BCA New Year Issue | February 1, 2018
THE LATEST TRENDS IN
AIR HOCKEY
IMPROVING CONTENT ON
SOCIAL MEDIA
NEW STRATEGIES FOR THE NEW YEAR
BCA Insider – A BCA Member Publication Dedicated to Businesses in the Billiard and Home Leisure Industry.
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Keith Loria
The Latest Trends In Air Hockey
14 Charles S. Donnavan
New Strategies For The New Year
6 Joe Dyton
Ideas For Improving Content On Social Media
8 2 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
IN THIS ISSUE 24 30 34 36 42
The Building Of A Legacy Anthony Stoeckert Upon Further Reviews... G. K. Schaeffer BCA Teams With ADP Keith Loria Overcome The Post-Holiday Blues Anthony Stoeckert Connecting In An Instant! Lynn Switanowski-Barrett
2017
Proud Sponsors
OPENING LETTER EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Keith Loria billiardskeith@gmail.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Lynn Switanowski-Barrett
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Charles S. Donnavan Joe Dyton G. K. Schaeffer Anthony Stoeckert Lynn Switanowski-Barrett
ADVERTISING MEMBERSHIP MANAGER Shane Tyree shane@bca-pool.com (303) 243-5070 x23
DESIGN/LAYOUT ART DIRECTOR Julie Snee julie.snee@gmail.com
BCA BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN Chance Pack, Champion Shuffleboard/ Connelly Billiards/Valley-Dynamo
VICE-CHAIRMAN Ivan Lee, Iwan Simonis
SECRETARY
The role and responsibility of the Billiard Congress of America Treasurer and Finance Committee chair is to ensure the association facilitates the strategic budgetary guidelines set forth by the Board of Directors. As such, I am pleased to share how the organization carefully and thoughtfully manages its finances in order to position itself for another 70 years. Every year, the BCA Board of Directors works in partnership with our staff members (Rob Johnson and Shane Tyree) to develop an annual budget in accordance with the association’s short-term and long-term goals. Once the budget is approved by the Board, the BCA Finance Committee meets regularly to review the budget’s projections versus the actual results. If and when there are significant discrepancies, the committee discusses why there is a variance and whether any corrections to the association’s operations are needed. In addition to the standard annual budget and Finance Committee meetings, the BCA Board of Directors also has a Long-Term Investment Allocation Policy to provide guidelines that help manage the BCA’s investments. During each Finance Committee meeting the committee reviews how the investments are doing in comparison to the overall market and makes adjustments accordingly. The ability for the committee to make adjustments to the association’s investments at a moment’s notice provides another level of security and comfort in protecting the association’s assets. During the last few years we have been pleased to announce the creation of the Atlantic Challenge Cup, BCA Insider, extended partnerships with the Billiard Education Foundation, First Data (credit card processing services), and ADP (HR and payroll services). These are just some of the new benefits that support our members and promote the game. If you have any questions about the BCA’s finances or our financial policies feel free to contact me anytime. I can be reached at brosselli@olhausenbilliards.com or 615916-5495. Also, if you haven’t renewed your annual dues, please contact Shane Tyree at the BCA office (303-243-5070 x 23) and he can help renew your membership as well as answer all your questions about the upcoming BCA Expo in New Orleans. Happy New Year!
Wes Bond, Cue & Case Sales
TREASURER Brian Rosselli, Olhausen Mfg
BOARD MEMBERS Kim Morrison-Murdock, International Billiards Brian Igielski, GLD Products Ozzy Reynolds, Cuesports International Dan Pucci, American Heritage Billiards David Piha, Greater Southern Home Recreation
4 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
BRIAN ROSSELLI,
TREASURER
BCA Insider is published by Billiard Congress of America © 2018 bcainsider.com
NEW STRATEGIES FOR THE NEW YEAR By Charles S. Donnavan With the beginning of each new year, it’s always a good idea to look back at the things that have been working for the store and those things that have not been as successful. It also makes sense to look at what has been working for other retailers and start applying some of those strategies to your own store. BCA Insider’s goal is to help all of our members improve their businesses, and we have compiled a list of some new strategies that you should consider for 2018.
TELL A VISUAL STORY You may be a popular destination with great foot traffic, but in order to get people in the doors, it helps to create a great window that tells a story and tells it well. A welldesigned window display encourages impulse sales and peaks a customer’s curiosity, and is an invitation to all who walk by to “come on in.” 6 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
There are a great number of items at the billiard retailer’s disposal that can be utilized to make a fun window display that will get people thinking about playing pool and buying some of the items for their own home.
ADD TRAINING Your workers may have been part of the store for a while, but take some time to make sure they really know the ins and outs of everything in the store. Do they know the difference between every cue? Do they know why some darts handle better than others? Can they explain how certain cloth on tables plays better? Take a weekend and go over everything in the store to ensure that your staff is able to provide information on all your inventory and operating procedures. Take nothing for granted when it comes to how your employees answer the phone, greet a customer, or clean the
store. Go over the best procedures for each and ensure that your store is running the way you want and expect.
OFFER RAISES TO YOUR EMPLOYEES
ADJUST YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
Small business experts say one of the reasons that so many small businesses stay small is that they think small and try to limit every cost. This makes sense, of course, to some degree as the store needs to do what it can to keep up with the online retailers and bigger players. But saving money on employees is not a place this should be done.
You may be feeling overwhelmed with the amount of options available on social media these days and finding it hard to post enough to keep your followers engaged, but don’t let this be an area that falls by the wayside. Take some time to assess which platforms have been most beneficial to your store and fine tune your efforts on these first. Don’t just pull the plug on those that haven’t worked, however, look at other stores who have been successful with it and change up your posts.
UPGRADE YOUR WEBSITE Over the years, you may have put a lot of time, money, and effort into making a spectacular web page, but things change and information changes, and if you don’t keep your webpage updated, people will stop coming and you may lose customers. Your webpage is an important place to let your current and future customers know what’s happening in the store, so be sure to update it with any promotions or special things happening at the store.
When you pay employees more, you can expect more. Stores that pay higher wages with more full-timers have lower turnover and higher profitability. Never compromise your store’s ability to create an exceptional experience for your customer due to hiring workers who will work for the lowest wages.
EXPLORE CONTENT MARKETING If your advertising budget is currently geared toward print, TV or radio, you may reallocate a portion of your budget to targeted media. Studies have shown that outbound marketing is a thing of the past. Now more than ever, leads are being generated from inbound efforts. This could mean doubling on your content writing to develop quality blog posts, newsletters, or other types of content relevant to your business.
www.olhausenbilliards.com
IDEAS FOR IMPROVING CONTENT
ON SOCIAL MEDIA By Joe Dyton In the retail industry, it has become increasingly more difficult to stand out from the competition – especially in an industry as crowded as the home leisure category. But just because it’s challenging to seem unique from the pack does not mean it’s impossible, it just takes some effective marketing strategies.
specializing in branding, digital marketing and strategic communications. “Because social media platforms thrive on rich graphics, it is more engaging. And because social media feels more like a community, it has more of an emotional appeal sharing across the platforms.”
While putting together a marketing campaign might sound great for bigger retailers with the budget to do so, it may seem like a lost cause for smaller companies that have to watch every penny carefully – or at least it used to seem that way.
So, if as a retailer, you have a great advertisement to promote your store, new products, or a sale, you can get more out of your advertising dollar if you use a social media platform to boost it. However, if you just post something on Twitter or Facebook and call it a day, your content might not be that effective. What you want to do instead, is make sure that post is getting in front of the right audience, not just an audience. Whichever social media platforms you decide to use, take advantage of the analytics tools that can help you get your posts in front of your target demographics.
Today, the advances of social media marketing have helped level the playing field a bit in terms of advertising. It does not cost retailers a fortune to get their products out in front of a large amount of people at once. A Facebook, Twitter or Instagram post could possibly have the similar reach to an online banner ad or magazine ad if it’s viewed and shared enough times for no to very little cost. “Social media is a direct channel to customers, and is a far more effective – and less expensive – delivery channel than traditional marketing tools like direct mail or print advertising,” says Don Goldberg, co-founder of Washington, DCbased Bluetext (www.bluetext.com), a leading digital agency 8 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
“(Social media provides) the ability to highly target your demographic via social ads,” says Scott Levy, chief executive officer and president of New York-based Fuel Online (www. fuelonline.com), a premier digital marketing agency that specializes in search engine optimization (SEO) and social media, and the best-selling author of the social media strategy book, “Tweet Naked.” “You cannot only specifically tar-
get and show your post, but also add demographics down to age, sex, location, interests and other Facebook pages they’ve liked. For example, you could target and show ads to people who’ve expressed interest in playing pool.” Once you’ve decided on the audience to target, there’s still the matter of creating the actual posts. People who are active on social media usually scroll through their feeds fast, so whatever you put on there has to stand out if you want people to stop and see your posts. The first step to doing so is to make your posts as visually appealing as you can. “The key is leveraging the rich graphics capabilities that social media platforms allow, using creative graphics that will catch people’s attention,” Goldberg says. “A lighter, more humorous approach to presenting products to consumers is also an element of social media and encourages sharing by customers.” An eye-catching social media post may draw a potential customer in, but it is the content within that post that is going to help you sell a product, get people into your store or read your blog post. So, anytime that you put something on social media, make sure there’s a purpose behind it; just don’t post for the sake of posting.You want to reward people for taking time out to look at your content. “One of the things I preach to our clients is, provide content of value,” Levy says. “It’s not posting things just to post it. Don’t create a post or don’t post a funny picture because you need to post something. The first thing you have to ask yourself is, ‘Would I share this on my personal page with my friends?’ If the answer is no, then don’t post it.” Some examples of content readers can find value in include articles that include tips, news or information as well as do-it-yourself, “how to” or “did you know” topics.The idea here is not only to post something that’s intriguing to the viewer, but something that is so intriguing that the initial viewer wants to hit the “share” button so all of their friends and followers can look at it, too. “The ‘share’ is the most coveted engagement with anybody viewing your social media posts,” Levy says. “It’s an opportunity to get more exposure, and that is what you want – to create and build content with the goal of the share.” Now that you’ve decided on how your posts should look so that they grab the viewer’s attention – and what the content should be to keep their attention so that they share it – you need to decide on where to post. One of the great things
about using social media as a marketing tool is there is no real right answer on which platform to place your content. The real right answer is to use the platform that best suits the content you want to put out and the audience that you want to consume it.
“
HOW CAN WE SHARE ALL OF THIS AMAZING KNOWLEDGE THAT WE HAVE?”
For example, a retailer who has a lot of visual content to display might be best served to post it on Instagram. If a business’ target demographic is women, it would be wise for it to leverage Pinterest, as about 80 percent of its users are women. Meanwhile, Facebook can serve a lot of different purposes, as it’s built to house written content, photos and video content. “There are different platforms for everything,” Levy says. “Facebook, everyone should be doing. Then for YouTube, you have to be willing to genuinely produce high-quality video content that people appreciate. For this publication’s (audience), if you’re doing videos, maybe you’re doing (one with) trick shots, right? It just depends on what or who you are, what you’re trying to do and what your budget is. You can’t be all things to everyone.” Also, even if you’re partial to one social media platform over another, try to get your content on a few of them. First, a large portion of your audience might not use your preferred social media channel and that’s a lot of eyeballs you could be missing. Second, not all content is suited for all social media platforms. If you like to use long-form content like a blog or landing page as a promotion tool, a link to it might not be as appealing on Instagram as it would on Facebook or Twitter.
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Using social media to elevate your ad content isn’t a “one and done” proposition, it’s more storytelling in nature. “Each promotion should take a campaign approach, meaning it should not just be one post, but a series of activities, that include cross-platform promotions – ‘Check us out on Instagram and Pinterest’ for example,” Goldberg says. “Don’t just rely on one program, but play to the strengths of each. Facebook is good for graphics and more details in the test, while Instagram allows more visual storytelling. Always include a link back to a landing page where customers can purchase, learn more or find a retail outlet. Also make sure all of this is tied to analytics so results can be measured.” Goldberg admits he and his Bluetext team have moved clients away from Twitter as he sees it as a great tool for celebrities, athletes and politicians, but not as much for commercial brands. Instead, he’s encouraged clients to use Facebook as it has more effective targeting because of its new tools and posts on the platform that tend to have a longer shelf life. For those looking to reach a younger audience, Goldberg says Instagram and SnapChat should be part of the mix to leverage their “stories” functionalities. Whichever social media platforms you decide to use to boost your marketing content, remember that the platform is just a vessel for your advertising. If the content itself isn’t good, people may see it on their Twitter feed or Facebook page, but it won’t go much further than that in terms of engagement or making a sale. While it may look like your marketing campaign and social media platforms are working hand-in-hand, it’s the content that should be doing the heavy lifting – social media is there to give it a boost. “Giving people information, putting yourself out there and taking the time and effort to educate people establishes you as a go-to source, a trusted brand, a subject matter expert,” Levy says. “If you can sell, it’s a bonus, but you need to start off with the mentality of, ‘How can we help people? How can we share all of this amazing knowledge that we have?’” “Social media should be one tool, but not the only tool, as consumers’ tastes for different platforms are continually evolving,” Goldberg adds. “Use many different platforms for each campaign, and test and measure results so that your outreach is continually improving.”
10 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
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THE LATEST
AIR HO
By Keit
Air hockey is a game that is easy to understand and caters to everyone in the family, from ages 5 and up. Kids love the action in the game and parents love an activity that gets the kids away from video games. It also helps that the kids burn a little energy playing air hockey. That’s why billiard retailers should be heavily considering its air hockey strategy for 2018. Chance Pack, sales and marketing manager for Valley-Dynamo, Richland Hills, Texas, says for a few years the air hockey table trend was leaning toward furniture-style tables, but within the past year there’s been a trend going back toward the commercial (arcade) style tables. “Customers are steering away from the furniture-grade tables and going back to the bells and whistles of the commercial units,” he says. “Flashing lights and arcade sounds seem to be key features.” 14 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
Brian Igielski, sales manager for GLD Products, says that while the basic game hasn’t changed much since its inception in the ’70s, manufacturers have dressed up the game to appeal to the kids and the families who buy them. “Automatic scoring with music and crowd noise has become the norm,” he says. “Changing the playfield colors and adding graphics have added some appeal.” Albert Trujillo, manager of operations for Fort Worth Billiards, Fort Worth, Texas, says allowing consumers to play on a table is critical for improving sales. “You must explain details about the construction and playability, and why it’s essential to buy local for warranty, service, and parts issues,” he says. “I focus my sales tactics on ‘keeping the puck in play’ by having the right amount of air-
TRENDS IN
OCKEY
th Loria
flow to enjoy the game. Too much air or not enough air can cause excessive flyouts, which are frustrating.”
music paired together with cascading light effects bringing additional excitement to the game.
With air hockey tables, it’s not about the CFM (cubic feet per minute) anymore. Tables are operating more as an air tunnel effect, meaning rather than blowing the air directly up from the bottom, tables are now blowing the air from the side into a chamber and then circulating the air so it’s not pushing straight back. That angles the air and creates a bit of a vortex, creating consistent pressure, which allows the table to breathe more evenly.
Larger, heavier pucks and ergonomic pushers are both staples with air hockey today. The former keeps the puck from flying off the table so much, while the latter prevents or reduces the risk of hand and wrist strain while allowing harder hits to the puck.
Other innovations in air hockey tables of late include enhancements in lighting effects, such as lights flashing on and off when goals are scored and LED pucks and pushers that light up. Sound effects have been improved as well, with the sounds of crowds cheering and mimicking of the announcer being added to many tables. Then there’s game
Here’s a look at what’s new and some thoughts from some of the main players in the air hockey space.
VALLEY-DYNAMO Dynamo has been making commercial-grade hockey tables since the early ’80s and has been considered a premier comBCAINSIDER.COM | 15
Valley-Dynamo: Fire Storm
the floor that says ‘I can’t sell the high-end units,’ my response is ‘how do you know if you aren’t displaying a high-end unit?’ I truly think retailers are literally selling themselves and their customers short.”
OLHAUSEN Not everyone is seeing the commercial trend. Brian Rosselli, vice president of operations for Olhausen Billiard Manufacturing, Portland, Tennessee, says he’s seeing more furniture-quality, wood, finished tables that look like a piece of furniture in the home as opposed to the standard air hockey that you would see at the local arcade or bowling alley.
mercial hockey table for 30-plus years. Therefore, Pack notes the newest trends are right in the company’s wheelhouse. “Fortunately for us, the latest trends go back to our roots in hockey,” he says. “We are constantly improving the commercial feature with new LED lights, black lights, speaker systems, video replay and other fun features.” The trick for selling more air hockey tables, he says, is allowing the customer to see and touch the table to appreciate its features. “I always recommend that retailers have at least one model on their floor. These units aren’t cheap, so selling them off a brochure is very difficult,” Pack says. “Ideally, they will have a couple of different models so the customer can compare between the different models. If they don’t have at least one unit on their floor, they are costing themselves sales.” Pack also recommends making an investment on a high-end floor model. “Too many retailers set their customers’ expectations low by only displaying entry-level tables whether it is hockey, pool, foosball or shuffleboard,” he says. “It is easier to move a customer down to a less expensive unit from the high-end floor model than it is to move someone up to a higher-end unit. And to the retailer with no high-end hockey on 16 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
“We have really focused on the complete matching game room package and are having a lot of success with our furniture-style air hockey tables,” he says. “It is essentially a 7-foot pool table with the rails, slate and pockets removed and replaced with an air hockey play surface.” Retailers should take note that the furniture-style air hockey tables have increased the price point of the sale so air hockey tables are selling for the same price as their matching pool table counterpart. “It’s a game that anyone can play.There’s not a lot of skill, practice or experience needed,” Rosselli says. “Walk into any large arcade or Dave & Buster’s and you will always see air hockey tables – they’re like comfort food – people will always gravitate towards them.You don’t have to worry about what this X button does or what that Y button does.”
LEGACY BILLIARDS Dave Barry, sales and marketing manager for Legacy Billiards, Collierville, Tennessee, sees both trends mentioned above as being accurate. Olhausen: New Orleans
thusiasts, and it was voted as one of the top three most innovative products of the year during the 2017 BCA Expo.
Legacy Billiards: Landon
“Air hockey tables seem to be heading in two directions – high-quality products with new innovations and low-quality products focused strictly on price points,” he says. “The in-between models are struggling.” To respond to these trends, Legacy Billiards introduced high-quality air hockey tables that are made with a furniture-grade quality wood cabinet available in multiple finishes to match its lineup of products. In addition, it is the only company that offers air hockey tables with its patented Perfect Drawer storage system that tucks underneath the table. “We’ve focused on featuring products that match with our billiard, shuffleboard and other game tables in terms of look, feel and finish,” Barry says. “We are partners to our dealers both in terms or product breadth and training provided. In addition, we offer great POP and hand out marketing materials along with furniture-grade air hockey tables.”
AMERICAN HERITAGE American Heritage’s Orbit 4-Player Eliminator Air Hockey Table is creating a lot of excitement among air hockey en-
“We absolutely love this item. It’s just so much fun. It’s the first four-player residential air hockey table of its kind and the elimination aspect of the game is very unique as well,” says Dan Pucci, director of sales for the Streetsboro, Ohio-based company. “This was an idea that our president, Joe Pucci, dreamed up on a long car ride home from visiting customers in 2014 and it took a few years to execute. We wanted to ensure we had the perfect size playfield and table for the demographics of the children who play our air hockey games and it was also incredibly important to us that the piece look like a beautiful piece of furniture that you would be proud to put in any home.” The company also offers the Monarch “AeroMaxx Series” Air-Powered Hockey Table, with a design as sleek and smooth as the puck that will glide over it. The table features a unique overhead arch with a two-player electronic scorer. The cherry-finished cabinet has silver caps and trim, supplementary manual scorers on each side of the deep playing surface, and a screen-printed starburst design.
GLD GLD’s latest is the Pyroclasm, a premier 6-foot Air Hockey table. “The convenient size gives an authentic play experience without sacrificing the space in the room,” Igielski says. “The extra glossy playing surface features elemental graphics that are sure to impress and amaze.” Additionally, the Pockey table, invented by GLD Products several years ago, continues to be very popular.This revolutionary
American Heritage: Orbit
GLD: Pyroclasm
18 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
Legacy Billiards Furniture Style Air Hockeys Available in Black Onyx, Black Cherry, Port or Nutmeg finish
7' ELLA
Onyx 106955
Black Cherry
Port
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106952
106958
106957
Black Cherry does NOT include Perfect Drawer
For ultra smooth shots and pucks that stay in play, accept nothing less than the Ella Air Hockey Table. This sophisticated residential design adds flare with any home game room decor.
Available in Black Onyx, Port, Nutmeg or Old English finish Onyx
Port
Nutmeg
Old English
106973
106971
106970
106972
7' LANDON Masculine and clean lines is what the Landon Air Hockey Table is all about. Router lines throughout this sleek design will add a lustrous touch to any game room. Both tables feature: * 210 cubic feet per minute blower * Rail walls with square aluminum tubing recessed in the solid hardwood rail for durability and speed * Unique high speed pushers * Matching billiard, shuffleboard and other game tables to complete your game room
Flat top design works with table tennis conversion tops. Perfect Drawer for easy storage of pucks and pushers.
Legacy Billiards, Inc. • 851 Progress Road • Collierville, TN 38017 • 1-866-953-4272 • www.legacybilliards.com
table provides three games in one: air hockey, pool, and table tennis, with one side featuring the pool table and the flip side being an air-powered hockey table. The table can also be included with table tennis tops. Igielski adds that GLD’s Fat Cat and Viper brands are easy to assemble, stylish, manufactured with quality components and also competitively priced. “GLD stands behind their products with a full warranty,” he says. “We offer stocking dealers a showroom model discount, freight programs, a flat rate for drop shipping, and assembly videos on our website for all our tables. Our dealers are authorized to use all our marketing material and photographs, to get the message out through their own mailers and email campaigns.”
PERFORMANCE GAMES INC. Todd Shelton, owner of Performance Games, Saginaw, Michigan, agrees that the latest buzz continues to be the customizing of the air hockey products to match shuffleboard, pool tables and foosball tables.
Performance Games: Tradewind
20 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
“Out of 10 air hockey table styles we make, eight are customizable,” he says. “Our hottest line is the Tradewind RP, as the rustic look is very popular.” The company also offers solid poplar wooden top rails that make the game look more like a furniture piece and match pool tables and shuffleboard tables better. “We also have over-hanging top rails, which help keep the puck on the playfield. This also lets us offer things like a quiet package to keep the noise levels down,” Shelton says. “All our dealers let their customers know we only use commercial pucks, which are heavier and larger in diameter so the pucks will stay on the playfield even in heated battles.
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THEGAMES BUILDING OF A LEGACY FOR FUN OFFERS GREAT MERCHANDISE, SOLD AT A SPECTACULAR WAREHOUSE By Anthony Stoeckert The name of the store is Games For Fun, but making it the success that it is took a lot of old-fashioned hard work. Based in San Bernardino, California, Games For Fun is a specialty merchandise retailer of game room products, including new and used pool tables, as well as antique billiard and snooker tables. It also sells shuffleboard, air hockey, Ping Pong, foosball, slot machines, video poker machines, and video games. And to help set the perfect mood for game time, Games For Fun also sells antique jukeboxes, antique gumball and candy machines and wall décor. It also maintains a large inventory of accessories for cash and carry. Owner Kenny Renfroe got his start in the industry with Brunswick Leisure Mart in 1977, working part time in sales, then moving into full-time sales to manager, then on to district manager of seven retail stores in Southern California. 24 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
GETTING INTO BUSINESS FOR HIMSELF In 1983, Leisure Mart stores in Southern California were sold to a private individual, whom Renfroe continued to work for as manager of the San Bernardino location for a year. In 1984, he opened his own store, Billiards Surplus, an 800-squarefoot retail space that was on the same block as another store, just 300 yards away. “With my experience in this industry, it became clear I found this enjoyable enough that continuing made sense and doing it on my own was more appealing,” Renfroe says when asked why he opened his own store. Inventory at the beginning included used and reconditioned pool tables, accessories and darts.
“In October of that same year, the retailer 300 yards away had their going out of business sale,” he says. He purchased the other store’s contents, which eliminated a competitor and put Renfroe’s business in good shape as it headed into its first Christmas-selling season. “With pool table inventory stacked three high at fire sale cost, we were able to finish that first season in the black,” Renfroe says. Another benefit to that competitor closing its doors? Renfroe was the only billiard retailer for more than 20 miles. “It was time to approach factories like Brunswick and Olhausen to become dealers that would allow Billiard Surplus the opportunity to offer new pool tables and games,” Renfroe says. “With this mix of new, used and reconditioned pool tables and games, Billiard Surplus became Games For Fun in 1987.”
A TIME OF GROWTH From 1984 to 1987, Billiard Surplus expanded within the same retail center, growing in square feet from 800 to 3,500. But Renfroe noticed something. Buyers were becoming less interested in traveling to the inner city to shop, preferring the convenience of easy access to shopping at locations that were right off the freeway. Renfroe went hunting for a new space, and found a freeway location in downtown San Bernardino that would meet that need. After renovations, Games For Fun opened its new home in 1990. With 13,000 square feet, Games For Fun had additional showroom space to set up departments devoted to lighting and casino games, while expanding offerings in pool tables, cues, accessories and other table games. Sales continued to increase allowing for an additional expansion of another building next door, adding an additional 13,000 square feet. This allowed Games For Fun the opportunity to test manufacturing, which it did from 1993 to about 2003. “Our stronghold during the manufacturing period allowed the consumer to purchase, say a pool table on one visit, returning later to add a game table or bar with stools, and we were providing a match in finish to their earlier purchase,” Renfroe says.
increasing, Games For Fun had to rethink its future and decided to move from manufacturing to importing. This change provided an operational cost reduction, which was transferred to import growth. The manufacturing era in San Bernardino involved a staff of 12, spread out among manufacturing, service and sales. This was time consuming for management, with the focus becoming maintaining business as opposed to forward growth. The period post-manufacturing, with the lower staff count, provided the opportunity to apply energy to sales and benefit from ongoing overhead cost savings. Renfroe says he focused on building inventory sales after the shift from manufacturing. “To simplify the consumer’s decision, it was important for us to have it in stock for prompt delivery,” he says. “This process was simple since we had already sourced our factories, but it was time consuming to see the items hit our dock, and all accomplished with existing office staff.”
FROM MANUFACTURING TO IMPORTING
Today, Games For Fun has six staff members, each with anywhere from five to 33 years of experience. Of the six, two focus full-time on service, deliveries and in-home installations.Those would be Jim Wagner, senior technician, who has been with Games For Fun for nearly three decades, and Bill Brown, who’s been with the store five years. Both have ample experience and training to split into two separate teams, each taking on a support-person during peak service times such as November and December.
By this time the Chinese influence of imported pool tables was in full swing. Along with the difficulties of manufacturing in California in regard to labor and material cost constantly
“These are two very important team members since their customer visit will be the last opportunity for us to complete our efforts for customer satisfaction,” Renfroe says. “For this BCAINSIDER.COM | 25
reason, we retain these as in-house positions rather than contracting the role.” Three team members, including Renfroe, who still enjoys being in the showroom daily, represent sales and customer service in-store and online. Completing the team is Lynn Renfroe, Kenny’s wife of 40 years, who has helped build the business over the years, and who manages the back-office. The 26,000-square-foot showroom, office, and warehouse are open six days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The retail store is a brick building of 13,000 square feet total. Eight thousand is showroom, 3,000 is warehouse and 2,000 is office, a kitchenette and conference space. “The consumer’s first opinion once inside is typically ‘Wow,’ with such a large showroom loaded with man cave products of new, used and antique pool tables, game tables, jukeboxes, wall décor of related signs, mirrors and neons,” Renfroe says. There’s also a separate 18-by-18-square-foot space for accessories, with a standalone 13-by-13-square-foot department for cues and cases.
A DEDICATED STAFF Even the most beautiful store in the world needs the right employees to be successful, and Renfroe is quick to praise the people who work for him. “The sales staff is the heart of our operation,” he says. “From the consumer’s first point of contact, we have only a few moments to get connected and gain their interest. If it’s a phone call we must be knowledgeable of our products and aware of the inventory and be professional.The goal from this greeting is the store visit, where this service must be duplicated.” Another major contributor to Games For Fun’s success is the store’s 1990 relocation, which Renfroe says continues to pay benefits year after year. “Our building sits beside the 215 Freeway near downtown San Bernardino and includes a large two-sided electronic message sign that flashes rotating messages every five seconds,” Renfroe says. “In addition to local commuters, this freeway is the primary route back and forth from San Diego, Orange County and the Inland Empire to the mountain communities of Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear California as well as Las Vegas. Thus, our customer base is large and we have products for individuals at all budgets. We offer service in California, Nevada and Arizona. We ship coast to coast in the U.S. and Canada and are currently researching shipping options in Mexico.” 26 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
ENTERING THE DIGITAL WORLD Still, new opportunities in retail are limited, so Games For Fun has a strategic focus on e-commerce. “We believe this is where we should continue our growth efforts, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds in this platform,” Renfroe says. Succeeding in e-commerce took time, and lots of it. “We initially established a web page presence, and due to the large quantity of inventory items, this took months as an inhouse project,” Renfroe says. “Before even completing this step, we needed to make changes to our processes; we were not getting on-line orders. We moved to professional assistance in getting found, then redesigning our original page to be user-friendly, only to find this professional assistance would be ongoing.” It also became necessary to add a full-time staff person with a computer background in order for the e-commerce side of the business to flourish. “My son Blake became that member and continues with daily contributions to this department,” Renfroe says.
THREE DECADES AND COUNTING Small business startups face a lot of challenges, but Games For Fun is in its 33rd year.
DOING BUSINESS FACE-TO-FACE While e-commerce has become an important part of Renfroe’s business, he says it’s still important to have an actual store, where customers can see merchandise, ask questions, and become educated before making a purchase. This is especially true of people who are new to billiard games and table games, who benefit from personal interaction that gets lost in the virtual world. “Over the years, we have learned that Games For Fun customers typically come in with limited or no knowledge of billiard products,” Renfroe says. “Online research can be both confusing and frustrating, so visiting a brick-andmortar store gives them the opportunity to learn about the products in an entertaining, pleasant environment with always changing inventory. If a customer is considering purchasing a shuffleboard, they can visit our store and actually touch it, play on it, and get a feel for their preference between variations of the product, for instance in terms of size and quality/price.” “It has not been an easy game; there have been complications around every curve,” Renfroe says. “But we have faced challenges with courage and determination, and the word ‘no’ is not part of our vocabulary. Every customer who comes in with a question or concern presents us with an opportunity for growth, income potential and word of mouth advertisement, so customer satisfaction is our top priority. When problems arise, we address and then improve our processes to ensure the problem is not only solved but disappears. When considering long-term success, we are flexible and observant, and there is an element of constant change in our product line so we can meet evolving customer demands.” Renfroe and his staff have seen several economic ups and downs. He thought 2006 and 2007 were down years, but then experienced even bigger challenges after the U.S. housing market collapse in 2008. The effects from that meltdown were long lasting. “We observed a roughly seven-year impact that left our industry feeling lifeless, on the brink of extinction,” Renfroe says. “There were no incentives strong enough to entice fiscally nervous customers to spend their money on our product categories. Retailers all around us were closing up shop; our market alone went from eight retail locations offering pool tables within a 35-mile radius in 2008 to three in 2017. Games For Fun was fortunate by having a warehouse of new and used products to sell from as well as continuing to purchase used equipment to refurbish, replenishing stock with this low-price option for interested customers while riding out this storm.”
Similarly, Games For Fun’s staff can offer insight into which accessories customers should buy, and how to best use them. And because buying a pool table is a major purchase, it takes some thought and conversation before a customer actually commits to a purchase. “Pool table inquiries begin with a conversation around the wants and needs of the customer; commonly, they don’t even know what their specific wants and needs are, so having a large showroom allows them to browse, ask questions, and better understand the products they’re seeking,” Renfroe says. Games For Fun’s showroom is staged with games, furniture, and accessories to suit a wide variety of tastes, budget and spaces. Customers are encouraged to take advantage of current inventory for fast delivery and to keep product moving through the warehouse and showroom, and the store’s setup allows us to keep multiple games available for play testing – shuffleboard, billiards, arcade games, and more. “We ensure that the method of driving loyalty is successful by backing the range of products with experience, helpful sales and service staff,” Renfroe says. “We, like many other business owners, are thankful the past is behind us now to focus on future opportunities. We will continue to be flexible by listening to our customers’ feedback, and evolving to meet current demands. We look forward to continuing growth of online sales, strong wholesale relationships and in-store promotions for special events and holidays.”
BCAINSIDER.COM | 27
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UPON FURTHER REVIEWS… ONLINE CRITIQUES CAN HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON BILLIARD BUSINESSES By G.K. Schaeffer
Word of mouth for businesses used to mean friends and co-workers talking about their experiences at stores, both the good and bad, for stores big and small. They might have talked about the perfect gift they found at a boutique, a bargain at a big box store, or a new store that set up shop in their town. Today, the local coffee shop and water cooler have been replaced by the virtual world of online reviews. Actually, it’s been this way for a while. Websites like Yelp are filled with reviews written by customers, and people read them, and share them on social media. Do a search for the best restaurants or favorite attractions in your area, and there’s an excellent chance the results will lead you to Yelp. This can be a source of both joy and frustration for business owners. Obviously, it’s wonderful to receive positive reviews on Yelp, Angie’s List or Google 30 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
Reviews, but the bad ones can sting. They also have the potential to hurt your bottom line, because negative criticism is often very specific. Think of a time where one particular aspect of a store experience annoyed you – an inattentive cashier, a long wait before a staff member helped you, having difficulty finding the product you want. There’s a part of you that wants to enact revenge, and tell the world of your horrible experience. Unfortunately, we’re less motivated to share even terrific experiences, never mind visits that go as planned. Negative reviews also are remembered. If you read movie reviews in the paper, or watch them on TV, chances are you’re more entertained when critics trash movies compared to when they praise them. But even though you can’t control what customers write online, you can do
things to promote positive vibes about your store, and even undo some of the damage caused by negative reviews.
WHERE ARE PEOPLE REVIEWING? Yelp is the most popular local business review site, as just about any business can be featured on Yelp – supermarkets, restaurants, boutiques, box stores, locally owned businesses and billiard retailers. It was founded in 2004 and has a presence in more than 32 countries. According to Yelp, the third quarter of this year saw Yelp users write 142 million reviews of local businesses. On a monthly average, about 30 million users access Yelp on devices via the company’s app; another 74 million people use Yelp on their mobile device via the web; and 84 million people used Yelp through a desktop computer.
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NEGATIVE REVIEWS CAN ACTUALLY BE HELPFUL.”
Growing in popularity is Google Reviews, while Angie’s List is a forum for reviewing locally owned businesses, and many local chambers of commerce list reviews and customer feedback. Billiard retailers should check both these platforms, and other local websites, to see if their business is being reviewed. Reviews can cover any and all aspects of a business: location, how easy or hard it is to get there, the merchandise, condition of the store, how friendly and helpful the staff is, prices, return policies, cleanliness – just about any aspect of a shopping experience. All types of shoppers write reviews. For billiard retailers, you need to consider experienced pool players, new pool players, and people who know nothing about the game but are buying gifts for someone they know.
store with a good feeling, and with the belief that you can be trusted. Best of all is when a customer visits your store because of those reviews and then has an experience that reflects those good reviews. That can lead to regular customers, who will come to your store without checking prices online or at competitors. Be sure to share those positive reviews on your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Bad reviews, on the other hand, can really keep customers away. The more negative reviews a store gets, the more it hurts, so it’s important not to ignore bad reviews.
HOW TO GET GOOD REVIEWS The most obvious way to make online reviewers your allies is by offering the best service you can. The old-fashioned retail ethic of going all out for every customer will lead to good reviews.
Consider the person who comes in not knowing a lot about pool, but is looking for a gift. They’re likely to be hesitant to ask questions, afraid they might embarrass themselves. Listen to their questions carefully. If they’re shopping for a cue for someone, make suggestions at various price points, sharing the pros and cons. Ask how serious a player they’re buying for. Make them feel good about their purchase and experience. What about experienced pool players? Maintaining a stock of the latest products, and knowing what the best products are, is a way to keep those customers satisfied. Send emails to customers telling them about the latest accessories, or a sale you have coming up. Following up with a phone call or a personal email (as opposed to an email blast) is another good idea. Ask customers, both new and regulars, if they’re happy with their purchases, and if they have any questions or concerns. This could spark a positive review days after the customer walked out of your store.
FOR BETTER OR WORSE Good reviews can help a business and bad ones can hurt. If your store gets a lot of positive reviews, that can lead to new customers who will enter your
BCAINSIDER.COM | 31
Being active on social media also can help you get positive reviews. And don’t just do this on review sites but on Facebook and Twitter, so you’ll be engaging with the kinds of customers who write online reviews.
TURNING NEGATIVES INTO POSITIVES Negative reviews can hurt, and also get you angry, especially if the review is unfair or has misinformation in it. You may be tempted to fire off your own negative review of the customer, lashing out and telling them how wrong they are, but don’t. Take a deep breath and think about the long term. Yelp and other review platforms give business owners the ability to reply to reviews but instead of getting angry, try to make the customer happy. Write back to the person directly on the site, apologize for their experience and offer solutions, while emphasizing the positive. This will show all Yelp users that you care about your customers.
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ONLINE REVIEWS ARE HERE, AND THEY ARE HERE TO STAY.”
For example, if the person says the staff was rude, investigate the complaint. Even the best employees have their bad days, or maybe it’s a simple matter of miscommunication. Or perhaps you’re being told of a problem with your staff that needs to be handled. Once you’ve gotten to the bottom of the problem, respond to the customer. Emphasize the positive by saying you and your staff are dedicated to treating customers with respect and that you’re available to work with the unsatisfied customer to help them get what they need. Sometimes, customers will take out their lack of satisfaction with the product they bought at the store. In that instance, tell them you’ll be happy to offer an exchange for a similar item, one that you personally recommend. Whatever the customer’s complaint is, work with them to solve it, and offer a discount on a future purchase. Respond in public to their complaint respectfully, with a real solution in a way that shows you take responsibility for your store. This will show people that yours is a business where their concerns will be acknowledged. Negative reviews can actually be helpful. You’re proud of your business, and reading insults of it is like reading someone insulting your children. But if you see multiple customers sharing the same complaints, maybe their gripe is legitimate. Maybe the store needs cleaning, or to be better organized. Maybe there are employees who aren’t treating customers well. Use the feedback to make your store better. 32 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
ASKING CUSTOMERS FOR REVIEWS – RIGHT OR WRONG? There is some debate as to whether it’s ethical to ask customers for positive reviews online. Yelp discourages it, but says doing so doesn’t violate its policy, so there really isn’t any reason not to ask customers to consider writing a review of your store. When you do ask, do so casually toward the end of the transaction. Say something like “We’d appreciate it if you took time to review us on Yelp.” Don’t tell them what to write, of course, but ask in a friendly way. It’s no different than the old-fashioned, face-to-face, ‘tell your friends and family about us.’” You can, of course, ask regular customers to write reviews, but don’t ask personal acquaintances. Don’t write reviews yourself and don’t ask your employees to write reviews. Besides it just being wrong, it also can hurt you. If you, or a relative or close friend, write a review of your store, you’re likely to go overboard with your praise, and that will come off as insincere. People are smarter than to believe reviews that go on about how amazing and wonderful a store is. Much more effective are reviews from actual customers. Online reviews are here, and they are here to stay. Being aware of what people are writing about your store, and responding to reviews smartly, is a challenge, and an opportunity. It’s all up to you.
R
BCA TEAMS WITH ADP By Keith Loria At the end of 2017, the Billiard Congress of America announced a new partnership with America’s National Partner (ADP) that will allow its members to take advantage of better payroll, compliance and HR solutions. “We are thrilled to partner with ADP to provide this additional benefit to our members,” says Shane Tyree, membership manager of the BCA. Through the alliance with ADP, BCA members are eligible to receive special offers and discounts, including a 20 percent discount on payroll processing costs, a free month of payroll processing and waived implementation fees. Christopher Sall, ADP’s district manager, is the go-to guy for BCA members interested in participating. He recently sat down with BCA Insider to answer some questions about what people need to know. 34 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
BCA INSIDER: Tell us a little about ADP and what it does.
BCA INSIDER: Who should be doing this?
SALL: ADP (Automatic Data Processing) is known as one of the largest payroll processors in the world, and actually pays one in every six employees in the United States. Although most people know ADP for payroll, we are a human capital management company that works in many other business areas. Our goal is to provide BCA members with reliable business solutions with a single point of contact.
SALL: Every business owner should spend a few minutes weighing the options of outsourcing with ADP. The payroll pricing is discounted and is based on the employee count, so generally this makes it affordable for small businesses. A quote is completely free, and I’m certain we can find a solution. If a business owner already outsources, it is a no-brainer to call me for an apples-to-apples comparison.
BCA INSIDER: What areas of focus will you provide for BCA members?
BCA INSIDER: What would you recommend to someone just starting a business?
SALL: Areas our partnership focuses on start with pre-negotiated payroll processing bundles followed by added value services like timeclocks, pay-as-you-go, workers’ compensation, health and benefits, 401k, and human resources.
SALL: The most valuable asset of a small business owner is their time. I’d recommend for them to reach out to me directly to cover areas like timekeeping, developing a handbook, and setting up a workers’ compensation
policy. Why look all over the place when you can have a single point of contact for all back-office processing? BCA INSIDER: What do our members who are interested have to do to sign up? Is it as simple as making a phone call? SALL: Getting set up is simple. It is mandatory through our agreement to contact me directly at 970-672-0999 or by email at Christopher.sall@adp. com to receive BCA pricing and industry-specific feedback. We can turn around a new payroll account in approximately two business days. BCA INSIDER: Once a member is signed up, how can they best utilize it in their store or at their business?
SALL: Before a member runs a payroll, I will provide them with all of the information that ADP can help in. Once a member runs payroll with ADP, they go through an implementation process that makes them a payroll expert. From there, members will have all of the tools to understand the partnership to the full capacity. There will be periodic communication sent out from the BCA on what current promotions and features ADP has available. BCA INSIDER: What can our members with small employee bases do? Can this still help them? SALL: Any business of any size that processes payroll can benefit from ADP, it all depends on their current process.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS aa Is there a contract or setup fee?
The $200 implementation fee is waived through the BCA membership. There is no contract with ADP, we’re only as good as our last payroll.
aa ADP is a large company, who do I contact if I need help? BCA members will have Christopher's desk line and cell phone – but in the event that he cannot be reached, ADP offers 24/7 customer support.
aa I already use ADP, do I get a discount?
We can approve the BCA discount for existing accounts, and discuss the outside options for other services.
aa How can I contact Chris?
970-672-0999 (desk) 770-238-4590 (desk 2) christopher.sall@adp.com
BCAINSIDER.COM | 35
OVERCOME THE POST-HOLIDAY BLUES By Anthony Stoeckert The new year is here, and business owners throughout the country are missing the holiday shopping season, when their stores were crowded and the registers were always ringing. But Christmas being over doesn’t mean you can’t give sales a boost. In fact, opportunities abound for billiard retailers at this time of year. That’s because people who received a pool table from Santa for Christmas are at their peak excitement over their brand-new "toy." They’re spending lots of time playing on the table and are looking for ways to improve their game and make the experience as fun as possible. 36 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
“It’s a great time of year and it’s a great opportunity,” says Dylan Kelley, founder of Wavebreak in San Francisco, which helps businesses improve their sales via email marketing. “When someone gets something for Christmas, that’s when they’re going to use it the most, so it’s a great time for you to hop on this new exciting thing they just got.” Kelley adds email is “by far” the best way to generate sales during a slump. “Right after the holidays, you have one of the best opportunities for repeat purchases,” he says. “A lot of people just made a purchase from you, so
January and February are your chance to upsell related products. I know a guy who used to have to lay off his entire staff during the slow season. Now he emails his past customers and he hasn’t had a slow season, or had to lay anybody off, since.” He says a pool table is a fantastic opportunity to upsell accessories. “They’re playing and they’re using it,” Kelley says. “And they’re probably finding themselves saying, ‘Oh I wish they had this or I wish I had that.’ And you might have that thing they’re looking for to make their experience better.”
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Kelley adds that the best way to reach those customers is through good old-fashioned email. “The reason that I love email is that it’s survived over the last two decades,” he says. “I’ve found that email is the best way to consistently drive and grow sales. It’s really stood the test of time.” Email may not seem exciting in this era of social media platforms, but Kelley says it works because people are still checking their emails all day long. Another advantage is that you can send things directly to customers, as opposed to posting something on Twitter or Facebook, where sales pitches can be overlooked.
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GET THOSE EMAILS OPENED
KEEP YOUR STORE BUSY
An unread email isn’t going to do you any good, and with people getting a lot of emails, you need to make sure yours stands out. Kelley says a great first step toward that is a compelling subject line. Things like “This can improve your pool game” or “the perfect accessory for your new pool table” are likely to get attention.
Admit it, the holidays are great because business is booming, but when it’s over, you enjoy taking a breather. Well, don’t. By keeping your store active, you’ll stand out from other places.
GET TO THE POINT It’s also important to set a goal for the emails you send. If you want people to come to your store to shop for accessories, send them information about what’s available. And promote accessories for different types of players – experienced players, newbies, and kids in the family. Tell customers what you have in stock, and the prices for the sale products you’re promoting. If something is on sale, tell customers how long the sale will be going on, or if there are limited quantities available of the items on sale.
JUST BECAUSE THE HOLIDAYS ARE OVER DOESN’T MEAN YOU CAN’T HAVE SALES.”
“And most of the time you’re emailing a past customer,” he says. “It’s a lot easier to convince somebody to buy from you again than it is to get them to buy from you the first time.” The first few months of the new year is the perfect time to focus on customers who received a table or other equipment as holiday gifts. “The best results are going to come from people who made a purchase right before the holidays,” Kelley says. “This is the time when it’s fresh and it’s new and they’re using it. They’re probably thinking about it a lot so if you can hit them now with ‘Here’s this other product that will make this even better for you,’ that’s what you want to do. And you want to focus this on people who bought recently.” 38 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
“The rule I like to use is, don’t over-complicate things,” Kelley says. “If you give people too many options they get confused and if people get confused, they don’t know what to do, and if they don’t know what to do, they won’t do anything, they’ll just delete the email.” He also suggests sending multiple emails. “It’s easy for one email to be buried, but if you send multiple emails you increase your chances of somebody opening your email,” he says.
Keep your store well stocked. Stay active on social media, put items on sale, let people know you’re open for business. This will give you a leg up not only on direct competition, but on all sorts of retailers. People tend to be frugal after the holidays, but eventually they find themselves bored and looking for something to do. With some promotion and planning, your store can be the place people go to. Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean you can’t have sales. Promote a “winter clearance” sale. Offer two-for-one deals, and look for items that aren’t selling well and offer them at a bargain price.
EVERY DAY IS A HOLIDAY Katy “Kate” Kassian of the consulting firm Tait and Kate says marketing doesn’t stop when the holidays are over. In fact, opportunities for tie-ins are endless. The National Day Calendar compiles days dedicated to all sorts of foods, activities, milestones and issues. “One of my favorite free tools is The National Day Calendar,” Kassian says. “There are multiple ‘national’ days every day that can be celebrated in some way.” For example, according to the calendar, Jan. 26 is National Spouses Day, a perfect opportunity to encourage people to buy their wife or husband a new cue. Jan. 31 is National Backward Day, so try hosting a contest where customers win a prize or a discount if they can make a
“
LET REGULAR CUSTOMERS KNOW ABOUT PRODUCTS AND SERVICES YOU OFFER.”
backward shot. Feb. 9 is National Pizza Day, and who wouldn’t want to play pool on Pizza Day? Feb. 11 is Make a Friend Day, promote how friendship and billiards go together. Or, Kassian says, you can even designate a day “National Billiard Day” since the National Day Calendar doesn’t have one yet. “Mostly it's about thinking outside the box,” Kassian says. “Who can you copromote with to boost sales? Can any of your vendors come and give a live demonstration? Can you package some products? Maybe work with an interior designer to showcase billiard/pool tables in homes. Host a giveaway.” Then of course, there are more traditional holidays. We barely get over Christmas before it’s time to start shopping for Valentine’s Day. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day are holidays when kids are home, offering an opportunity to promote how pool can promote family time. And before you know it, you’ll be ready to promote spring sales!
THEY WILL RETURN One thing retailers can count on is that people will be coming to their stores after the holidays to return things. This presents an opportunity. Ask the customers why they’re making the return. Perhaps there’s an alternate product you can suggest to better meet their needs. 40 | BCA INSIDER • NEW YEAR ISSUE 2018
Keeping new and exciting products on display is a great way to catch the eyes of customers making returns. Advertise release dates of new items billiard devotees are sure to be interested in. Offer a discount, coupon or special deal to customers who make a return, with the stipulation that the discount expires in 30 days.
GIFT CARDS KEEP ON GIVING Jim Herst of Perceptive Selling Initiative in Highland Park, Illinois, says gift cards are a great way to keep business strong. “Gift cards can be designed to achieve any objective,” he says. “Costs are low, and distribution is easy and fully targetable.” If you already offer gift cards, you’ll likely have customers coming in to buy something with the cards they got for Christmas. This is another reason why being well stocked after the holidays is important. Sales beyond the gift card value are also possible. Once a billiard player buys a cool accessory, he or she is likely to get the shopping bug and want more stuff. Another idea is to sell high-end items that cost more than the gift card. Suppose a customer has a $100 gift card and wants to buy a rack that costs $150. Sell them on the concept that by spending the $50, they’re getting the rack they want at a value price.
HOST AN EVENT The billiard industry offers terrific opportunities to present events people will want to attend. Host a friendly competition, or bring a professional player in to talk about their careers, or to offer tips. Host a clinic focusing on one aspect of the game. Another great idea is hosting a launch party or event for a new product. Bring people from the company to the store to answer questions about the product. If an in-person appearance isn’t an option, you can arrange a Q-and-A session via Skype. Serve refreshments and make the atmosphere friendly and welcoming.
PROMOTE YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE You and your staff are a terrific tool to increase sales. Call customers who made purchases from you over the holidays, especially those who bought tables. Ask them if they have any questions or if there are any accessories they’d like to have. If a customer enters your store asking about an item that you don’t have in stock, get contact information, and call the customer when you have the item. Let regular customers know about products and services you offer. And be sure that all of your employees treat customers like kings and queens. That should be a year-round policy, of course, but at this slower time of the year, it can be make-or-break in terms of sales. Smart thinking, planning, promoting and effective use of technology can keep the winter blues away, and keep sales strong.
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CONNECTING IN AN INSTANT!
USING INSTAGRAM AS A MARKETING TOOL FOR YOUR BILLIARD BUSINESS! By Lynn Switanowski They say a picture is worth a thousand words – and with today’s new social media tool – Instagram – that is truer than ever! Is your billiard business ready to use pictures and videos to connect with customers in 2018?
WHAT IS INSTAGRAM AND WHY USE IT FOR YOUR BUSINESS? Instagram is a creative social media community focused on delivering messages via photos and video. Instagram is a mobile social media site that can be accessed via phone or tablet. It is NOT a desktop application (though there are tools to convert it on your computer, if you must). The key to success of the Instagram platform is all about the quality of the photo and the tools you use to share the message with followers on the site. This makes Instagram unique from other social networks as it allows both users and viewers to scroll images as works of art while telling a story. And users are loving it!
HOW CAN YOU USE INSTAGRAM TO REACH NEW CUSTOMERS AND GENERATE SALES? 1. Post photos daily and use hashtags (#) that are relevant to your store, your customers and your local community and followers of your pages. 2. Post videos to help tell your story effectively – Instagram uses videos that are only 10 to 15 seconds long.
3. Run contests on your Instagram page to engage your current followers and to elicit new followers. 4. Sell directly to your customers via Instagram.
When your page has enough traction and you’re gaining followers and getting lots of comment and shares, the next step will be to advertise and sell directly to customers on your Instagram page. As Facebook owns Instagram, advertising will become a key to use for your success. Getting started on Instagram is easy, and best of all, you can post directly to your Facebook page at the same time. Knowing that these two powerful companies are one in the same, you can expect that Instagram will keep adding features and benefits, growing the community during 2018 and beyond. This makes Instagram a powerful marketing opportunity for 42 | billiard BCA INSIDER businesses • NEWof YEAR all size ISSUE – what 2018 are you waiting for?
INSTAGRAM FACTS & FIGURES:
800 80% 71% 2 ~
MILLION USERS PER MONTH OF USERS FOLLOW ONE OR MORE BRANDS OF U.S. BUSINESSES ARE USING INSTAGRAM IN 2018 MILLION MONTHLY ADVERTISERS
6 TIPS TO HELP YOUR PAGE SUCCEED:
1 2 3 4 5 6
Set up a business account and take advantage of Insights and Ads. Use pictures and videos that highlight the personality of your store. Use hashtags, link companies and products, and include a short caption. Run contests where you ask followers to like a post or share a specific hashtag. Offer specials to your followers to build loyalty in your community. Follow brands and companies outside of your industry for ideas and inspiration.
F i n a l ly a b i l l i a rd c l o th cl e an e r th a t d o e s n ’t s u c k
The truth about most billiard cloth cleaners is most suck in one way or another. A vacuum cleaner sucks up chalk dust but can damage your cloth. A traditional brush just moves chalk dust around the cloth and other maintenance products can stretch or discolour the cloth. The truth is theres only one way to truly clean your billiard cloth and that's with the new Simonis X-1. The Simonis X-1 removes chalk dust and conditions your billiard cloth by creating its own static charge lifting chalk particles out of the cloth and trapping them in its revolutionary high tech design. Keep your cloth playing truer longer. The Simonis X-1.
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