Over the past 20 years, I have experienced more than my fair share of business travel – to the point where times my life has felt like some non-filmed version of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. From canceled flights to sleeping in airports, from lost luggage to sitting next to “interesting” seat mates, there are few things about travel that surprise me. That was until I became aware of Uber about three years ago.
At that time, I spent quite a bit of time traveling from Nashville to New York and Uber was a complete game changer. No longer did I have to wait in a cab line hoping for the one hack who had functioning air conditioning, wondering if credit cards would be accepted, or fumbling with change to give an appropriate tip. Uber erased an enormous amount of friction in private transportation and, in the process, revolutionized an industry.
During my travels, I’ve had dozens of conversations with Uber drivers – usually centered around why they started driving for Uber. It quickly dawned on me that I only understood half of the story that is the Uber rebellion. This summer, I decided it was time for me to become an Uber driver.
Lesson 1: Reduce the inherent friction in any process and people will eagerly flock to you. After a painless sign up process, which meant filling out a form, uploading a few documents, and submitting to a thorough background check, I received a link to download the Uber Partner app after which I could begin driving. It was less painful than signing up for Apple Music, took me no more than 15 minutes, and showcased how seamless a process can be when an organization thinks of the end-user experience first. It was so simple it would almost be a crime not to drive for Uber.
Lesson 2: Create an experience that eliminates a pain point and they will pay for it again and again. On Saturday, July 9, 2016, I turned on my Uber partner app and within three minutes scored my first job. As I drove to the nondescript restaurant which served as the pickup location, I admit I was a little anxious. However, the initial apprehension quickly dissipated once the rider got in my car. During the ride, his body language expressed to me quite clearly that he didn’t want to speak and I honored his silent request. Because the Uber app is so intuitive, he didn’t need to speak at all to let me know where he was going. It was a quick trip and he left my sedan without saying a word.
Lesson 3: Give people a better option and they will enthusiastically take it. My next trip as an Uber driver took place a few minutes after I dropped off the first passenger. This time I picked up a couple looking to go to downtown Nashville and, unlike the first rider, they engaged me by asking for recommendations in the area. As we chatted, I asked them why they used Uber as opposed to taking a taxi or another form of transportation. The answer came quick and without thought: it’s easier, cheaper, and cleaner.
For my efforts, I made a grand total of $16.70 which was deposited directly into my checking account the following Wednesday. While I only made about as much as it would cost me to eat at Chipotle (don’t judge, I need the extra guacamole), that wasn’t the point. After dozens of trips in the back seat of an Uber car, I wanted to directly experience it from the driver’s seat. For my efforts I gained a much-appreciated perspective of what makes Uber so successful regardless if you drive or simply ride.
More than that, I learned three simple lessons that are applicable to any business in any industry: 1) Keep processes as simple as possible to reduce friction; 2) create an experience that eliminates specific pain; 3) and give people an alternative that’s better than what already exists in the marketplace.
Do those three things and your audience will never look at your competition the same way.
Bill has over 15 years working in executive leadership positions at leading promotional products distributorships. In 2014, he launched brandivate – the first executive outsourcing company solely focused on helping small and medium sized-promotional products enterprises responsibly grow their business. A featured speaker at numerous industry events, a serial creator of content marketing, vice president of the Promotional Products Association of the Mid-South (PPAMS), and PromoKitchen chef, Bill has extensive experience coaching sales teams, creating successful marketing campaigns, developing operational policies and procedures, creating and developing winning RFP responses, and presenting winning promotional products solutions to Fortune 500 clients. He can be reached at bill@brandivatemarketing.com