I’m a ski instructor for Vail Resorts. I’m teaching all this week. The week between Christmas and New Years is the busiest week of the year for ski resorts.

This year the snow at Vail sucks. It’s the worst beginning of the season I can remember. The back bowls aren’t open. The snow is hard packed and icy. Brown spots are everywhere. I’m on my rock skis and can’t see when that will change.

I have the same client this year that I had last year and in spite of the poor conditions they are having a blast. Why? Because the experience is greater than the snow. Vail has built a phenomenal vacation experience. By doing so, they aren’t so reliant on great snow.

Vail has insulated itself from having to have a perfect product. Smart on their part, considering they can’t control the weather.

There is a great lesson here. Products won’t be perfect all the time. That’s OK, if we build a great experience around the product. Restaurant food isn’t going to be perfect every time. To most of us, it’s OK as long as the restaurant is fun and has a great experience. We want things to be perfect, but if they aren’t we’re OK, if there is more than just the core product.

This is lost on lots of businesses. Tremendous focus is put on the core product and everything else is forgotten.

Build and amazing experience around your product and it doesn’t have to be perfect all the time.  Build and amazing product without an amazing experience around it and pray to god its perfect. Because, if it’s not there is nothing left.

We choose for the main product, we stay, tell our friends, and come back for everything else.  Think beyond your product, it’s what makes the difference.