Bring 'Em Back for More

Bruce Davis — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 14:57:01 +0000

Selling Bowling | Methods, Strategies, And Techniques To Book More Business

Bruce Davis Tue, 11/16/2021 - 09:57

If you read the marketing section from the October IBI issue, you'll have learned about the three ways to grow your business. If you haven't read it yet, you may want to go back and take a look. It's truly the basis for growing your business and is a great refresher even if you're an old dog like me who has been in business a long time.

One of the three marketing methods to grow your business is to gain more visits from your existing customers. While there are several ways to accomplish this, I suggest you consistently put one method to work for your center that has a low cost to employ, is easy to execute, and, for most centers, works very well.

I'm talking about the tried-and-true bounce-back coupon. Bounce-back offers have been around a long time because, quite simply, they work! They make customers feel special and convey a feeling of gratitude for their business. Once you've settled on a solid bounce-back offer and have produced a substantial number of coupons, instruct your staff to present one to each open-play customer after they have paid for their current visit along with a pleasant greeting like, “Thank you for bowling with us today, here's a coupon for your next visit. We look forward to seeing you again soon!” You may have to hand out a good number of coupons to gain a modest redemption, but the cost is low, and the chance of success is high. Plus, in today's competitive environment for recreational dollars, extending thanks and a valuable offer to return will set your center above businesses that don't put forth the extra effort.

Bounce back coupons that we find to earn some of the strongest redemption rates are BOGOs (Buy One Get One Free - or Every Other Game Free) or, one of our favorites, “$5.00 Off Of $20.00 or more spent on bowling.” Your coupons should carry some restrictions, like, “Not Good with Other Offers,” “Valid for Open Play Only,” or, “Call Ahead for Lane Availability.” When it comes to selecting a “Valid Until Date” there is often some consternation. If the date is set too far out, coupons can be put away and forgotten about; if the expiration date is too close, you also risk hurting redemption.

Here's a great solution you may want to consider: Once when doing a seminar in Australia I learned a coupon redemption technique they often used that covered the dilemma. They made their coupons “Valid For 30 Days from Receipt of Coupon.” They killed three birds with one stone, and I have used their technique ever since.

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