Pancero has been influencing, guiding, and inspiring sales professionals in more than 80 different industries to increase sales, market share and profitability. Jim's combination of humor, larger-than-life personality, outstanding research and real-world examples that hit home, provide even experienced sales pros who think they've heard it all, with strategies and concepts that work! Your sales team will be charged up and ready to go...and your company and customers will reap the rewards. Time with Jim is time well spent. Watch your productivity and profitability soar! https://pancero.com

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Sales Leadership with Jim Pancero

Are your customer problem resolution skills as strong as Disney’s?

June 10, 2026 • Jim Pancero • Season 5 • Episode 11

0:00 | 1:44

I was speaking at a conference at a Disney hotel in Orlando. As my cab pulled into the hotel, the hotel valet got into an argument with my driver over who should pull my bags out of the cab.

As I checked in at the front desk, I shared the confrontation between their valet and my cab driver. I wasn’t expecting anything, I just thought they’d want to know a castmate needed more training.

Once in my hotel room I received a phone call from a manager asking what happened. As I shared my check-in challenges the manager started offering me things as an apology. I kept saying no to his offers of a free dinner or breakfast because I was leaving the next day and had no extra time.

He then asked “Are you ever going to come back again?" I said, "I’m back in Orlando in a few months for another client.” He said "Then you have a one-day free park pass as our apology for your experience."

I was impressed with his extra efforts. It was evident he wanted to make sure our call ended as a positive experience for me. What can you do to make sure, when your customers are unhappy, you can still make their outcome more positive than the experience itself?

Today’s video shares my Disney experience and how you can apply their service philosophy…so your team can sell even more!

Hi, I'm Jim Pancero and I recently had what to me was one of the most amazing customer service handling experiences I've ever had. It was at a Disney property in Orlando. The challenge was as I cab driver pulled up and I went to check in the front's valet got in a big argument with the cab driver. It was uncomfortable watching this happen in front of me, the guest. So, as I went into the hotel, I was standing there in line and the manager walked by and said, "How's your day going?" And I said, "Well, the check-in hasn't been too positive and explained what happened." Didn't think anything of it. I was just making sure they knew that one of their people needed more training. As I got in my hotel room, the phone rang. It was a manager. And the manager said, "Please tell me what happened." As I related the experience, they started offering things. Can we what will we apologize? Can we buy you dinner? Can we buy you breakfast? Can we do something for you? And I said, "No, I'm just here to give a speech and I'm going to be leaving tomorrow afternoon." He then said, "Finally, are you ever going to come back to a Disney property again?" I said, "Well, yeah." He said, "Then you have a one-day free pass into the parks as our gift to apologize for what you experienced." What I realized was the philosophy of Disney was he was not going to end that call until he gave me something that was of value, as a way to apologize to make sure this ended as a positive experience for me. I was impressed with his extra effort cuz frankly I tried brushing it off but he was insistent. What can you do to make sure when your customers are happy they still see the end of it as a win situation for them because the outcome was more positive than the experience itself? Think that might be a way to improve your customer service?