What Carson Hocevar Can Teach Small Business Owners About Creating Loyal Fans

Let me start with a confession.

Carson Hocevar is not my favorite NASCAR driver.

There are other drivers I root for before the driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports. NASCAR currently lists Hocevar as being in his third full-time Cup Series season with Spire Motorsports.

But you don't have to be someone's biggest fan to recognize when they're doing something right.

And when it comes to fans, customer experience, loyalty and making people feel appreciated, Carson Hocevar is doing something that I believe every small-business owner should pay attention to.

After the recent NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, Hocevar didn't simply finish his work and disappear.

He stayed.

NASCAR later posted a video in which Hocevar discussed why he stayed after the race and why giving fans memorable experiences and building connections with them matters. Motorsport.com reported that he spent about 20 minutes signing autographs and interacting with fans after the Gateway race.

That caught my attention.

Not because it was an elaborate marketing campaign.

Not because somebody created a complicated customer-retention strategy.

He simply took some extra time to make the people who support him feel like they mattered.

And that's where NASCAR and small business have a lot more in common than you might think.

Who Is on the Other Side of Your Wall?

Think about racing for a moment.

There are drivers, teams, sponsors, crews and millions of dollars invested in putting cars on the track.

But without fans, the sport doesn't have nearly the same value.

The same principle applies to our businesses.

Who is on the other side of your wall?

It's the customer who chooses your restaurant instead of the one down the street.

It's the company that hires you instead of one of your competitors.

It's the person who buys your book.

It's the client who refers you to a friend.

It's the customer who takes five minutes to write a review.

It's the person who comes back for the second, third or tenth time.

Those are the people who allow our businesses to exist.

Yet it's surprisingly easy to become so focused on operating the business that we forget about the people we're actually operating it for.

We're thinking about:

Invoices.

Payroll.

Schedules.

Marketing.

Employees.

Inventory.

Social media.

The next sale.

All of those things matter.

But sometimes the best customer-retention strategy isn't another email campaign, Facebook ad or loyalty program.

Sometimes it's simply spending an extra five minutes with someone.

Small Moments Can Create Big Fans

One of the principles I talk about in The Small Business CEO's Playbook is exceeding expectations.

When people hear that phrase, they sometimes think they need to create some gigantic WOW moment.

You don't.

Some of the most effective customer experiences are remarkably simple.

Remember someone's name.

Return their call quickly.

Send a personal thank-you.

Follow up after the sale.

Fix a problem without making the customer fight you.

Recognize a repeat customer.

Spend a few extra minutes answering someone's questions.

Do something thoughtful that wasn't required.

Those things don't necessarily cost much money.

But they're memorable.

And that's what I found interesting about Hocevar's interaction with NASCAR fans.

The race was finished.

His obligation was essentially complete.

He chose to stay.

That's the lesson.

Don't Just Create Customers. Create Stories.

Here's a question I think every business owner should ask:

What story does someone tell after doing business with you?

There's a huge difference between:

"Yeah, I bought something from them."

and:

"You've got to hear what they did for me."

The second customer has become something much more valuable than a transaction.

They're telling people about you.

They're remembering you.

They're recommending you.

They're becoming an advocate for your business.

That's the small-business version of creating a fan.

NASCAR has also documented how Hocevar has deliberately studied not only racing technique but how drivers communicate, interact with fans and develop personalities that connect with an audience.

That's another important business lesson.

Customer experience is a skill.

You can improve it.

You can practice it.

You can teach it to your employees.

And you can make it part of the culture of your business.

Personality Matters

One of the biggest advantages small-business owners have over much larger competitors is something that is very difficult for a corporation to duplicate:

You.

Your personality.

Your story.

Your values.

Your relationships.

Your willingness to talk directly with the customer.

Your ability to make someone feel recognized instead of processed.

That's why one of the principles I frequently talk about is:

Be the only YOU.

You may never have the advertising budget of the biggest competitor in your marketplace.

That's okay.

They can't out-you you.

And that personal connection can become an enormous competitive advantage.

Hocevar himself has developed a highly recognizable personality in NASCAR. NASCAR has described him as unconventional and outspoken while noting his ability to attract fans and sponsors.

Whether you like his driving style or not, people know who he is.

Small businesses can learn something from that.

Being memorable matters.

What Does This Look Like in a Small Business?

You don't need thousands of people waiting outside your business asking for an autograph.

Start with one customer.

Here are a few things you could do this week:

Stay five minutes longer.
Don't rush someone out the door simply because the transaction is technically finished.

Respond when others don't.
One of the easiest ways to stand out today is simply returning a phone call or email promptly.

Recognize repeat customers.
People notice when you remember them.

Thank referrals.
If someone recommends you, acknowledge it — even when that referral doesn't become a customer.

Follow up.
Ask whether everything went well after the sale or service.

Create a small surprise.
It doesn't need to be expensive. Something unexpected often becomes the thing people remember.

Empower your employees.
Give your team permission to solve small problems and create positive experiences without requiring approval for every little decision.

These aren't complicated strategies.

But consistency turns small moments into a reputation.

Customers Remember How You Made Them Feel

This is where customer experience becomes much bigger than customer service.

Customer service solves a problem.

Customer experience determines how someone feels about doing business with you.

And those feelings influence what happens next.

Do they come back?

Do they leave a review?

Do they mention you to a friend?

Do they share your business on social media?

Do they defend your company when somebody else complains?

Do they become a fan?

That is why creating memorable experiences is such a powerful competitive strategy.

It moves the relationship beyond price.

Once someone genuinely likes doing business with you, price becomes only one part of the decision.

You Don't Have to Be Everyone's Favorite

Perhaps that's the part of this story I appreciate most.

As I said at the beginning:

Carson Hocevar isn't my favorite NASCAR driver.

I don't have to agree with everything he does on the racetrack to respect something he's doing exceptionally well away from it.

He understands that the fans matter.

And he appears willing to invest some of his own time to demonstrate that.

That's something I can respect.

And it's something entrepreneurs can learn from.

You don't need everyone in your marketplace to love you.

You don't need to be everyone's favorite business.

You don't even need to be the biggest.

But the people who do choose you?

Make sure they know how much you appreciate it.

Because customers may buy from your business.

Fans help build it.

The Small Business Lesson

The next time you're tempted to rush through a customer interaction because the transaction is technically finished, remember the fan waiting at the fence.

Sometimes the extra few minutes are where loyalty is created.

And sometimes the smallest gesture becomes the story someone tells about your business for years.

What are you doing in your business to turn customers into fans?