Shoot Yourself With Low Prices

Every day, I get to speak to quite a few small business men (women) in various industries.  All these interactions in various industries help me to hone my perceptions so I can help people in other industries. The challenges are almost always transportable from one industry to another.

The interesting thing is that when a business has already decided to be the low price leader, they have gone to the point of last refuge.

And usually at that point I cant help them.  Once they decide to be that low price leader, they cut back on service, hours, product innovation,old and new media and are relying on good old fashioned greed, "They'll come in because I have the lowest price and everybody wants the lowest price."

As I pack my bag to leave and respectfully tell them I really cannot help them, they always ask "why?'  My answer is always the same.

"Ask Montgomery Wards, Woolworth, Korvettes, Klein's, Ohrbachs and Fortunoff stores.  All low price retailers.  And all out of business. The low price position kills. It is the sword of Damocles that hangs over your head.  Use it at your own risk."

What Matters

Sometimes we do work that gets noticed and other times we do work that doesn’t get noticed. Sometimes it is merely dust in the wind.


The essence of our work, it’s very soul if you will, is to do work that is relevant to the people we serve in our market.


Doesn't matter how many hours we put in.

Doesn’t matter how many promotions we have tried.

Doesn’t matter how many seminars we have attended.

Doesn’t matter how many superstar managers we have hired.

Doesn’t matter how lean and mean we run.

Doesn't matter how much we have invested.

Doesn't matter how the other guy undercuts us.

The only thing that matters is that the work we do gets a positive reaction from our prospects and our customers and they trust us enough to do business with us again and again.

Fun In The Sun Marketing

May 2012,  East River, NYC

After a great weekend of sun and fun on the East Coast, the weatherman has now promised 4 or 5 days of rain and then some more sun...on the weekend! 

Great if you like to do stuff outdoors, but not so great if you’re a bowling proprietor or an FEC Operator.

Since we can’t fight the weather, why not do something different??  Remember "different is good"

•  Invite people to bowl in your parking lot during the day. Maybe even roller skate in your parking lot? 

• Offer them free bowling, outside, on a sunny Saturday or Sunday.  Or do it as a fund raiser (where people would pledge $X per pin for their own charity).  If you run it as a fund raiser send an email to all charities you have in your data base and ask them to send it to their donors and employees.

• All you have to do is get their email to remind them to send their money to their charity. GET THEIR EMAIL!

• Or do it for the publicity and send a press release out to local newspapers, radio stations, Mommy bloggers, Café Moms and (Your town's name Moms.com).  Distribute information on your center’s Facebook page and ask your employees to distribute it to their friends too.  Don’t forget the Twitter bird J.

• You may need a one or two day license to distribute soft drinks, beer and food outside.  If you can’t, then have food menus and bar menus available and direct people inside.  Maybe they’ll decide to bowl in the AC.

• Of course, you will also have your newest league or short season programs available as well as the cool air conditioned comfort of open play programs when the sun goes down.

• If customers can bowl a frozen turkey, outside, in the winter in Wisconsin then they can bowl outside in the summer.

You’re right. It is a pain in the butt to set up. And its hot. And you'll have to open your snack bar. And you'll have to add labor hours. And it might not work anyway.  But then again, what really is the down side?

If you play pool, then you know the importance of position so consider this “the set up shot” The next one is “the money shot.”

Now go have some fun marketing your business!!

Kill The Assumption Makers

I have spent some time this week working with clients via my "eyeball to eyeball service"  Its either a phone conference or skype meeting for an hour or two per week and its working pretty well.  That's not the point of this blog. Selling you something never has been.  The point is: everywhere I turn, new clients are telling me, emailing me, skyping me that their open play, to be blunt, "just sucks" and in fact "there is no predictability to it."  In some instances, rainy Saturday nights are worse than cool calm and clear Saturday nights.

What gives?

If we tear apart some old assumptions (which I love to do as you know) maybe we can find the answers.

Assumption #1:  "Warmer weather kills open play and with all the competition out there and things to do, people don't want to go indoors."
Really, what about movies, eating out inside and playing video games, watching Netflix movies.  So there goes that assumption. If people are willing to stay indoors, then why won't they go bowling in the summer? Answer:  Because they don't know about your offers and they have other choices. Why aren't you a choice?


Assumption#2:  "No matter how you price it, you cant give it away in the summer."
Really? The Kids Bowl Free Movement proved that isn't true. With more than 1.3 million Moms signing up over $1.8 million kids, almost 1,000 bowling proprietors will tell you that just isn't the case.  So there goes that assumption.


Assumption#3 "Summer bowlers are basically winter bowlers and they just can't afford it."
Really?  Its been shown that if you offer OPEN play bowlers the opportunity to bowl in 6 or 8 or 10 week programs and get them a  bowling ball in the process, you will be able to convert a fair percentage of them IMMEDIATELY to another 6,8 or 10 week session.  So there goes that assumption.

Assumption#4  "Customers only want cheap pricing. That's the only way they will bowl."
Really? Then why is open play down given all the low pricing out there?  Reality is IF NOBODY knows what you are offering, who is going to take advantage of your offer. And if you think you can do it just on email alone, you are dead wrong. Less than 15% of all emails are opened. And with over 250 billion emails being sent a day, 200 billion are found to be spam.  And did you know that GM just pulled out of Facebook and pulled back $10 million dollars worth of advertising to put it on cable TV?  How long will you remain invisible and still blame "the product"?  So there goes that assumption.

Assumption #5  "People will only bowl in the summer when it rains."
Really?  Then how come company parties and fund raisers can be big in the summer if you go after them with themes like "indoor picnics", donating $X of the center's money towards a fund raiser or marketing  family reunion parties or camp/field trip parties? So there goes that assumption.

Tear the assumptions down. Build new paradigms for your center.  Test new ideas. Look at other entertainment industries; what are they doing to promote their business? Go get a blank sheet of paper. Start now. Please.

The New Labels

Marketing practice forces us to create labels; to classify people into what we commonly call "segments." Segments have been defined either demographically (population, households, age, income, marital status, occupation, housing, etc.)  or psychographically (lifestyle to include shopping habits, travel and vacations, car purchases, financial investments, leisure activities, etc.)

Sometimes we get creative and come up with a "value analysis" that takes all this data, mixes it into a computer and out comes 10 or 12 neat categories that describes and labels all the people in your market and provides key characteristics of each group.  There are several firms that will do this analysis for you. None will tell you how these segments buy your product. None are really worth the money.

We don't need more analysis. What we need is to look at our market, our customers and potential customers in a new way.


We need to look at them in a way that labels them by HOW they USE our product.  If we understand how our customers use and consume our product we can provide them with the personalized benefits they want for the specific product they want.

So here's what I propose we "label" our customers:

1. "The Stars" - Customers who like to bowl and have the time and money to bowl in a traditional 36 week. 
2. "The Rising Stars" - Customers who like to bowl and have the time and money to bowl ONLY in leagues that are 16 weeks or less.
3. "The New Traditionalists" - Customers who like to bowl and have some time and less money and would only bowl in a program of 8 weeks or less.
4. "The Family" - Whether its a single family household, dual income household or single earner household, these people bowl mostly on Saturday and Sundays, mostly when weather is cold, rainy or light snow.  May bowl in your family cosmic bowling program.
5. The Discounter"  Likes to bowl infrequently, maybe 2 to 3 times a year and will ONLY bowl when there is a deal at the time he or she wants to bowl.
6. "The Hipster" - Bowls only when there is music and light shows.  Usually on Friday and Saturday night late night, usually after 10pm.
7. "The Birthday Bowler" - Only bowls when invited to a birthday party, either a child, a teen or an adult.
8.  "The Company Man" - Only bowls when invited to a company or group outing. Maybe bowls with his kid at a family outing

Now the real question is: "Do you have  a marketing plan to attract and retain these "labels".  Because if you don't then you can label all of them "non bowlers".

The Ditch

A very wise Joe Schumacker once told me-and displayed it very graphically-that over the years regardless of the region of the country, “May is The Ditch”. Its when bowling really tanks.  Since then, some people have reminded me that June isn’t that much better.

“Great” I say, “what are you doing about it?’  

More often than not, center operators do several things:

1.    Cut operating hours

2.    Scale back on any advertising
3.    Reduce restaurant and bar hours
3.    Cut payroll

4.    Go to the bank and borrow summer money

Because this is what has always been done!

Instead, why not try something different?

If you’re already in the Kids Bowl Free program, than promote it and get as many people to come into the center as possible.

Here are two suggestions for May and June:

1.   Set up a sales station in center with banners, posters, fliers, balloons and information about 8 week short season fun bowling programs, selling adult child or just child programs where everyone gets a new bowling ball.  Man or “woman” that sales station with you best employee who likes people and has a real passion for getting kids and adults to bowl.

2.   Give away parties to companies in May and June. Yes, give them away. The more people that come in, the more names you get the more food you sell and the more alcohol sales you make. More importantly, you set up selling situations to get these companies to bowl every other week, once a month or schedule quarterly bowling parties.

For those of you adverse to “Freemiums” as I call it, imagine if you had a fruit stand and you were giving away real samples that cost you hard dollars. When you give away a bowling game, you give away a product with a low, low cost for a potentially high return. Whats the lifetime value of a league bowler?  Over $5,000!!!

Or you can do as you always did...and get what you have always gotten. 

Free is Good For You

Free Publicity is the cheapest way to build awareness of your center.  But the right publicity can generate leads, and build credibility as a source of information that can be trusted. And we all know how important trust is these days.

The secret to success is to be sure you're telling a story that's worth printing.

The best publicity draws on one of a handful of tried-and-true themes. Newsworthy stories have something that hits you as a reader and that rises above "just the facts."

Here are five can't-fail angles that the media loves:


1. Underdog. Do you have a David versus Goliath story to tell? Everybody loves an underdog: You were small and the odds against you were great, but you took on the big guys and won!  If play this card, you might attract more attention than you ever thought you could.  Can you describe how your center was founded and the odds it overcame to being successful and how many (i.e.) birthday parties, families you have served in the community as well as how many kids you have taught “a lifetime sport?”


2. Superman. Do you have "first, fastest, brightest" story to tell? You don't have to be faster than a speeding bullet or more powerful than a locomotive, but it would help. If you've got a truly unique story -- you're the first, or the biggest, or the strongest, or the loudest -- then you have a certifiably newsworthy story.  You’re the first to introduce short season leagues, the first to develop a “learn to bowl coaching program”. You’re the first to offer birthday party Moms valet parking (get the idea.

3. Cinderella. Do you have a rags-to-riches story to tell? Stories about the GWOG (Guy Working Out of Garage) who strikes it rich always command public interest. Late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs may represent the quintessential example of the small entrepreneur rising to greatness, but there are countless other examples.  How did you start the business? Is yours a rags to riches story that you can share?

4. Dear Abby. Do you have a "free advice" story to tell? You can't beat free counsel for 

building trust. Brainstorm the best tips you have to offer customers in your industry. That is the basis for an interesting article.  Sure you can offer advice on how to have a dynamite corporate party, fundraiser or birthday party as well as the secret to great service.

 5. Scientist. Do you a story based on hard facts and figures? You can assert all you want, but numbers make it real. Research -- real, proprietary research carried out by you and featuring your own data -- can be a great way to get attention. Conducting a survey works just fine.

How about publishing all the data you can find about bowling and its health related benefits for everyone, but especially for seniors and for people who can only do limited exercise?

Once you've got a newsworthy story, get the word out via public relations services such as PR Newswire and Business Newswire. Or check out the many free press release sites that offer to distribute your information.  Check out this site for a list of these services: www.socialrealist.com/digital.../big-list-of-free-press-release-distribution-sit

These sites will also help you to get your press release into a professional form.  Now go out there and get some FREE press :)

Are You Asking For A Call To Action?

It might seem like a simple concept, but people are more likely to do something if you specifically ask them.  Add the words, "please re tweet" to the end of your tweets.  Include "Like us" on "Facebook" on your Facebook page, and add things like "Please comment below" to the bottom of your blog posts. 

Seems pretty simple, but so few of the Facebook posts I get or tweets have these simple instructions.

Moreover, the fliers that I see in centers have very little calls to action. I rarely ever see a "sign up now"  or call "123 456 7891 to reserve your spot.

For a call to action to be meaningful it should:

•       Tell the reader or respondent exactly what action he or she should take Call? Go to a website? Tear off the coupon? Go to a meeting?  Call back? What do you specifically want me to do?

•       When do you want me to do this by?  Always, always put a deadline on your call to action so it invokes a sense of urgency in the customer's mind?

•       Provide the customer with a reason to take the action NOW. Save money if you order earlier?  Get a better offer next time? Hold the space at the same price for a friend?  Get a FREE (premium) if you order or reserve now?

•      Once the respondent acts upon your offer, you should have a way to get right back to the respondent and notify him that his space was reserved, his party confirmed and that his "order" was acknowledged.  Check out "auto responder" software on the Internet. Check out "Constant Contact or "Icontact". Then when someone subscribes to your blog or newsletter, you can immediately acknowledge his or her purchase and then ask for a referral.

It's hard enough to get some one's attention these days so once you have it, your goal is to make sure that person takes specific action.

If you leave that action to chance, well, that's a chance you will be taking.

"Please leave a comment at the bottom or like us on Facebook." :)

Conventional Wisdom

These days, "conventional wisdom" is akin to: "what almost everyone believes to be true", but upon closer examination conventional wisdom is not always, er, conventional.  By that I mean,  the conventional wisdom we speak of  is often incorrect. Here is an example:

I recently read "Quiet: The Power Of Introverts in a World That can't Stop Talking"" by Susan Cain.  Ms. Cain claims that she got the message early: there was something wrong with her introverted and quiet style and therefore she should try to change it since extroverts were "the ideal" and she just didn't measure up.  In our society, talkers are widely perceived as smarter, even though SAT scores did not confirm that hypothesis.
Look at Moses, Jesus, Gandhi and Eleanor Roosevelt.  Not an extrovert in the bunch!

This is just one example of conventional wisdom being wrong.
Want some more?

"If man was meant to fly, God would have given him wings." - Anonymous
"Nobody will buy a personal computer." - IBM
"Automobiles are just a passing fancy." - Anonymous
"We're in the railroad business." - Pullman  (He should have been in the transportation business, right)

• Have you examined the conventional wisdom about marketing your bowling center and have you challenged it or have you waved off  "the weird," "the absurd," the-never-worked-here-answers" of those with more (ahem) experience?
• Have you questioned all the conventional answers, or questioned the questioners or asked different questions? One question you should always ask is: "Why would I buy this product (promotion), (program) if (and depending on the target)
• a- I haven't been bowling in years, 
• b- Bowled once or twice a year 
• c- Was a league bowler
• How can I embrace or look for something that is a breakthrough.  No "IT" hasn't all been done before.  And that type of conventional wisdom will kill any presumption of birthing a new idea. There is allot out there and technology is opening up new doors for you every day.  Embrace it. Change it.  Punch it in the mouth and shake it up.

Here's the lesson: Conventional wisdom, no matter how we feel about,  is often dead wrong. If we assume it is right, then we limit our options to solve a problem or take on a new task and ultimately it limits the range of our debate. 

So go out there, shake it up.   Maybe even ask an introvert. Hey, you never know :)