What's New or What's Working?

Many is the time when I go to see an existing client or a new client and after the coffee and catch up I usually get, “So Fred, in your travels around the country, have you seen anything new? 

Sure, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, ha, ha!  Mildly amused I still get, “no seriously, anything new?”  

Now, while it’s perfectly natural to ask the question about “what’s new?” (After all, we all want to be on the leading edge of technology and have the latest mouse trap and bait for our customers) we keep looking further and further out for "what's new? and we tend to forget about our existing products and their hunger for communication" 

I always wish that the question was rather: “anything out there that’s working great.” It just seems that what “works” is a lot more important question than “what is new.”

Back in early February,  I started working on a client’s late night weekday bowling product as well as tweaking his weekend family package to add more value to it. 

He had these programs in place and was struggling to keep up with his emailing, faceboooking, SEO, SEM and SMO marketing when I finally said;  “Whoa you’re spending so much time working on the newest technology that you’re forgetting about communicating your existing products!

His head snapped around and he said, “Damn, you’re right, what do we do?”  

About a day or two later I got back to him with a multi media plan that included a series of direct mails, emails, couponing and sweepstakes offers as well as some very targeted “freemiums” to major corporations and businesses in the area.

“But, but”, he sputtered, that’s not NEW!!  "You are right, 100% right,"  I answered, but it WORKS. 

After an hour of this, he finally agreed to go ahead with it.  The results and I’m not trying to brag here, but we moved his average monthly open play from $35,000 to $51,000.

If there was anything new at all, it was in the creative presentation of the delivery of the offer, backed by a guarantee and a sweepstakes for an I pad (which generated lots of new emails  and about a dozen summer league sign ups  too).  It was cool.

So the next time you are looking for “what’s new”; maybe you should rephrase the question into “what’s working?”

Get Ready. Now Its Gen Z

Born  in the mid 1990’s through 2010, about 45 million people make up this generation which is growing up in, has grown up in, the age of technology. 

Marketers fondly refer to them as "Digital Natives" because they  prefer communicating through social networks and instant messaging, and considers email “so yesterday."  

However, they are not happy to receive text messages from companies unless they have given those companies specific permission to text them with information THEY want.

To these folks, the internet has always been there, WiFi is not a new phenomenon; neither is multi tasking.

They are the first generation to “eat” more media online than offline; 4 out of 5 of them multitask with an internet device while watching TV, actually with 1.5 internet devices according to the research. 

Oh yes and if you think TV is dead to these folks, 73% of them watch TV daily.

Thus, they expect to connect anytime, anywhere to anyone.  If you don’t offer these services in your establishment, they just won’t come as frequently…or maybe not at all.

To reach them and persuade then to buy your product all you need to do is be authentic and live up to their high expectations; sounds like what you have to do with EVERY customer, doesn't it?)

Most importantly because they grew up with two way conversations, a one way sell job just won’t work.  You need to engage them and get them to participate with your business whether it be via sweepstakes, contests, dancing contests or karaoke.

One thing to remember, these Generation Z’ers make very little distinction between the real world and the virtual world.  For them they are one and the same.  

With their fragmented attention span and multi tasked communication applications, you as a marketer, must be consistently honest and remarkable.

What ways can you think of engaging (probably) your best night time open play customer?

Check out this chart. The communications they trust the most are those communications that are written on line reviews as well as natural search engine results (Google, Bing, Yahoo, Etc.) 

"Most Motivated Person With No Skills is Most Dangerous"...Tony Robbins

Its great to be motivated, isn't it? 

To get up every day, raring to go and I have seen plenty of small business owners with that mindset. They even have the skills to get it done. 

Unfortunately; many of these folks have no system to put those skills in play and thus, can do more harm than good in a very short period of time. 

What would a football team be without a great system? Certainly not a super bowl team. Just look at the NY Jets. They just didn't have a viable system and probably never will under present ownership!

if you don't have a system, but are motivated and have skills,  we can help you with a proven, rock solid system that's worked for over 450 proprietors around the world.

Give us a holler. We'll be happy to analyze your situation with our FREE Ultimate Bowling Marketing and Sales Guide Marketing and Sales Guide. Email us at fredkaplowitz@gmail.com or phone us at516 359 4874 to get your free copy

Beyond Free

In the days of brick and mortar stores, people went into book stores to browse, look at books, magazines and esoteric periodicals from all over the world. Then the E reader happened. Kindle happened and people were able to download books on their new reading devices.

As the Kindle became more sophisticated and added features, other competitors, most notably Apple, jumped into the fray and offered up their version of an E reader with many more features.  It was called the “I Pad” and sales of this product skyrocketed into the millions.

Now Kindle (a product of Amazon) has gone to the ultimate marketing route by introducing its “Kindle Zero.”  The cost for this product? ZERO, Nada, It is Free.

Why would they do this?  Simply because you need to buy books and the only books you can buy, you must get through Amazon.  I guess they figure that over the life of the product’s cost, the consumer will buy enough books not only to pay for the product but to provide a handsome profit to the company.

But Kindle has also moved beyond FREE. Those books that you could get for free, as a kindle subscriber, some 10% of their inventory will now be offered to the Kindle Zero buyer as will a monetary stipend to read the book.

 In other words, “get a free Kindle Zero, read this book and get paid!”  The idea is to sell advertising that would pop up on these readers’ devices as a way to generate income.

Pretty cool marketing. Pretty innovative. 

Now I am contemplating whether to offer my consulting services for free, sell advertising on my electronic marketing system that you have to read and offer you a FIAT 500 when you complete the course.

Is this the wave of marketing in the future? 

What does it mean for your bowling center?

Or for any other business selling products to consumers?

Are You (Still) In The Way?

When I take on  a new client, and after completing the initial marketing and management audit, I spend some time talking with key employees. Based upon the results of the audits, I can usually expect to hear the same comments I have been hearing over and over, lo these last 20 years.

Predictably, in about 95% of the time, they fall into these three main areas.

Result #1: "The boss is a jerk; is out of touch, doesn't know the business anymore and should either sell it (to me) or retire.He's always right and we're always wrong. He is always in the way."

Result #2: "The son/daughter.nephew, niece is a jerk; is out of touch, doesn't know the business anymore and should either sell it (to me) or retire. He's always right and we're always wrong. He's always in the way."

Result #3: "The boss/owner/son/daughter/nephew/niece micro manages everything. He/she is into everything always second guessing my decisions and always telling me that I screw up too much.  I try to please him/her, but nothing works. He's always right and I'm always wrong."

"Now", says the boss, to me,  "that you have spoken to our staff, do you still think you can help us?"

Some days you're the hammer and some days you're the nail. On this day I am both the hammer and the nail. So I tell him/her that some communication problems exist and I ask if he can see why an employee, who remains anonymous, might say some of the comments.

Sometimes he explains why such comments are possible.  Other times I am getting a defensive rebuttal. Most of the time, I see confusion and almost a sense of surprise.  Mostly, I am also seeking his agreement on getting together for a brainstorming session with the troops so I can observe their interactions.

In 95 out of 100 situations, I notice that the boss/owner/etc is more of a "my way or the highway" type of person than an unflattering jerk, as described by the staff.  Its his business and he wants it done his way.  he has that right, but that's not how you manage a 21st century employee.

Perhaps it is the difference between employees and entrepreneurs

An employee gets a paycheck for doing his or her job. An entrepreneur takes distributions should the business make a profit.  My job is to explain to each of them the other person's position and why they come off the way they do.  Sometimes it opens their eyes, other times it nudges them to promise to be more understanding of the other guy. Other times it does no good at all. Both parties are dug in and are not going to change.

How do you make that change? Obviously, you would try to change the environment inside of the center and have a fresh airing of the issues (usually done by a 3rd party for objectivity) and a new "agreement" on how to communicate.

However; and NO matter how that resolves itself, you will always need to hire good people. If you are right, then you should hire people like yourself: ambitious, competitive, achievement oriented, goal centered, reward driven, BUT be prepared to have them challenge you, to ask WHY?, to offer up other suggestions and to not accept, "we have always done it that way or "because I'm the boss, that's why." Be prepared for it, but also be prepared for your business to improve...if you can handle a little constructive criticism.

If you're not prepared for that, you can always go back to hiring people who will never challenge you, who will always grudgingly do it your way, who have given up offering ideas, who expect nothing from you and they, in return, will give you nothing but time and unfortunately will eventually call you a jerk.  You in turn will continually second guess them, not trust them and refer to them as "the help."

If you can't live with that, and not many leaders can, then develop a very clear vision of your business; develop a very precise plan and share it with motivated employees willing to make a difference and share in the rewards.  This is where the rubber meets the road.  This more than sending out emails and doing fliers; it is the very essence off the structure of your business. You cannot afford to get this wrong

As Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric used to say about his management philosophy"  "I hire the best people, give them their marching orders and stay the hell out of their way."

Do you have that? Where are you on this continuum?

Are You Still Trying To Win The Popularity Contest?

When you were in high school, there were always some kids who were the “in crowd” and one of them always became the “most popular” and got this title immortalized under his picture in their high school year book. Others got “most likely to succeed” immortalized in their year book as well. 

Were you that popular kid in high school or did you always want to be?

I (barely) hung with the "in crowd," but I was never even in consideration for most popular or most likely to succeed.  

Did I care? Damn right I cared!!

Back in those days (and even today) peer pressure was tremendous. Everyone wanted to be “popular.”  Who wouldn't?

Did you carry the need to be popular over to adulthood? Like most of us, you probably did. After all, nobody wants to be unpopular or disliked, right?

Wrong!

By wanting to be popular either with customers, clients or friends or acquaintances you sometimes had to bend and twist yourself into being something that you’re not.

Eventually the strain of having to be something that you’re not caused a small tear, maybe even a big split with the person you have been trying to be popular with for all those years.  

Worse, they found out that you have been disguising your true feelings and are angry at you for being dishonest…and that unto itself makes you unpopular.  The very thing you were trying to avoid turned around and bit you in the butt. Karma is real.

Maybe you are doing that with your business; trying to be popular with everybody. Trying to appeal to everyone because you think everyone is a potential bowler is like trying to be a Republican and a Democrat at the same time. It just doesn't work.

So in your bowling business you have to decide what your business stands for.  You have to tell it like it is and be honest. Even if it may not be popular.

If you want to have bands do it because you think there is a market for it AND YOU THINK IT REPRESENTS YOUR BUSINESS VALUES.  Oh, you might piss of some of the regular open play bowlers on Saturday night, and be unpopular with them, but if you see a greater value in “doing bands, than by all means go and do it!

Just don’t do it because it seems like another way to make money.  Look, there is nothing wrong with making money, but if you make a business decision like this because “it seems like a good idea” and you don't really believe in it, how many people in the center will get behind it, if you’re not pumped up about it?  How many people in the center will think you are being “honest?” ZERO.

Oh you might be popular, but at what expense?  

So from now on, stop trying to be all things to all people. That DOESN'T work anymore. 

Instead be the person who stands up for her business who promotes, offers and sells what she believes in  and if it’s unpopular with some people, so be it;  they weren't going to be your customers anyway!

Commodity vs. Creativity

I have heard some people say that the bowling industry is now a commodity business and as such are treating it that way by marketing their business on “a price only” strategy. 

One guy is even selling bowling at 93 cents. Why? Because his competitor is at 99 cents?   Is someone going to actually bowl in that center to save 6 cents?  Really?

This rush to lower pricing is not a long term solution to staying in business. Oh, you can get away with it for a short while, but ultimately you will be attracting customers that do nothing to feed your league bowler base and just may make your center a less desirable destination in your community’s eyes.

Isn't anybody thinking about the bowler experience and what you can do to differentiate that experience from some other competitor? Isn't anyone thinking about a creative experience that is less price sensitive and more “fun oriented?  Or maybe it’s just too much work?

Some of my clients are doing things like:

·         Creating a cupcake and bowling experience…and filling their center by the way.

·         Other centers are holding sweepstakes so every time you bowl you have a chance to win a valuable prize, gift certificate, t shirt or bowling ball, charging higher prices and getting it.

·         Another client is holding band night every Saturday night and where "lights n strikes" used to generate 40 or 50 people, he is now generating 100 to 120 people who are eating and drinking as well.

You can go down the commodity path and hold on for dear life or you can choose to be creative, work on the bowling experience, communicate your differences and have a bright future or you can sell apples just like the other guy’s apples.

I know what I would do and am doing.

 

What are you going to do?