The mall has both a north and south side but don’t worry, you don’t actually need to walk from one side to the other; instead you take the “skywalk” which is nice, to be perfectly honest. It allows you to put your bags down for a minute and catch your breath in the midst of the shopping chaos.

You’d think when you visit a mall like this you’d top off the weekend by spending a night or two at a luxury hotel with lavish heavenly beds and exquisite dining opportunities.

You’d think that….

But we end up staying somewhere else each year.

We ended up staying at the Drury Inn & Suites in Troy, Michigan. The hotel sits alongside the I-75 Freeway and looks like your typical budget hotel/motel. Driving by, you’d think it looks ok, but that you would probably want to spend a few extra bucks to stay somewhere a bit “nicer looking.”

But here’s the thing. The Drury in Troy rocks. Not only do they hold the #1 ranking spot on Trip advisor for Troy but they also beat other hotels at  two, three or four times the cost!

They do a few things right and it got me thinking.

I should add that this wasn’t our first time staying at the Drury. We’ve stayed there five years in a row now so this experience wasn’t a fluke.

I like to think of it as the “little hotel that could.”

I’m not sure how other Drury hotels compare to this one. I did a quick look on Trip Advisor and found that some don’t fare as well in the reviews. I believe the Troy, Michigan Drury has a solid system in place and it’s working for them.

Firstly,  check-in is a breeze. It’s quick and efficient and the energetic front-desk staff treat you pleasantly.

Next, you’re treated to an onslaught of freebies so intense that it almost becomes the running joke by the end of  the night.

For example:

• Free Calls – 1 hour of free long-distance phone calls and 15 minutes of free calls  to Canada. (It’s a great time to call your mom in Saskatoon.)
• Free Net- The hotel is wired for free wi-fi or wired Internet access in your room. You choose. (Most hotels I’ve been to charge anywhere from $24-30 per day for Internet Access)
• Free Booze - Three free alcoholic beverages. Yes, three. Is this the secret formula?
• Free Food – Happy Hour snacks – Friday night includes nachos & cheese, salsa, hot dogs & chilli
• Free Work Tools – Business Center. Fax machines, computers, printers… all free of charge..
• Free Food, again. – Hot breakfast in the morning. Eggs, waffles, sausage, biscuits, juice and coffee, absolutely free.
• Free Parking

Now you do need to realize that the food isn’t gourmet but it’s decent quality, and the hotel is clean, has friendly service and is a great experience.

Here’s what I took away from this.

The Drury is doing more than just giving away free stuff. They are turning your stay  into an experience. From checking in to enjoying your drinks in  buzzing & vibrant lobby, they instantly create the experience of a great pre-pre-party to start your night. It’s a little cheesy but it’s fun and when you’re with friends it’s a total blast.

The Drury is monitoring their brand within the social media. Check them out on Twitter…. not just constantly tweeting out deals but actively responding to their customers and conversing with them.

There are always going to be people who will pay more to stay somewhere else simply because it looks nicer and costs more money but the perception of cost equaling  a “better experience” or a “cheaper so it must be worse” mentality isn’t always the case.

If you’re the smaller, grungier, cheaper competitor in your field, it doesn’t mean you always need to be second best or seen as the second-rate cheaper alternative.

Be like the Drury in Troy. Do a few small things better than everyone else consistently you’ll eventually beat the big dogs.

P.S. You’re probably wondering how much this all cost us… $59.99

Ed told me that he found the book at a used bookstore and he remembered once that I had blogged about Seth so he thought it was a fitting gift, and it was. I’m sure at one point I had a copy of the book but I couldn’t find it so it was nice to see it back on my bookshelf.

Side Note: Ed was visiting local second-hand shops because he had “accidentally” thrown away ALL of his wife’s cookbooks!! I was flattered that during his time in the dog house he thought of me.

This morning I was spending some time thinking about stuff and I just happened to grab the book and take a look at the inside cover.

Ed had left me a little note inside… “Pop Marketing, But enjoy.”

In a sense I get how Ed could have viewed it that way. The book at quick glance looks like a collection of short stories about the brands we all know about and the things they did to achieve success…Trendy, Pop-Type Stuff… i.e. Starbucks

But as I skimmed through the book I began to quickly see why I’ve always enjoyed Seth’s work.

Seth has a certain way of saying things, but always follows up by giving you his outlook,  and then asking us to look and think about what was said and how we can apply it to our own situations.

Let’s face it, traditional marketing books, training, and  professional marketing educations” focus on the good old textbook taught 4 Ps of marketing.

I even once had a potential client in my office questioning my qualifications and my ability to grow his business. He did so by asking me if I knew the 4 Ps of marketing,  assuming that if I did know the 4 Ps I was clearly qualified to be given his money.

Seth says the new P is the Purple Cow.

But here’s the thing I realized about Ed’s comments. It does look a little like Pop Marketing, I get it. But the underlying message is the same. If you want to achieve success you need to take massive action and if you want to achieve above average results, you need be a purple cow.

I mean, I’ve read through so many business books over the past few years and in the end they are really all saying the exact same thing.

Yet we continue to need more books and more of a push towards the same message being  told in a different way.

The Personal Development niche is the same….Know your outcome, take massive action, don’t stop until you get the desired result.

Being a purple cow means taking massive action and being willing to fail, fail again, and fail again after that. But being a purple cow also means doing things differently than everyone else… kinda like stepping outside your comfort zone!

Here are three things from Seth to apply to your business today:

• Don’t Be Boring
• Safe is Risky
• Very Good is Bad

Ta-da!