My 3 Secrets to Getting New Customers at Zero to Low Cost

Apple and AT&T have been joined at the hip since the iPhone’s introduction in 2007. U.S. customers who wanted the device had one choice of carrier. Apple needed to drop its exclusive with AT&T for a number of reasons:

• Verizon is AT&T’s serious competition in the U.S.
• Verizon was heavily courting companies like Motorola that were building phones using Google’s Android as the operating system.
• AT&T has developed a reputation — rightly or wrongly — for bad or limited connectivity for the i Phone.
• Apple can sell only so many i Phones in the US solely through AT&T. Eventually it reaches a market saturation point with the carrier.

From a strategy standpoint, Apple recognized that to grow it needed to expand its channel of distribution; how it gets its product to market and how it reaches new customers

For the proprietor, or any one who owns a business that is dependent upon customers visits as its business model, the need to expand its base is a never ending and expensive battle. So new ways to reach a new base must be reviewed.

Here are 3 Secrets to Getting New Customers at Zero to Low Cost

1. Be the builder of multiple relationships:
A "Facebook" strategy and a "Linkedin" strategy that targets your business friends, acquaintances and any other "business" friend you may have. Write to them under your company facebook page telling them what or how you are doing to market your business. Their feedback will broaden your market reach, give you information to make better decisions and get a level of involvement with your business that you never had. Benefits -95, Costs -$0. Thank them with "bowling offers."

2. Be the merchant of "freemiums":
Give information, ideas, and assistance to your business network(s) without asking for anything back. There will be time for asking when you build the level of trust that is needed. Here's an example. One of our clients wanted to expand the market for its fish n chips sandwich in a predominantly "burger and chicken" facility. What happened astonished them. They offered 20 free fish sandwiches and the next week they sold 30+ sandwiches. Not bad considering that they hadn't sold any for a month. Thank you Mr. Network.

3. Be the niche marketer:
Do you know how many ethnic newspapers, radio stations and web sites there are in your market and no one is marketing to these specific ethnic groups. In Texas, several of my clients had the opportunity to market on Hispanic stations (at extremely low rates). By creating a Hispanic facebook network, the proprietors became involved in the fabric of this community; building trust and establishing relationships. The result was more parties and special events.

Setting up your business "Facebook" page and "Linkedin" page is a snap. If you can't figure it out, ask your teenager or any teenager.

Just promise me one thing: Please don't use it as a billboard to constantly sell.

Pizza Pins N Pop

This open play family program has been around awhile. I first ran it in 1992 when I was the VP marketing at Bowling Corporation of America. Its two hours of bowling, shoe rental, a large pizza and a pitcher of pop (soda, soft drink, Coke, Pepsi or whatever beverage you are serving) for a set price; range is between $39.95 and $79.95.

Since then I have twisted it up and created a league program called party animal, pizza bowl, or even bowl n boogie (for all you Texans out there). We have even pitched it to corporate America and sent letters to the HR people or emails if we had them.

While we all want to send an email, remmber only about 20% to 25% of all emails get opened; less if you are sending to a corporate account. Snail mail still works. As do postcards. And they should be used in conjunction with your web site, facebook ads, and electronic press distribution.

We called the corporate program a two game "10 x 10 league." Summer is a good time to try this since you have more available inventory during first shift.

So here's the letter. Its simple, to the point and full of benefits about team building. Use it, modify it or create an email blast out of it. the only thing you will have to do is insert a good testimonial from a credible source!

Or put it in a box with a $10 gift certificate and then mail out 100 of them to HR people. Enclose a key chain or a refrigerator magnet. WHY? Well, "lumpy" mail gets opened three times more than plain old mail.

Know why? Because it appeals to "the cracker jacks" kid in all of us.

Your Letterhead

Building Teamwork Has Never Been Easier and More Fun

In today’s ever-changing business world, the one constant that drives top producing companies are people. Good people.

But sometimes good people get frustrated, discouraged and caught up in “putting out fires”

That’s when they need a morale boost and some team building fun.

And at (center name) we have developed just the thing to relive some stress and put the “Togetherness” back in the TEAM

It’s our newest “10 weeks for $10 bucks program”. It’s a chance for your people to get together for one night a week for 10 sessions and bowl, eat a pizza and enjoy some beverages. All for just $10 per person per week.

Bowling is a fun way to get your people together, to socialize and discuss some business issues in a “no stress” environment.” Best of all, almost any one can bowl. In fact last year more people Americans bowled (55 million) than played golf (25 million) and almost everyone can bowl.

“We had the best team building experience at (bowling center name). We have had
a tough year and over the course of the program I watched as our employees opened
up to each other and even talked some shop. Thanks, We will do this again”
Joe Employer. Any Company USA

To set up your own 10 x 10 bowling program, pleas e-mail me at ___________ and I will be happy to respond with some additional information and demonstrate how easy it is to set up.

Sincerely

Center name person
Email address

P.S. This program does not have to be paid for by the company either. Many of your employees would gladly get involved in it if you just communicated its availability.


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Anxiety Kills

Somebody sent me a quote I liked. It appealed to my sense of always trying to understand human nature and the "purchasing dynamics" of the human species.

Here is the quote:

"Anxiety is nothing but repeatedly re-experiencing failure in advance. What a waste."

I would imagine that is how many of us feel when we buy products or services from places we have actually had bad experiences. Or it is how we feel when we have heard about bad experiences that friends and family members have had at different stores or whole groups of stores. Imagine what anxiety you might feel about buying a car, or a used car, or home improvements or certain restaurants (that's why they are not there any more).

People will simply stop buying from a store, outlet, auto dealership or repair shop if it creates too much anxiety and causes them to think they will have that bad experience.

Once you lose that trust; once you fail to perform; once you cause the customer to experience failure, you have a slim chance of getting that customer back. Very slim.

To avoid customer anxiety at your bowling center, watch them as they come to the service desk, when they buy their "games" or "packages." Watch them as they begin looking for their bowling balls and then how they bowl. Watch their faces as they bite into your food or drink your beverages. Watch them as they go in or come out of the bathroom.

Pretty soon, you will be able to tell where the anxiety can bubble up. Your job is like Walt Disney once said about cleaning windows in his employee manual, "there will be no dirty windows."

Your job is to write an employee training guide that simply says, "there will be no anxiety amongst our customers."

To diminish if not eliminate the anxiety level in your center; here are eight tips to get you started on eliminating customer anxiety.

1. Welcome every customer,ask then if it is their first time and thank them for coming to your establishment. Then thank them again.

2. Make sure you tell them what your best bowling value is right then and there.

3. Direct them to the color codes of house balls.
Make up a small printed sheet with the colors of your house ball weights on them and give it to them so they can more easily select their bowling balls.

4. Ask if they have used the automatic scorers before.
If not, either give them instructions OR, if time permits, go down there (or send someone down there)to do it for them.

5. Tell them where the restrooms and food and beverage areas are located.
If you have the technology to do it; offer them a quickie menu about 6 to 8 items and ask them if they want to order right then and there; you'll shoot an electronic message to the kitchen and the waitress will bring it down in less than X# of minutes.

6. Sometime during the course of the evening,
you or someone else stop by the lanes, ask them how they are doing; if you can assist them with anything or get them anything. Again thank them for coming.

7. When they leave, and you thank them for coming,
ask them to fill out a customer data base card and you'll send them (via email) a $5 in bowling bucks which can be used next time at your center.

8. Do you and your customer a favor,
make sure everything is prepaid; hopefully to include bowling, shoe rental and a food item. There is nothing like the sheer terror of buying something and not knowing what the bill will be until AFTER YOU HAVE ALREADY CONSUMED IT!

What other ways can you eliminate customer anxiety?

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Facebook now gets 30 billion monthly page-views and has 400 million viewers. Facebook has more page views than Google. And Google is worried. That's because Facebook advertising is easier to use, more effective, costs less and is not subject to the "logarithmic changes " that Google makes every so often...just to shake up the search engines.

Imagine, Google afraid of Facebook?

That's like the movies being afraid when TV arrived. Then, television being afraid of the movies because the movies put air conditioning in the theaters. And then television being afraid of "home movies" and then movies being afraid of all the digital channels that television added. Then television being afraid of TIVO, which dials out the commercials. And movies being afraid of television because people can now sit home and watch today's TV without commercials.

Its called competition. And it makes us better.

Because if we didn't have competition, we would probably get complacent and our products and services would dumb down to the lowest common denominator... just ripe for a new competitor to swoop in and quickly take our market share.

Now, what would you do if Disney built a bowling center in your back yard?
What would you do to make them "afraid" of you?

Why wait until a new competitor arrives?
Why not make a perspective competitor VERY afraid right now?

Who Changed the Game?

As the old saying goes, the scenery only changes for the lead dog. But what if the very basic game that you have been playing changes. In other words, what would happen if some NEW invention improved the product experience of what you are selling and made what you were selling "a lesser experience?"

Imagine that you are Barnes and Noble or Borders.

Now imagine that someone like Amazon invents an electronic book called "the Kindle." The Kindle is a neat little invention no bigger than the size of a paper back book, but about 1/2 inch thick. Now, imagine with a click of a button, consumers, who bought that product, could just download any book they wanted...within 15 seconds. Now, imagine that this little device could hold 15,000 books?

What would you do if you were the CEO of Barnes and Noble Booksellers Inc? Would you try to make a deal with Kindle to provide them with a data base of your book buyers so you could get fees for all the books they could sell to your list? Would you try and invent a "better Kindle?" Or would you try to find a unique niche market that still liked the paperback book and hard cover book experience? Maybe you would become Barnes and Noble, a retail seller of greeting cards, audio CD's (although that business is gong away) or would you become a sanctuary where people could come, read their books, plug in their computers and have a latte?

These questions could become equally relevant for bowling? In fact, when the open play trend ramped up, many proprietors jumped on the band wagon and started to delete bowling leagues from their product offerings.

Some are sorry they did that. Others are very happy they did that. Still others saw the opportunity to enter the industry and build boutiques, FEC's or convert some lanes to "private party areas".

Not many of these folks are sorry. I can site many a client who has opened a new FEC or Boutique bowling center and is one happy camper. Game changer.

Think it only happens to the techy guys? How about automobiles? How about typewriters? How about pencils? Or bowling score sheets?

Point is you have to keep your eyes wide open for the next game changing product because it could effect your business over night. And poof, you're a buggy whip.

Better to be eyes wide open than eyes wide shut.

Connectivity vs. Individuality

The overwhelming dichotomy of our society is that, on one hand we have this immense need for connectivity; that being the need to twitter, facebook, text, email and even phone someone just to say "Hi what are you doing?" On the other hand, we work so hard to be different(like every one else) and establish our individuality that we sometimes are annoyed if another person "groups us or stereotypes us.

It is the balance of this tension, this see saw of a rhythmic marketing pulse that we have to bear in mind whenever we create strategies. Keeping a steady pulse between connectivity and individuality has never been more demonstrative than in the new age of "Millennium Moms"; those women born between 1977 and 1986. These 40 million women, as big as the baby boomer generation of 1946 to 1964, are the key to your next parent child league, your next youth program and even your next new mixed league.

What do you know about her?

Did you know that Millennium Moms...

Adopt technology that allows them to manage home life more efficiently. Their primary objective in utilizing technology is for scheduling and to stay in touch with their busy families. In fact, 65% of moms utilize five or more separate technologies each day including video, blogs and wireless devices to multi-task

Turn to social networks, blogs and forums to access new support systems to help them raise their children instead of looking for “expert” books and advice that promote a singular way of thinking.

Usage patterns are a major driving force for why women’s online communities are the most visited and fastest growing internet category.

For 4 out of 10 (44%)use social media for word-of-mouth recommendations on products. 73% feel they find trustworthy information about products and services through online communities.

Bottom line: get to these Moms on line via local Moms groups. Do you know a local Mom who believes in your product and loves your center to talk about it on line?

You must be authentic, relevant and provide information that pertains to their job as MOM!

The email stop's here.

United Breaks My Guitar

Want to know the real power of the internet?

Here is a perfect example. This one video was seen by over 7,000,000 million people. Seven million! It was brought to my attention by Bart Burger of Brunswick who, during one of his recent presentations at a Brunswick showcase, demonstrated some interesting social media statistics.

http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/ubg/song1/

Paste this into your browser. Look to the left side of the page, click on VIDEO 1 and get ready for an amazing story. It's about how United Airlines broke Dave Carroll's guitar and in their stumbling, bumbling bureaucratic way was unable and unwilling to fix it. In the interim, it gave Dave's career a jump start...and ingratiated him to millions of people

Now they have seven million people who saw how inflexible they are.

What do you think that cost them in lost sales? And after you see it, do you think you just might pick another airline for your next travel experience?

It's the same thing in our entertainment centers.

The customer doesn't care who is right or who is wrong. Please don't let one damaged bowling ball or one bad birthday party put your center on You Tube.

Just do the right thing and fix the damn problem.