Jackpot! : Harrah's Winning Secrets for Customer Loyalty

Jackpot is the story of the birth and dramatic growth of Harrah s, America s premier gaming and entertainment company and the flamboyant, idealistic entrepreneur who made it what it is. But it s more than just a simple story of business success. It s also an enlightening business tale of how an already successful company fought off aggressive (and often better financed) competitors by focusing its resources on customer service and long term customer loyalty. When Bill Harrah took control of his father s hole in the wall card game business in 1937, he couldn t have known how well his small investment would pay off. By taking calculated risks and employing unorthodox business practices, Harrah grew his modest card game business into an industry leader. His unique approach to business and fierce ideological commitment to running a fair and legitimate company made Harrah s a dominant and respected player from Las Vegas to Atlantic City. Though it was sold after his death in 1978, the company that bears his name is still guided by Bill Harrah s independent spirit. Faced with cutthroat competition in the crowded gaming market, Harrah s visionary leadership took a different track. While its competitors spent billions to build theme hotels on the Las Vegas strip replete with scale models of the Pyramids and the Eiffel Tower Harrah s put its money into new Information Technology and customer service initiatives. By launching a marketing plan bent on rewarding customers with an unparalleled customer service experience, Harrah s has shown the competition and Harrah s customers that it takes more than deep pockets to be an industry leader. Based on its aggressive campaign to reinvent itself as the customer service leader in its industry, Harrah s provides an excellent model for any business that wants to focus its resources on bringing customers back. It s a valuable lesson any business leader can learn from that bold marketing and world class customer service is a winning combination. Jackpot traces the story of Harrah s from its modest birth, through its ascension to the status of industry icon, to its daring modern reinvention of itself and also tells the story of its visionary founder. Along the way, it offers new ideas and fresh inspiration for today s business leaders.