We’re always
dealing with something. Some days it seems like we are swatting away problems
every 15 minutes. The bartender called to tell us he is sick and won’t be in; well
at least he called. Lane 13 and 14 are giving us heartburn, a scorer part is
out and it looks like snow is going to wipe out tonight’s biggest league of the
week.
On top of all the
day to day ins and outs, you have to gear up for fall leagues, mid winter
leagues, summer leagues, tournaments and now you have to maintain your website,
create social media communications, send out emails and maintain your website.
Sometimes it feels
overwhelming.
So grab a cup of
Joe and let me take you through some quick planning ideas for summer leagues. I know your summer leagues have been getting
a bit softer every year, once in a while you get a great program going and it
boosts you over last year, but the home runs are getting fewer. L
Stop fighting it.
Summer is the time
when you have the most lane availability. It’s a time to introduce new people
to bowling and put on your sunny face. It’s
a time to host company parties, fund raisers and special events. It’s a time
for Kids Bowl Free and building your data base.
It’s a time to refresh and
rethink.
Last year, you put
together your summer league schedule from the year before and the year before
you put together a schedule from the year before that.
Are you still going
to do what didn’t work so well the last three years and “hope” that it somehow works
this summer? Seriously?
Please get a fresh
sheet of paper or open your computer screen, laptop or tablet and right this
down
WHAT CAN I DO THAT
WOULD CREATE AN EXPERIENCE THAT PEOPLE WOULD TALK ABOUT?
Here are some idea starters:
·
A summer fund raising league where you
contribute $500 to the charity. Did you
know that the American Heart Association and the BPAA now have an alliance
which will help you work with local chapters?
·
A Miller High Life Shirt League that’s so retro
that it is cool for your seniors or for companies…and you can do it in 8 weeks.
·
A NASCAR league where participants get tickets
to the Pocono 400. Available for proprietors in NY, NJ and PA.
·
A Bowlers night at the ball park, whether it is
major leagues or minor leagues. NO it’s not just giving them tickets. They don’t
need you for that. It’s about putting together an adult child package that
includes tickets, an autographed ball or picture of the team, food vouchers, play
time for the kids on the field and maybe a meet and greet with the players. No
doubt this would be easier in the minor league stadiums, but hey you never
know. What’s that experience worth to
Dad and Junior or Juniorette? You got
it. Priceless!
·
A series of company parties that you market as hard
as or even harder than your holiday parties. What? Companies don’t have outings
in the summer? Of course they do and here’s what you can promise: GUARANTEE THEM
AN-INDOOR-NO RAIN-OUT-NO-ANTS-NO-SUN- BURN-NO-HEAT-STROKE-NO-DROWNING-NO-DEHYDRATION-NO
FAINTING-SUMMER-OUTING. Think that’s enough benefits. Go put that on a big postcard as a headline and
send it out. I’ll bet your phone will ring off the hook. And even if it doesn’t ring off the hook, you
will get some parties…AND YOU’LL GET SOME PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT IT.
·
How about turning the center into a club on Friday
and Saturday nights and book a band schedule and publish it in April or May. “It’s
expensive, I can’t do it. It’s hard.”
Yeah, Yeah, I know, but here’s how you do it. Get your junior bowlers or high
school bowlers to go scout up bands in the area. Then set a price of $15 to
come in on Friday or Saturday night. You keep $10 and the band gets $5. If the band doesn’t have a following or know how
to use social media; you don’t want them anyway. If you’re real creative, you might be able to
get a few bucks from a charity to sponsor it or Pepsi or a store in town as a
way to keep the kids off the street in the summer after the sun goes down and
their “heat goes up”.
·
Start your planning now. In February. Have it
all done by March 1st. make your flier and websites open play friendly. Have leagues for competitively high average bowlers
(scratch leagues, get better gear leagues, tournament leagues – run a different
tourney each week – on the same lane conditions. Have leagues for low average bowlers (Bad
Bowlers –I’m bad but getting better at Happy Lanes). Have leagues and instructions for newbies;
for newcomers in the neighborhood who usually move after their kids are out of
school for the summer.
·
And then go back and check on which leagues were
successful last year Create an incentive for those bowlers to bring a
friend. Create an incentive for your
employees too. If you’re still thinking $2 a bowler, you might as well close
this summer. I’m talking $25 a bowler for a 13 to 15 week summer and $100 a
team for the same thing. Think about it,
if the league bowls 13 weeks and you get $10 per bowler per week, you’re getting
$520 per team. If you get A NEW team that didn’t bowl with you since last
summer, that’s an additional $420 you will get that you didn’t have last year.
NOT $100 you will spend. You don’t spend it until you get the increment
over last year’s 10 x 4 league.
All right now. Lift
your spirits. Go out there and fire up your team. Brainstorm every new idea
possible and then go out there and make your customers say WOW!
And WOW again!!
