A Marketing Lesson From Winnie the Pooh

For the last 35 years, league bowling has been eroding. Probably at a 3% to 5%rate annually. From 10 million sanctioned league bowlers to about 2 million today. From a 5% penetration rate (against adults 18+) to less than 1% today

In other words, less than 1 in 100 adults in this country bowl in a league.

This downward cycle has been met with various industry initiatives; none of which reversed the cycle.  It was hoped that the quick fix magic pill of “promotion” would make our cash registers ring like it once did a long, long time ago

But quick fixes or neither quick nor do they ultimately fix the problem.

Instead, individually and collectively we need to create a better plan. A plan that:

:

1.    Truly recognizes this long cycle. 

2.    Strongly considers “what will it cost me to replace it with a different  one?"

3.    Asks “Is there anyone who can help me? Is there any organization that can help?”

4.    Probes, “What do I need to learn to get to an “up cycle?”

5.    And finally hits a hard question, “How do I change my habits and instincts?” (which clearly haven't been doing so well in confronting this problem.)

One of the first things you can do is to get out of the center and go speak to some people.

Younger people. People 15 to 25 years old. People 26 to 35 years old. Married people.  Single people.  Find out what’s important to them and you’ll find out what they want and expect from your bowling center.

 What you think you know about why people bowl may be diametrically opposed to the reality you find or it might align quite nicely.

Ask them about bowling; how often they go bowling? Why they go bowling and why they don’t go bowling?  Find out if they ever bowled in a league and would they do it again if it was a shorter season, less expensive, 2 games instead of 3, etc?

Listen to what Winnie the Pooh has to say about your business: "You cannot stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes." -

Makes sense to me.

You Only Have 8 Seconds, Dude

You’ve got 8 seconds to get me before I bail. That’s right 8 seconds.

Eight seconds to make sure your headline ropes me in and gets me to read the copy.

And to do it right, you need a headline between 8 and 14 words.  The fact is there’s a lot riding on writing the perfect headline to grab attention, generate some interest and get the reader to stick around for a while.

So what do you do?

Well first, you do NOT put your center’s name in the headline. Nor do you say something like “Mixed league Now Forming”

Instead please pay attention to “Fredquarters Headline Rules 101.”

Rule #1 - A reason why headline. Here Are 3 Reasons Why You Could Have More Fun On Saturday Night Than Ever Before. This type of headline is best when followed  bulleted copy so readers can skim it quickly.

Rule #2 - The direct approach headline. Offers a benefit such as:  “Free Bowling for Families Friday Night.  This kind of approach just comes out and says it in your face!

Rule #3 - The indirect approach headline. More subtle and hopefully sparking curiosity a headline that targets company parties may look like this:  Where Will You Have Your Next Affair? 

Rule #4 - The question headline.  “Are You Tired of the Same Old Bored room?” is a question that your copy has to answer in the next two sentences. Short sentences that would relay the fact that your parties are “exciting, never boring and always fun”. The benefit of cost comes after all this because the copy has to relate to the headline.

Rule #5 - The testimonial headline. “Buying the Kids Bowl Free Family Pass Was the Best Decision I Ever Made.” This headline approach establishes credibility of your product by having a third party endorse it as valid.

Rule #6 – The how to headline.  This is a favorite of Internet marketers and one that offers a benefit or two.  “Here’s How to Have Real Family Fun and Save Big Too.”

Any of these six approaches will work. Test different headlines. Not just on your fliers or direct mail, but on your emails and other social media campaigns. 

Use the first 8 seconds wisely…or go home.

8 Value Points To make Your Business Better

A gray rainy Sunday morning in the country found me in my den, tuned into a 2010 movie called “Company Men.”  Ben Affleck, the star of the show, finds himself the victim, at age 37 of a downsizing at his ship building company. His boss, played by Tommy Lee Jones also gets fired, but that happens almost at the end of the movie.

As this trauma was unfolding, both men discover the importance of people, company values and what they want to happen in the next phase of their life which is to build something that they can “taste and touch and feel, not just numbers on a balance sheet. More importantly, they both now understand the importance of human capital to any enterprise, either on the shop floor in the accounting department.

The movie ends with Affleck and Jones opening an office in an old ship building factory and employing many of the people who got downsized from their old company.  In the end, every viewer was, no doubt, rooting for them to “make it.”

This led me to thinking about company values. Yes I worked at Fortune 500 companies and heard all about company mission statements, corporate values and how “people were the most important asset.”  Yet when the companies had trouble navigating some stormy economic waters, I realized that, well; these so called corporate values just couldn't stand up to the dollars…and people were downsized, laid off, fired, outsourced and terminated.  However you say it, it always sucks.

It wasn't that I was naive, it was just that I was hoping against hope that just once, the jobs would be saved, and the company would be smarter about researching, designing, marketing and delivering their products and ultimately be profitable.

So here are my company values. 

It’s what I believe in and what I have tried to live by for the past 17 years of being in business for myself.  Have I been 100% successful in keeping all these values?  Probably not, but I always carried the values with me.

I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.

1.     If you don’t make a profit, you can’t do any of the rest. Make the numbers.

2.    It’s not ALL for you. Give some of it back to your employees, your community and to those less blessed than you.

3.    Respect your employees and vendors.

4.    Treat your customers with dignity.  Treat them like you would treat your grandmother.

5.    Apologize when you are wrong.  It’s OK. No one will think less of you.

6.    Always keep improving your people, products and processes.

7.    Think big.

8.    Always do the right thing…karma is a bitch!

Judgement Day Is Every Day

You can either be judged or you can be ignored.

Every day I judge your center and your programs And the more information I receive from the digital genie, (on command of course) the more critical I can be. Some might say I am becoming a more discerning shopper; more intelligent. Sophisticated, even.

But what is really happening is I am making judgments about you, your competition and everything I think I may want to rent, buy or lease almost every minute of the day. Snap judgments.

                                                                                                                                           Bad judgments. Misjudgments.  But judgments nevertheless.

The other side of being judged isn't so good either. The other side is not being noticed and being ignored.

Be judged or be ignored.

The choice is yours

Comfort Food For Your Head

“Sometimes the last thing we want is really the first thing we need”.

I read this quote somewhere, but not sure where or who said it. In any case it got me to thinking about how comfortable we all sometimes get. The business is doing OK; its fairly predictable and, well, we even get bored now and then.

So to relieve that boredom we go looking for excitement; sometimes in the wrong places – food, clothes, cars, boats, 2^nd homes, more material stuff that satisfies us for a minute, but we rarely ever get to the fulfilling stuff that lasts and lasts.

For me, getting to fulfilling stuff takes human interaction and getting into other people's lives that are not as blessed as mine.  To make this happen, I have volunteered for organizations that give me “pain”.  In discomfort or tragedy, I found that I get my deepest satisfaction in helping others.  Maybe that’s why the role of “consultant” and “coach” wears well on my frame.

One of my most beloved charities is “Our Time Theatre”, an artistic home for kids who stutter.  Having struggled with this malady most of my life and having seen its devastating effects on young people’s self esteem, I was determined to do something about it so I volunteered for Our Time. 

The Our Time staff, nurtures kids through acting, song and writing.  Children become aware that their “voice” does matter no matter how long it takes them to say something.  The services of Our Time are absolutely FREE for these kids.

Pretty soon I was on the Board of Directors doing everything I could to help raise money for this cause.

And this month (October 22nd) we will be raising money by doing a Bowling Event with celebrities like Paul Rudd, Mariska Hargitay of Law and Order fame and Jesse L Martin too as well as 25 or 30 other TV and Broadway personalities.

The event will take place at Lucky Strike on 42^nd street in Manhattan NY and if you would like to support this cause, here is a link to the site. PLEASE give what you can. Every $5 or $10 helps another kid http://www.ourtimestutter.org/bowlingbenefit/

But here’s really why I am writing about this.   Your bowling center or family entertainment center is a wonderful place for fund raising for local or national causes. And I know you have done a bunch of them.

The problem is, your market probably doesn't know that you can help put “the fun in fundraising.” 

More importantly, by passionately and purposely doing fund raisers, your life, your business and your employees will feel more fulfilled. Morale will grow as will a sense of teamwork and of having a higher purpose. And the economic benefits will be more than you ever expected.

So get out of your comfort zone. Stop worrying about leagues and walk in open play and make a real effort to get fund raising events at your center.

Start with letters, emails, press releases, blogs and newsletters. Then make that follow up phone call  to invite the fund raising leader to see your center and to have you explain how EASY an event will be for him or her to do.

If you don’t already have a list of religious groups, organizations, schools and non profit organizations, call or visit Infousa.com and speak to someone about buying a list. The cost is anywhere from 25 cents to 40 cents per contact. Maybe less.

If you bought 500 contacts, your cost, at most, would be around $200.  It’s a good investment in a resource that you can use over and over; perhaps three or four times annually

As a bowling center operator, fund raising is probably the most rewarding thing you can do and is the place where you will find more out about yourself than you can ever imagine.

Do it today and you’ll feel better in the morning. J

Marketing Tip Of The Year

Imperfection is beauty.

Madness is genius.

It's better to be absolutely 

ridiculous than absolutely boring

Promise yourself: 

"My business will 

never be boring. 

   Never."

  And you will never be out of  business.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

My son, daughter in law and the two cutest grand children on the planet recently moved from Silver Spring, Maryland to Concord, Massachusetts.

While visiting with them and sharing breakfast in a place called Village Restaurant, my daughter in law mentioned how nice people were in Concord and how helpful. Specifically she mentioned that on one trip to the local Stop n Shop she requested that they carry a certain kind of fruit cup. “Three guys”, she said, “worked on it immediately” and told her that they will order it for her and “should have it in stock when she gets back next week from her trip.”  I was impressed.

Then she told me that when they lived in Maryland, she had asked the same question of the local supermarket and they people on duty just stared at her and said something like, “you’ll have to speak to the owner, mostly they just walked away,” she said.

My marketing mind went to work.

What made the difference between these two stores? Was it hiring the right people? Was it training? Was it empowering people to make a decision? Was it the culture of the organization that expected the customer to be delighted? Was it salary? Was it incentives?

Obviously, it was all of the above. 

But one thing stood out.  After she left the store in Concord, MA, she said, “the manager of the store called her on her cell phone and said he appreciated her input and would call her personally when the product came in.” 

The other store in Maryland didn't even bother to call and say they did not or could not get the product. 

Leadership will tell. Management will tell. If your staff is acting like they don’t care enough about the customer, take a look at how you’re treating the customer.  Then look again.

Once, one of my “former” clients said, “Fred this is a great business and I know I could make a lot of money at it… if it wasn’t for the customers!”   

You can’t make this stuff up.