No doubt you will get your leagues on the floor, some better than last year and some a little worse. But here's one thing you can all do to get more revenue
You can start now to sell summer parties, day care centers, summer camps and fund raisers. Please don't tell me that nobody wants a summer bowling party. I have seen some of my clients rack up amazing revenue over the summer just because they really gave it an all out effort.
So if you're inclined to want to make more money in the summer, here's what you need to do in May:
Create a summer party theme. I like to use "Summer Bowling Picnic" but you can call it anything you want as long as it gets your target audience's attention. You can call it "Get Off our Apathy Bowling Summer." Just call it something that is ridiculously relevant.
Write a really convincing letter to Ms. Human Resource Director as to why she should coordinate a summer bowling picnic/team building event. In the letter, tell her that bowling picnics never get rained out; that everyone can play; that bowling has more participants than golf (68 million to 26 million), that bowling is a lot less expensive than a $50 round of golf. Put yourself in her shoes and answer the question, "why out of all the summer team building options I have, why should I choose bowling?"
- Come up with a great offer that is irresistible: "Bring 2 people, pay for one;" "Bring 25 people or more and we'll pay for the first round of beverages;" "Win a vacation to the Caribbean for two when you bring 25 or more people;" Save $200 when you bring 40 or more people." You get it, right?
- Note: you can test all of your offers by splitting up the mailing list and sending one offer to everybody whose last name starts with A - M . And the second offer to people whose last name end in N -Z.Send the letter to your corporate list; people you had parties with over the holidays or over the last twelve months.
- If you have corporate email use it (3 times in 30 days - means 3 sequential letters). if you have a mailing list use it.
- If you don't have one, go to www.infousa.com and get one that surrounds a 3 or 5 mile area
- Put the summer picnic information on your website --- home page - click here for more information should take them to a landing page where they can fill out a form that says what they are looking for in a party and then you will respond
- Start face book posts on it
- Place POS information in the center
- Now start calling back the people you sent letters to asking them if they are interested in a party
- Revisit big retail stores in your area ) Target, Kmart, WalMart, the usual suspects and ask to speak to the manager about a team building event.
- Repeat steps 1 thru 9 in June
Please follow these steps and you have a chance at winning the summer.
Don't follow it, or follow it half assed or just sit back, do nothing, stuck in the same old mindset that "they wont bowl in the summer even if you give it away" and tell me at Bowl Expo 2013 that your business is "so so" and we all know what that means!
