Running To Daylight

With the July 4^th weekend now over, many of us are still working our centers,  hoping for a little rain and  some open play bowling gains. Yet, some of us have closed based upon past results. Whichever category you fall, the hard truth is  "NOW" starts the “fall league flooring season.” 

From here to the start of the season is about 6 to 8 weeks (42 to 56 days); not a lot of time to do all that needs to be done

I’m not going to dwell on all you need to do starting with:  (just some examples) but want to talk about some new methods you can think about which have borne fruit in the past:

·      calling last season’s league bowlers

·      calling secretaries

·      contacting dropouts

·      holding league meetings

·      establishing league benefits

·      speaking to summer bowlers

·      selling open play summer bowlers

·      selling Kids Bowl Fee parents and kids

·      making sure you have short season leagues in place

·      emailing, Facebook, twitter – the whole social media campaign

·      referral programs

·      employee incentives

·      direct mail

Here are a couple of ideas to think about right now and implement tomorrow:

1.       Invite those corporate party people you last saw in December for a FREE awesome August bowling party. Send emails, text messages and then direct mail. And finally call them. You will get lots of food and beverage income plus the opportunity to talk with them about 8 or 10 week or an every other week bowling party league. Remind them that it doesn’t have to be the same people on each team every night.

2.      Do a sales blitz against local stores in your market and invite them in on one or two available nights of free bowling from 6pm to midnight.  Just bring in their coupon that you delivered or get their email and send it that way.  This sets up a selling situation to sell a short have a ball league for 8 or 10 weeks either at 630pm or 930pm depending on their hours. Hit at least 100 stores.

3.      Set up a few band nights the last two weekends in August and invite appropriate age demos (that match the band’s music) to come into the center for $5.  Bowling is extra.  Have a great short season league ready to sell these folks that include music, bowling equipment and maybe tickets to a concert in your home town or close to your town.

4.     Host a fund raiser with the animal shelter and use your venue to raise money for the shelter. Advertise this on local radio and or cable TV. Have the animal shelter email their “donors” and let people bring their dogs to the center and host a dog contest OUTSIDE OF THE CENTER. Have a fund raiser league for the animal shelter for 10 to 12 weeks or every other week or even once a month

Keep thinking about new ideas.  Because in today’s environment you have to exceed the  customer's expectation…every time.

Did You Know?

1- Did you know that with all the hoopla about the new digital world we live in, people are still spending more time watching Television than they
spend on the internet and most of the time they spend on the internet is...watching television?!?!?

2- Did you know that it is more important to ask an employee "what did you learn" than to find out if he was successful.  Focusing on winning, accountability and all that good stuff is certainly important, but it is even more important that you find out what the employee learned while doing her assignment so you can document and share that with other employees.

The Six Essential Questions Every Marketer Needs To Ask

It’s been more than three months since I last posted any content on “Fredquarters' Marketing” blog.  

After having dealt with some physical issues, my only regret now is that I won’t be able to attend Bowl Expo next week in Las Vegas. This will be only the second one I will have missed in a very long time. I will miss my friends, colleagues and business partners. And you, if you are going.

In any case, I wanted to send you off to BOWL EXPO with some thoughts about Marketing; after all that’s what this blog is about!!

No doubt your business is facing marketing challenges on all fronts; new competition; new kinds of customers with different tastes; different family structures; different payment options; customer service changes and higher expectations; the newer ways of communicating and learning something new every day; what’s a hardworking proprietor to do?

Here Are Six Questions You Have To Answer When Facing Your Marketing Challenge?

1.       WHO are you trying to reach?  If you say everybody, you better start over and laser focus in on who is going to buy the specific product you want to offer?

2.      HOW will this specific group become aware of your product?  Nope a flier on the counter or even a few emails and Facebook posts won’t cut it either. You need a battle tested rock solid campaign, ( and we have lots of campaign options we can share with you; just give us a buzz)

3.      WHAT story are you telling, spreading or living or are you still selling 99 cent bowling?

4.     DOES your story resonate with the world view people have about your center, your bowling products, your food and beverage products or arcade products? What do they want? What do they believe?

5.      WHAT is preventing them from taking action?  Fear? Not knowing about it? Product doesn’t turn them on enough to take action?

6.     WHEN do you expect them to take action?  If the answer is now, then why are they saying “later” or “never?”  Why?  What are they telling their friends?

Have a great BOWL EXPO and please look for two of our newer consultants; Dave Patz and Steve Sempeck.

They will be in the exhibit areas, so please stop by either the KIDS BOWL FREE 

BOOTH and ask my partner, Bruce Davis where you can find one of these two Kaploe Consultants 

Or stop by the MOBILYTIX BOOTH and speak with Kris Brus, (our newest relationship partner bringing mobile apps to life just for you), about Dave or Steve’s location. 

Or contact Dave via cell @ 216 409 4416 or Steve via cell @ 402 253 4371 

S.A.Y. What is in your heart

Some of you have poked me in the last month asking why I am not blogging as frequently. Well, truth be told I have again been suffering with a back issue, which makes it oh so painful to sit, stand, walk or even lie down.

So besides being a touch grouchy, my working and sitting have concurrently waned, making me less likely to write. 

For this I apologize and have taken action to get my pesky and incredibly painful disk fixed tomorrow Vis a Vis back surgery.

However, I must write this blog to you today because it is the only time of the year that I ask you for money.

I want to tell you about a group of kids in an organization called S.A.Y. (Stuttering Association For The Young) who are among 70 million people who stutter on a daily basis, including 5% OF ALL CHILDREN ALL OVER THE WORLD.

Young people who stutter often face unimaginable fear, pain and cruelty from a world that doesn't seem to understand them.

Over time they recoil from the world, silencing themselves to hide their stutter, embarrassment and shame. Young people who stutter may also feel incredibly isolated and alone and many face daily teasing, ridicule and bullying.

Since 2001, SAY has offered comprehensive innovative programs that address the physical, social and emotional impacts of stuttering.

Our Mission is to empower young people who stutter and inspire the world to treat them with respect and compassion so they can achieve their dreams.Our Vision is to live in a world where every voice matters.

The Need.  This year alone SAY will award over $400,000 in financial aid to families in need. To date, NO child has been turned away due to a family’s inability to pay.

Your support helps SAY continue this important legacy. Won’t you be a part of the solution and make sure that every child, everywhere, has a voice.

On April 27^th, 2015, we will be hosting our 13^th annual benefit gala at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in NYC, NY. 

For more information about this event please visit www.SAY.org/gala or email gala@say.org

If you cannot make the event, please visit http://www.say.org/support-say and click the button that says “DONATE.”

My heartfelt thanks to all of you for your support

Best regards                                                                                                  Fred Kaplowitz,                                                                           A Stutterer

...Because every customer counts, that's why!

Gregg, one of my loyal subscribers, sent this letter to me a while back and I filed it under “future blog ideas”, which I promptly merged with another file, and until recently, had no idea where it was. 

Here is his original letter, the company’s response to him and a little narrative on what it all means, at least to me, by yours truly.

“Hi Fred,

Recently I wanted (actually along with two friends) to purchase a Montblanc Pen for a friend of mine (ours) that was turning 70.

Hard to believe that you can't purchase a Montblanc pen in the greater St. Louis area.

Anyway below is the response I received after I went to their web site and filled out their request for service.

After years of being in sales it is refreshing to receive a response like this one.

Makes you want to buy an expensive pen doesn't it?

Regards,

Gregg

Here is their response.

          Dear Gregg,

Thank you for your interest in purchasing a Montblanc.

We recommend that you call our Customer Service Department at
800-995-4810, from here one of our highly trained customer service
representatives would be honored to assisting you in locating the perfect
Montblanc piece to suit your needs. We can help you select an item, place
your order, provide confirmation and have your order ship directly to you.
they are all very pleasant to work with and will assist you as much as
They can. From here you can learn more about engraving and gift wrapping
services as well.
We also have over 30 boutiques throughout the United States and Canada
where you can visit and they will be happy to ship it directly to you.

Please visit our boutique locator at www.montblanc.com for the location
nearest you. The boutiques offer engraving and gift wrapping services as
well.

     I hope this information is of assistance to you.

Sincerely,Miriam Messer                                                                   MONTBLANC North America                                                                           Customer Service

     Phone: 800 - 995 4810

     Email: Service@Montblanc.Com

     Internet: www.Montblanc.Com                   

Now I don’t know about you, but when a high end retailer goes the extra mile, I almost don’t feel violated for paying substantially more for his product.

However; as a marketer and a producer of content, note their “word- smithing” (which I underlined in the letter) consisting of such phrases as:

·        “highly trained customer service”,

·        “will be honored to work with you”,

·        “assisting”,

·        “providing information”

·        “happy to ship”

Nowhere in their tight little letter does it say: “C’mon in, pick one out and we’ll be happy to sell it to you. Oh yes, free shipping too.”

Now I guess if you were selling a less prestigious brand of wrist watches, you might have that approach and a completely different image.

But when you’re fighting for market share in a smaller, yet more affluent market, you need to take your shots carefully, adroitly and with great precision because every customer counts

So how are you treating your brand?