New Years Eve

This is my favorite New Years Eve Wish lists.  My friend Jon Gordon passes this on to me every year and wanted to share them with you.

1. Stay Positive. You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible or you can know that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible.
2. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement: My purpose is_______________________.
3. Take a morning walk of gratitude. It will create a fertile mind ready for success.
4. Instead of being disappointed about where you are think optimistically about where you are going.
5. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
6. Transform adversity into success by deciding that change is not your enemy but your friend. In the challenge discover the opportunity.
7. Make a difference in the lives of others.  Make this your year of GIVING
8. Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.
9. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
10. Mentor someone and be mentored by someone.
11. Live with the 3 E's. Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.
12. Remember there’s no substitute for hard work.
13. Zoom Focus. Each day when you wake up in the morning ask: “What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire?” Then tune out all the distractions and focus on these actions.
14. Instead of complaining focus on solutions. It’s the key to innovation.
15. Read more books than you did in 2012.
16. Learn from mistakes and let them teach you to make positive changes.
17. Focus on “Get to” vs “Have to.” Each day focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. Life is a gift not an obligation.
18. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________________.  Today I accomplished________________________________.
19. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti-depressants.
20. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride thru life; make the most of it and enjoy!!

And last but not least:

Best Wishes To Our Friends and Family and Families of Our Friends For                                    A Happy, Healthy                                              and Prosperous New Year!

Why You MUST get a Better Customer in 2013

Frequently, I have written about the need to get better customers; by “better customers”, I simply mean not that they are better people, but the fact that they have more discretionary income to spend on leisure and entertainment.  This observation was made via many on site visits to location based entertainment facilities (LBE), whether they are bowling centers, FEC’s or merely birthday party venues.

So yesterday, while wrapping up some end of the year stuff, I came across some information from Randy White, CEO of White Hutchinson, (a world class entertainment consulting company),  To my glee, and to support my “marketer’s eye for observation, analysis and conclusions; there are actually empirical studies that have been undertaken and published.

Here are some observations from these studies:

·         In 2002, the highest 20% of income households ($95,000+ incomes) accounted for 44% of all Location Based Entertainment spending. It grew to almost half (48%) in 2011. However, household LBE spending has declined for all income groups with the highest ($95K+ income) group showing the least decline. Overall, the average American household spent 18% less on location-based entertainment in 2011 than 2002.

 

Declines were not caused by the Great Recession, but rather are a long term trend.

·         The overall participation at location-based leisure venues declined by 17% between 2003 and 2011. What this strongly suggests is that the decline in household entertainment spending is mainly attributable to declines in attendance, not per capita spending on visits. The greatest attendance declines have been with the lower socioeconomic households.

·         Middle income households, those earning between $35,000 and $90,000 spend approximately $358 per household annually.  Approximately 35% of these dollars are spent gambling) the number could be higher due to bias about reporting gambling losses.  (if they spent it all on bowling, that's about two or three annual visits)

So what does this mean to you?

·         These higher income groups who are spending more money on entertainment have higher expectations, not just from a facility standpoint, but from a food and beverage perspective. They also view entertainment as a chance to socialize more with family and friends.  Perhaps it is time to look at that boutique set up to attract this higher demographic.

·         While lower income and middle income households are spending less, and this is a long term trend – not just attributable to the Great Recession of 08 – the bowling operator will have to continue to restructure pricing, take a hard look at the center’s amenities and long term capital needs to attract the “better customer” since many of these lower and middle income people have moved their dollars to gambling and stay at home activities like video games, Netflix and TV, etc…and with the exception of “low price offers” are spending less on bowling.

Something to think about for 2013. 

I sincerely hope it’s a great one for you, your family and your business!

The Gifts of The Season Just For You

Christmas Eve 2012: "...and the stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St Nicholas would soon be there."

I love this poem by Clement Moore that was written in 1823 and is probably more responsible for our views of Santa Claus than anything else. I think it speaks to the hope that not only little children have, but adults as well, when it comes to  Santa Claus and, magically, getting presents.

I think we carry that hope through our our lives and, somehow no matter how bad things get or what happens today, tomorrow is a whole new day, and with it, the promise of gifts and presents.

So as you get ready to have an abbreviated business day today or whether you are closed tomorrow or open in the afternoon, pass along the joys of the season to your employees, customers, friends and family by giving them some special gifts.

Give them the gifts of:

• Good health by encouraging exercise, nutrition and healthy lifestyles - you can post this kind of stuff on your website and build stronger relationships with your customers or tweet your family and friends about everybody trying to stay as healthy as possible.
• Staying positive even in some rough times; to not reflect on the "shoulda, woulda" stuff that just drags you down but to seek solutions, seek answers and never never give up.
• Being the friend you would want to have and being the person that your friend comes to in all kinds of weather; whom you share the good times and bad times.
• Being the "Boss" that "Ebeneezer Scrooge" becomes after the sees the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future
• The opportunity to be creative; to find new solutions to old problems, new problems and even problems that haven't happened yet, but may very well in the future. Encourage new ideas and reward people for that.  Kill the urge to say things like "we tried that and it didn't work", "that's a crazy idea, wont work."  and my all time favorite, "Are You nuts."?
• Understanding and wanting to help people; of realizing that its not about customer service but about exceeding customer expectations; about getting some happiness because they turned a frown into a smile and a tear into laughter

"..and so I am offering you this Christmas wish or kids from 1 to 92, although its been said many times many ways, Merry Christmas to you."

Here's our holiday video from us to you:  http://fiverr.com/d/z5hcusfx205?b=1&utm_

Fred's Marketing Rule of Repetiton

Do you expect ONE email to bring you hundreds of new customers for whatever event it is your promoting?

Really?
Heck, ONE doesn't even buy you one awareness note!!!

Fred's Marketing Rule of Repetition states: "You must build familiarity then credibility and, then when you send your offer, it becomes meaningful."

Please remember while you may think about bowling every waking minute, your prospect probably doesn't even have you on his radar screen or on the top of his consciousness. (That's our fault as an industry for letting YOU down).

Here are some other things you are up against:

• Your prospect are bombarded with many other offers.  Maybe bombarded is to soft; how about "Atomically Bombarded"?

• Your prospects have not yet made a decision in your favor.  Some prospects need more time to make a decision, thus the longer they procrastinate the less your offer stays with them.

• The timing of your offer may be bad for a particular prospect.  You offered this great deal on Saturday days, but this prospect works this month on Saturdays. Next month she is off.  Will you send it again?

And that's my morning marketing rant...for today :)

Marketing Lesson #109 From The Newspaper Guy

 Over the past several weeks I have received little notes, slipped under my front door, from the newspaper delivery person, the postman, the gardener type person and a few others whose names I do not know.  No doubt, many of you have had this same experience.

All of them were happy to wish me a merry Christmas, happy holiday and happy new year and SIGN THEIR NAME to a card that encouraged me to say thank you for “their service” this holiday season.  Translation: “give me money because I serve you all year”

In this “content marketing effort”, all of these service providers delivered a non commercial message with the intention of strengthening our relationship which they hoped would lead to a value exchange (send a check for Christmas).

The problem comes down to this; these guys missed the whole relationship building process.  I mean the whole thing!! There’s no introduction, cultivation or progression of a relationship with content moving things along.  None, just “give me money.”

Maybe if these guys would have sent me some information every couple of months or sent me jokes or inspirational quotes, I would have had a feeling that they were at least TRYING to build a relationship.  Maybe if they would have done that, I would send them more than I am planning to send.

Maybe you do the same thing.  Take this holiday season for instance.  Did you start your big “ASK” in October or so – having not communicated with these corporate types since last October?  This eleventh hour effort is easy to spot.  It’s a BIG ASK out of the blue – not built upon a series of communications LEADING UP to the BIG ASK.  Maybe that's why you didn't get as many sales as you could have IF you had worked on that relationship all year.

So the next time you need a sale, think about these three elements. Heck, cut this out and put it over your desk.  

1.     Start sharing information well before you need the sale  to happen; if you need the sales in December, start talking to the prospect in May or June.

2.  Repeat your effort multiple times. 

• One Contact Does Not = One Sale. 
• One Contact Does Not Even = One Awareness!!!”

3.    Stay with the program. Never stop communicating. Never stop building and nurturing relationships.

As the Beatles used to say about relationships, “It Don’t Come Easy.”  If it did, it wouldn't be worth much and neither party would get much out of it.

Job # 1

There comes a time, at least once a day, when you have to make a decision about growing your business -yes every day you need to be thinking about growing your business –hey that’s YOUR job#1 – and when you need to, you make a decision based upon some set of logic that you have been practicing over the years.

But what I have found, in my travels, is that many people make a decision because the core premise and solution they thought of APPEALS DIRECTLY TO THEM. They can identify with it; relate to it, like it and therefore they buy into it

Makes sense, right?  NOT!!

What make sense is: “Does it resonate with the target audience you are trying to get to buy your product or to buy your product again?

The next time you need to make a big decision or even a less important decision, try this methodology; it’s called the scientific method and stated very simply it tests your hypothesis; that is the solution you think will fix your problem.

With social media, it’s easy to do that. 

You can send different offers to your target audience. For example, one part of your 18 to 34 audience could get an offer like “free pizza offer when you bring 4 people with you to cosmic bowl this Saturday night only.”  To another group of  your 18 to 34’s, they would get an offer like “bring 5 people  to Cosmic bowl and pay for four people; this Saturday night only.  

Now whichever offer brings in the most coupons; that’s the hypothesis that worked and therefore you have a valid conclusion.

Now all you have to do is think of another hypothesis to test against the one that won.

Hey, that’s your job # 1…building the business, growing the asset, making more dollars and giving something back to your community, right?

Moral of the story:  "To be the best- Always do  the test"

Internet Speak

Don't you hate it when you send someone a really long message, like maybe two paragraphs and they respond with "K?"


Aren't you sick and tired of Internet speak? When did before become "b4." I thought we speak English,  not bingo!!  And twitter is the worst offender.

Sometimes I read tweets from athletes, movie stars, and other so called famous types. Good God, where did they learn this shorthand?

When did "Imwitcha" become shorthand for "I am with you?"

Finally, why is the world so crazy that losing your phone is more traumatic than losing your virginity?  Because in today's world it is.  Last time I lost my phone I felt totally vulnerable, naked and afraid.  It was a terrible feeling.

Yes, the world has changed and so has the way we communicate.  Perhaps we have to learn a whole new Internet language, or worse learn how, to communicate like a 15 year old in order to be heard. Well if that is the case, then so be it!

Recently, a client in the southern part of the USA asked me to develop some emails for him. Writing is pretty easy for me; it's a small talent I possess and since I couldn't make it in the NBA, I thought to develop this skill, instead of my post move.

Instead of writing just a quick email blast answering what, who when and how much, I took the approach of telling stories about the holiday season, about the history of the holiday, when it started and what the symbols mean. I also threw in some funny stories as well as some dramatic stories.

The client wasn't expecting this but as he began reading them I saw that "I got him". He was REALLY interested to read it to the end and to the bowling offer.  More importantly, his wife loved them as did his staff and a few bowlers he showed them to.

Two actions resulted from this approach. 
1. More people came in with the coupon for the offer
2. He got a lot more activity to his site an d had people responding and telling stories as well

So here's my message tonight:
If you don't want people to turn off your emails or face book messages; tell a brief story that provides relevant information to emphasize your message.  Then invite comments and stories back.  You will be amazed how many people have something they want to tell the world.

And remember, you never really know how sharp your teeth are until you bite your tongue.

P.S.  I may not blog for a few days since I have a medical procedure to deal with, but hopefully will be back to it by Saturday and by then I should have lots of good stuff that my wired brain has picked up.

As we say in the new  world "CU"

Satisfying Customer 101

The Dali Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity answered:

“Man.”Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money.

Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. 

And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future. 

He lives as if he is never going to die.  And then dies having never lived.”

How you deliver the bowling experience and to the extent you can make your customer more satisfied about the present and less anxious about the future will correlate with your success.

'Cause the business is not about you. 

It's always about continually satisfying customers.

88% of Web Searches Made From Mobile Phone

This article was sent to me by Greg Olson, Washington State Executive Director and I just had to share it with you

As a Washington state BOWLING CENTER owner you've probably noticed how attached your customers are to their mobile phones.

From texting at the dinner table to surfing the Internet, mobile phones are en-grained into our daily lives.

And the rise in mobile usage is projected to continue. With mobile web traffic set to increase 2600 percent in four years, BOWLING CENTER owners need to consider how a mobile world affects their business.

Consider this: 88 percent of all web searches related to entertainment and dining are made from a mobile phone. Put simply, if you’re not adjusting to a mobile world, you’re behind.

This is especially true for BOWLING CENTERS and restaurant owners, as your customers – more than any other industry – turn to their smart phones to connect with you. Customers use their mobile phones to read your offerings, find store hours and call you with a click of a button.

So, can your mobile customers view your webpage on a small screen?

Customers today expect websites to be mobile friendly and easy to navigate with their fingertips, without having to pinch and zoom. And with mobile browsing speeds getting faster, the desktop computer is no longer the access point to the Internet. Mobile websites are the new digital storefront.

When you make the move to go mobile, consider the following tips to make your site interactive for your potential customers:

• What’s going on? Pricing, lane availability and menus should be accessible on a mobile phone. It should be a web page that is easy to scroll through rather than a downloadable PDF or a menu that requires specific software to preview.

• X marks the spot. Your website should sync with mapping features such as Google Maps so that a user can find you in a search and get directions from their current location. Ninety-five percent of searches are for local businesses.

• Make a reservation. If you offer an online reservation system, make sure it’s easy to use and find on a mobile phone. Your customers will appreciate the ease and convenience of using their mobile phones to make reservations.

• Call with one click. It’s important to make it easy for mobile users to contact you. The goal is to turn a search into a reservation. And the simplest way to do this is to enable a “click to call” function on the mobile site. With just one click, patrons can call you from their mobile phones.

• The lanes are open. Make sure customers can find your hours of operation so they can plan accordingly.

Building a mobile presence will help your BOWLING CENTER get more customers into your business.

Once your mobile site is up and running, in no time, your customers will be scrolling through your menu, call with one click and reserve a lane or seat in your restaurant from the palm of their hands.

It’s a mobile world, which is an advantage to restaurant owners (and bowling center owners) who see the opportunity to keep connected.

The Fickle Finger of Fate

I was driving my wonderful SAAB the other day, tooling down the Sawmill Parkway in hilly Westchester County NY, accelerating into turns and just having a blast carving up the roads. As I looked in my rear-view mirror I noticed a car approaching at a rapid rate of speed. 

He slowed enough to get on my a*s. 

Gently tapping the brakes and  thinking that this signal would give him an idea that he was following too closely and hoping he would back off, instead he became enraged, started flashing his lights and honking his horn. He was a maniac. Traffic in the left lane prevented him from passing me, so he just decided that his best effort would be to tailgate. So I did what I could to stop him from his dangerous driving and slowed down. He just stayed on my tail, honking and flashing his lights.

I was getting angry, but at the exact same time that I was about ready to "go nuts", I got a great new product idea that I probably would not have gotten had it not been for the present chaotic situation in which I found myself.

I don’t know where it came from or why: “What if I had an invisible strip on my bumper that was programmed with sign like, “you are too close, please keep your distance” that I could flash at him?

My very next thought was a series of questions such as: “Is there a market for this; how much would it cost to make; who would buy it, how could I sell it, and many other questions that marketing dudes ask.

I became so involved in this mental exercise that I completely ignored the jackass behind me who now, after several miles, decided to pass me, give me the one finger salute and speed off. “Yeah, same to you fella!”

So what’s the point of this story?

Here's what I realized, and was able to articulate; “ Perhaps out of chaos, some anxiety and irrational circumstances, there may be a good idea that is fermenting and then rises to the top of your consciousness."  And all we have to do is be aware of it.

Don’t discount the ideas you get when your business is flat or down, when it seems like the things you have tried just aren't working; when your banker is stopping in more frequently and when the roof starts to leak in a new place.  That’s the place where the breakthrough idea can start. Necessity being the mother of invention.

And maybe, just maybe, there’s an idea there, inside of you, just waiting for the chaos to birth it. 

League Bowling Rant

One of my financial buddies sent me an article about AMF’s recent bankruptcy. 

The article, really a blog by Randy Hutchinson, CEO of White Hutchinson Leisure and Learning Group talks about the implications of AMF’s bankruptcy and its causes.

http://www.whitehutchinson.com/blog/2012/11/is-amc-bowlings-bankruptcy-the-harbinger-of-the-death-of-bowling/?goback=.gde_1841652_member_189846333

While the article made mention of AMF’s financial troubles, it specifically alluded to AMF’s problems with league bowling.  In effect the article stated that AMF’s problems were the result of “league bowling dying; the result of an old product that once catered to “the bored blue collar and factory worker with amusement” in the evening.  

Sure the demographics have changed, the economy has changed and sure there are less blue collar factory workers out there, but does that automatically mean that bowling has less appeal because people work in cubicles, rather than work "on the line?"

I don't think so.

To paraphrase, the article further continued to say …”and since the demographics of America have drastically changed, the league bowling aspect of the business is no longer viable. Bowling centers that have not modernized to appeal to the new open play customer will also eventually die.”

Further, efforts to bring in people to “bowl in shorter league seasons have also met with resistance and, yes, the league product is dead or if not dead yet, will soon be.”

Like Mark Twain who heard of his death, said, “The report of my demise is much too premature.”

And so is league bowling.

If Randy White’s analysis is right, then why do we replace about 20% of our league bowlers every year with NEW people, but somehow still manage to lose $23% to 25% of our existing customers?

Why we are able to interest people in 8 week have a ball programs and have thousands of new people across the country join these programs? Why indeed?

And finally, why do we see, regardless of what Randy White may say, more growth in short season leagues than in the past?

And why, as Randy White says upfront, do 71 million people still go bowling; about 1 out of 4 people age 5 and older?  What other pay for play activity has that kind of following?

C'mon Man!

Maybe we are getting smarter in learning how to utilize social media.  Maybe our skills at inside and outside selling are getting sharper.  Maybe our centers are getting better looking.  Maybe we are hiring better people.  Maybe because league bowling, like many products, is an evolving product?

Maybe because we have no choice but to get better.

Really.

Good Bye Zig

Zig Ziglar promoted himself as the worlds greatest salesman. And he sure as heck was, at least to me.

For over 40 years he traveled the country giving seminars that combined sales techniques, motivational aphorisms, a unique brand of optimism and a whole lot of down home country wisdom.

I had the privilege of seeing him in person twice. I also bought a bunch of his tapes and listened to them so many times that they jammed my "Sony Walkman."

Of his many"driving principles", one, in particular, has stuck with me, lo these many years.

It is this:  "Our whole philosophy is built around the concept that you can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough people get what they want.  It works in business; it works in government and politics; it works in your personal life; it works everywhere."

"Be Grateful. Believe. Try" he would often say.  And no one said it better. Thanks Zig. You will be missed.

Window of Opportunity

There is a little break in the action now.

This assumes that you have your holiday programs and New Year’s Eve programs up and ready to go J.  

Don’t forget to post your holiday hours. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day.

You can take a deep breath and get ready for the holiday rush, but what if a lot of people come to open play bowl and you have: a) no incentives to get them to come back for a return visit, b) not put a system in place to get their email, c) no programs or leagues available for them to start in January?

Having none of them would be a wasted opportunity wouldn't it? 

No it wouldn't be a wasted opportunity, it would be a fatality!

By offering them an incentive (first game free on next visit, $5 off $20 of bowling, free pizza when you bring 4 people to cosmic bowling, etc) you increase the odds that they will return which will give you another opportunity to get their email address and be able to speak to them about joining a league in January

To get more emails, set up 2 sweepstakes box. One at the desk and one in the snack bar/bar area.  Get them at Staples; they are made out of Lucite and put a sign in the sign holder that says “Enter here to win $100 of free open play bowling” (5 winners chosen each month.”  Use a data base card (3’x 5”) that has the following information: name__________ email ____________ birthday month________ birthday year_________  gender  M_______  F__________  phone # ________.  Don’t forget the pencils.

As far as leagues and programs go, review last year’s league floorings in January and February. What did you put on the floor?  What leagues?  How many bowlers? How many weeks did they bowl?  How many games?  What did you charge?  What was your revenue from these programs?

Now that you have all that information, add 10% to last year's lineage and revenue.  You now have your NEW goal.

Note: now is the time to raise prices on these NEW leagues and set your pricing up for next September.

Here is an example of mandatory offerings that you have to put in place:

·         Adult child league; could be $8 for 8 weeks, Saturdays

·         Pizza and Beer league (2^nd shift)     

·         Retail workers league (2^nd shift)

·         Every other week or once a month couples league (1^st shift

·         League of your own for companies (every other week 1^st shift)           

Now you may not have availabilities during these times and therefore, you will have to develop new programs to meet your goals. 

You have between now and December 16^th (the day kids are out of school for the holiday break) to get this together and plan your January and February.  

Otherwise, you’ll be calling me and saying, “%$#@#%, I missed an opportunity, what do I do now?”

So What's New?

New is eating itself in a never ending race to faster, bigger and shinier. New is changing so fast that Andy Warhol’s famous comment about “everyone having five minutes of fame” seems understated. 

New movies and styles come out and maybe they last three or four weeks and poof, they’re gone. 

News stories like Hurricane Sandy are gone in four days.  Despicable acts of terrorism are here today and in three days are not just on the front page, but they are no longer even making it to the back pages.

We too fall in the trap of looking for a new idea, a new promotion, and a new “silver bullet” to fix what ails us.  But what ails us is the search for new. And is soon as we find that new thing, we know it won’t last and thus we will have to again start the long climb up to find another new thing.

Maybe we should concentrate on improving and perfecting what we have, what works and what is relevant, rather than ALWAYS CHASING the new.

Thoughts for Thanksgiving 2012

This is my 324th   blog since I started writing "Fredquarters Marketing and I am so grateful to all of you for encouraging me and pushing me to write about different topics, different ideas, streams of consciousness and anything else you find relevant.

I get immense joy from this.

Some of the more cynical people out there ask me if I have monetized this site; if I get new clients and why would I give away all this stuff for “FREE?”

Candidly, I never think about that.

Oh sure, I get calls for consulting work, project work and even if I want to manage or buy a couple or three centers.  Mainly I get calls for suggestions, ideas, and maybe even a quick pick me up from a proprietor who has been beaten up by his local economy.

Mostly, I get people who just want some help.  I read somewhere that the more you give away the more you get back. I don’t know for sure if it’s 100% true, but I don’t doubt the assumption.  It’s worked pretty well for me.

Here’s a thought. 

We all give away free games; bonus bowling bucks; discounts and contributions, but sometimes we do it grudgingly.

Suppose we were able to do it with the idea that these free games are making someone’s life happier, even for the hour they are with us or helping them to forget some sad issues, they are dealing with, in their lives, wouldn't we feel better? 

And wouldn't the universe notice that we were giving generously and return good things to us?

What would it feel like if you knew that the free game you were giving away was making someone forget about the hurricane that demolished their house; even for just a brief moment in time?

I know you would feel great because that’s who you are.  I've seen you raise countless dollars in your centers for various charities and organizations. I know. I've seen it up close and personal.

I have gotten so many good things by giving you information, ideas, thoughts and hopefully ways to make money that I have been rewarded in so many other way that’s it’s hard to count.

And for that I am oh so grateful and say, “Thank You All” as we celebrate Thanksgiving 2012.

Go Giants! 

Speak with you Friday.

PS. Here's to a "very revenue Thanksgiving holiday." :) :)

Is Your Marketing Toxic?

Most people think that the purpose of marketing is to sell stuff.  

I hear this frequently from clients who load up their emails and face book content with offers to buy their “stuff”. 

Whether it is bowling, hardware, admission tickets to an entertainment venue, automobiles, auto parts, restaurant meals or computer chips, it happens all the time.

So I ask a lot of questions of my clients; here is just a sample.

Why do you create content that only talks about you and not about your customer?

Why do you use so many registration forms in front of your content; don't you think that discourages people to read further?

Why do you use social media to promote products that very few people want?

Why do you send so many emails to your list as response rates drop and op outs become the norm?

Why do you create little teasers in your blog or newsletter and force the customer to  click to read more which results in, you guessed it, a sales pitch?

The answer I always get is: “Fred, we are in the business of selling stuff. We have to show real results or get real leads or because the Boss told me to do it.”  “We just can’t keep giving stuff away.”

I get it. I know about those pressures.

I also I know that there is a time and a place to us registration forms, a time to place coupons in your email and a time to send a selling email. 

But at what cost?

Bad content and only talking about yourself is simply the biggest mistake of 21^st century marketing.

Don’t take my word for it. Test it. Send some of your paid search to a blog site, and then measure it if they share it.  

Measure the effect of that traffic and the benefits of free traffic and then convert those to leads

Have a great call to action with great content that “Provides Real Information “and “optimize it”. 

Don’t use the registration “gate”; let the content become the lead generation machine for your business.

Because you need to realize that the PURPOSE OF YOUR BUSINESS IS TO SERVE CUSTOMERS and when you stop offending customers and prospects with constant sales messages, your business WILL begin to get many sales. 

Because serving customers, sells. 

What Is "Touch Point Marketing?"

There are only a few ways to gain market share, which is always a good strategy, in a slow growth or flat market.

1. New product development or product line extension. Think apple computers; new product category (I pod); product line extension, Mac Book Air (the new thin one!)

2.    Great customer service to differentiate your product from others in your category.  Think Southwest airlines.

3.    Price reductions; in the short term because long term, you become Montgomery Wards. Think Lexus when they introduced their flagship vehicle UNDER their cost to steal share from Mercedes.

Of these strategies, the one that you can control the most is #2, customer service.

But let’s break it down a little more. Lets call it “touch point” strategy.  A touch point is any place in your business where the customer has a memorable experience; an experience that you have diligently created.

Some people make the memorable experience at the front desk/customer area.  Others make a memorable experience in the restaurant.  Others make a great experience in the entry way. And still others focus on the bathrooms.

In the entry way, have you put a “welcome to our fun place” sign or a voice activation system that’s says hello every time someone comes in?

At the front counter, is your staff dressed in bright fun costumes or are they still wearing a ‘ hasn't-been-cleaned-recently- golf shirt with your logo?

Is your restaurant a fun place where kids can get crayons, adults can get engaging waiters and waitresses and where the food is presented in an eye catching and mouth watering way?  Do you have a mascot greeting the customers and kids?

Is the bathroom a different experience? Check out what the Las Vegas Hilton did.  Ina city known for “over the top experiences”  the Las Vegas Hilton actually has people coming to their casino to see the bathrooms. More importantly, it is driving sales in a very flat market.

Kind of gives new meaning to a “ touch point strategy.”

Hurricane Sandy: The Follow Up

For those of you who have asked what happened to my friend at his "hurricane party, here's what happened:

After considerable urging and death threats from his friends and family, he made the decision to move out about 10 minutes before the wall of water flooded his basement and added 8 ft of water to his first floor, destroying everything on that floor; kitchen, living room, den, bedroom, bathroom and dining room.
                                                                                        He was one of the lucky ones.                                      The house behind his burned to the ground.

If you would like to contribute to the relief fund for the Rockaways, here is a link:  http://www.facebook.com/RockawayRelief

The Wisdom of Tom Coughlin's All In Philosophy

I woke up last night with a message in my head about “imagining the moment” and then something about “turning the moment into action”.  I get these messages now and then from some part of my brain that has lain dormant all these years only to be stimulated just enough to send me a message.

Weird?  You bethca!

In following up with clients, I sometimes find that they are stuck. Yes, stuck. Sure they know what to do. They know what they are supposed to do. They know how to do it. They even know how to make sure it gets done right.  But they just don’t do it.

Why?

Perhaps it is because they haven’t had many wins lately or maybe it is because they feel that the bowling Gods have not been kind to them. Or perhaps they feel a sense of deep frustration, or worse, a sense of futility.  Is it because they have been counting on someone else o help them out?  Or they think that the best strategy to have is “hope?”

Well I am here to tell you: only you can help yourself.

Don’t count on any big brother association, manufacturer or sponsor to do it all for you.  It’s your ball game to win or lose.

This is a beautiful, wonderful industry with many cool people who have overcome adversity and risen out of the ashes to become successful. Learn from them. Learn from other industries and their leaders. Learn all you can about contemporary marketing methods. Read all the books you can. Attend all the courses you can.  Never ever stop learning and never stop doing.

Because as an old friend once told me when you are stuck and just not “getting to the issues”, then the only thing to do is to do something.  I don’t care if it’s reorganizing the office. I don’t care if you take up yoga or want to become a sheep herder or lose 15 pounds.

Just do something that you can see a result. Then do something else.  And then something else. Until you get back into the habit of doing something at your maximum potential. Not half baked. Not half heartedly. Not half assed. But as Tom Coughlin said, the coach of the Super Bowl wining NY Giants - "ALL IN."  Its not enough to show up, do your job and go home. 

You have to be ALL IN, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. And you have to have people around you who are ALL IN also.

Because if you're not ALL IN, you will never know how damn good you really are!  

And wouldn't that be a shame to wake up one day and say "I coulda been somebody."

P.S.   My friend, who lived on the island and refused to leave, right before the hurricane,  finally came to his senses and did leave. His hurricane party came to a sudden end;  packing and leaving with his family just in time before the wall of water hit his house.  He was one of the lucky ones. His house was completely flooded, 8 feet of water on the first floor.  His neighbors houses burned. 

Did Your Guy Win?

No matter who wins tonight, think about how many homeless people, how many hurricane victims could have benefited from the ungodly amount of advertising spent to sway opinions and ultimately votes for "their guy." 

Estimates in Ohio alone were that combined advertising by both parties exceeded $20 million.  

Yikes.

Yes, I know there is a great deal at stake, but there's something about that level of expenditure, (and I'm a marketing guy) that almost, almost seems sinful (IMO)!!.

But now you have the opportunity to give back to some folks and transform your bowling center into a fund raising machine where your tribe of followers can raise money for their causes and you can raise a little revenue for your cause.J

What about an adult child league for the local school that needs to raise money for their band?  Every team pays (I.E.) $20. On a two game program, you keep $10 and the school keeps $10. They bowl for 6 weeks or 8 week. 

Based on 12 teams, that’s $120 per week for the school. Multiply that times 8 weeks and it’s almost a cool $1,000 bucks you have helped them raise. What about churches and Kiwanis groups? How about softball teams, little league groups, hospitals, businesses who sponsor charities?

You get it, right?

Do that a couple of times starting ASAP and you could be looking at several thousand dollars in new revenue each month.

It’s not a grand slam. But it’s not chicken feed either.