BCA Spring Issue | May 1, 2018
KEYS TO AN
EFFECTIVE WEBSITE A MARKET FOR
USED TABLES
SELLING TO THE PROS SCORE BIG SALES WITH FOOSBALL
BCA Insider – A BCA Member Publication Dedicated to Businesses in the Billiard and Home Leisure Industry.
Rustic Elegance. Vienna Collection
Indulge in the pleasure of a masterfully designed Vienna Pool Table well-adorned with a rustic silvered oak ďŹ nish and set ďŹ rmly on V-shaped pedestal metal legs with unique trimmings! This intricately designed game collection is manufactured using the ďŹ nest pieces of premium oak wood. To see more of this collection visit us at presidentialbilliards.com. Make every game a memorable experience any family will surely enjoy!
presidentialbilliards.com
Al Williams
Selling to the Pros
14 Keith Loria
A Market for Used Tables
18 Anthony Stoeckert
Score Big Sales with Foosball
34 2 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
IN THIS ISSUE 6 8 24 28 40 44 48
A Simple Tip to Get More Customers Brian Offenberger Keys to an Effective Website Anthony Stoeckert Building Customer Loyalty Charles S. Donnavan Member Profile: Century Billiards Anthony Stoeckert Reviews and Referrals Lynn Switanowski Tourist Attractions in the Big Easy Charles S. Donnavan Using Contests to Drum Up Business Keith Loria
The truest playing products. The truest value.
Founded upon unwavering principles of quality and value, 2013 marked Simonis’ 333rd continuous year in business. We are the oldest company in the billiard industry, but being the oldest doesn’t make us the best... being the best has made us the oldest. Premium brands, premium products, premium value. Iwan Simonis. ®
A u t h e n t i c. A c c u r a t e. A l w a y s. ®
www.simoniscloth.com
OPENING LETTER EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Keith Loria billiardskeith@gmail.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Lynn Switanowski
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Charles S. Donnavan Brian Offenberger Anthony Stoeckert Lynn Switanowski Al Williams
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
It’s been 15+ years since the BCA Expo has taken place in New Orleans. As we do with all BCA Expo location decisions, we develop criteria, a committee to help review the criteria and visit the final cities for consideration in person if we haven’t been to the city in the recent past. In reviewing New Orleans, we visited the city in 2017 to gain an understanding of the convention center, the hotels, and quite honestly, to get an up-close-and-personal understanding of the city they call The Big Easy. As I toured the facilities and city, I tried to observe and take notice of the locals, including waitstaff, Uber drivers, tour guides and bartenders to get the city’s true feel. They seemed happy and eager to serve, but in a relaxed and genuine way. They also expressed a deep pride for their history and city, despite many challenges, including the ongoing recovery efforts of Katrina. The facilities required to host the BCA Expo, including the convention center and host hotels, were updated and capture the “flavor” of NOLA. Those attending the BCA Expo this summer will not only create fond memories of the event itself, but of a city that has done an amazing job rebuilding after such devastation. Commit today to exhibiting or attending the BCA Expo, you will not be disappointed! Make the best of your purpose for being on the exhibit floor and then set aside time for fun in The Big Easy. Whether it’s the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, the World War II Museum, the 300th anniversary city-wide celebration, a cruise down the river, or dining in one of the numerous world-class restaurants within minutes of your hotel, I am confident the BCA Expo in The Big Easy will be a huge success! See Y’all in N’awlins!
CHAIRMAN Chance Pack, Champion Shuffleboard/ Connelly Billiards/Valley-Dynamo
VICE-CHAIRMAN Ivan Lee, Iwan Simonis
SECRETARY Wes Bond, Cue & Case Sales
TREASURER
CHANCE PACK,
BCA CHAIRMAN
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 • SPRING ISSUE 2018
P.S. Former BCA Board of Director, and native Louisianan, Jonathan Goudeau has promised to buy all BCA members a drink (or two) if they walk up to him, shake his hand and say, “Laissez les bons temps rouler!” BCA Insider is published by Billiard Congress of America © 2018 bcainsider.com
A SIMPLE TIP TO GET MORE CUSTOMERS By Brian Offenberger Many of us built our business on customer referrals. These “word of mouth” recommendations have always been a key to success. Today, word of mouth recommendations takes the form of online reviews. Having a consistent stream of online reviews can often determine the difference between success and failure. Here’s why: Online reviews are the most important factor for local market search engine rankings, according to a study at the University of California at Irvine. Researchers found that reviews, and the keywords used within reviews, impact search engine rankings in local markets more than any other factor. If top search engine rankings are important to your local business, it’s imperative that you get a steady stream of online reviews.
spond to negative feedback. If you sell products online, make sure customers can leave reviews of your products on the product pages of your website. Ask for more reviews. Request them at all customer touchpoints. Studies show you’ll get up to 60 percent more reviews simply by asking. I like to put in place automated systems that send customers an email and/or text message requesting a review.
WHAT IF YOU GET A NEGATIVE REVIEW?
Here’s what you should do if you get a negative review: Understand what’s being said in the review. It’s hard to be objective but it’s vital to your success as a business owner. Negative reviews can highlight some issues you need to correct and, if you ignore them, could lead to even more negative reviews.
GET MORE REVIEWS
Let the person who left the negative review know that you’ve received their comments and are doing something about it. Do that by leaving a comment where the online review appears instead of a private phone call or message.
6 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
In business today, the importance of online reviews can’t be understated. Online reviews can often be the first thing a potential customer goes to before doing anything else. Be proactive by putting an online review generation and management system in place to benefit your business.
It’s nearly impossible to please everyone. Negative reviews are a fact of life. View them as an opportunity to understand customers and improve.
Potential customers trust reviews. No one will shop with you if they don’t trust you, especially online. Studies show that 88 percent of all potential customers trust online reviews just as they would a personal recommendation from a family member, co-worker, or friend.
Claim your business listings on places where you can be reviewed. If you want more online reviews, it goes without saying that there needs to be a place where customers can include them. Make sure you’ve set up and claimed your profile on review sites like Google, Facebook, Yelp and others. Profiles are also handy if you need to re-
you need to monitor what’s being said about your company and its products on review sites, blogs and social media platforms. Set up a free Google Alert based on your business and product name.This should let you know whenever someone has mentioned your business, so you can respond quickly.
Respond promptly. By responding promptly, people know you take customer service seriously. Customers expect a quick response. Because of this,
BRIAN OFFENBERGER Brian Offenberger, CeM, CSMA, is the founder of Right On – No Bull Marketing, a small business marketing agency. Brian will be a featured speaker at the upcoming BCA Expo. Reach Brian at Brian@righton-nobull.com.
"Quality and Value…Redefined." w w w.TOLTECLTG.com Tel: 800-722-0601 • Fax: 800-875-9526 • sales@toltecltg.com
KEYS TO AN EFFECTIVE WEBSITE GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR ONLINE PLATFORM WITH INSIGHTS FROM THE EXPERTS By Anthony Stoeckert
Technology is always changing, but even as people are spending more time with their mobile devices, it’s still important for billiard retailers to have a quality website.
much the same as any other,” he says. “Build awareness, generate traffic and convert leads or drive them to your brick and mortar store.”
For new customers, your website is likely to be their introduction to your store. It should be effective, easy to use, and filled with relevant information. More and more online shopping is done via mobile devices, but lots of customers are still purchasing via a computer or laptop directly from a website.
Here are some insights into how you can make your store’s website do that.
Shopping on a computer offers a bigger screen so that visitors can get a better view of your products. This is especially true of pool tables: imagine looking at a pool table on a large computer screen, compared to a smaller phone screen.
A website should be welcoming, letting visitors know exactly what your brand is, and how the website can help them learn about what you have to offer, and to make purchases.
Other factors to consider are that some people find it easier to navigate their way through a website via a computer, plus quite a few shoppers are doing their buying at work while on a break, and they often do that on a computer or laptop. So what makes a good website? According to Pierre de Braux, a content specialist for Spiralytics Inc., it starts with the basics. “The goals of most small business retail websites are pretty 8 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
DRAW IN VISITORS FROM THE START Alex Vasili, head of brand at Website Builder Expert (www. websitebuilderexpert.com) suggests connecting with your users immediately. That requires understanding who those users are and what they want from your site and brand. He quotes the author and motivational speaker Simon Sinek, who said, “We trust people and businesses who believe what we believe.” Vasili says that trust should be established from the moment a customer visits your site.
“You can do this by making your proposition clear and open with an aspirational image of your product or service in use. Show the users that you understand their needs and you are on your way to building trust and turning users into customers,” he says.
MAKE IT EASY Have you ever visited a website for a business, then searched pages and clicked links just to find the most basic information like a phone number or address? Some people want to use your website mainly as a way to find out the basics about your store, and if they have to go hunting for the simplest information, they’ll likely give up quickly. “People have very short attention spans, especially when it comes to the web, so for whatever you are selling, make it easy for people to contact you,” says Robert Barrows of R.M. Barrows Advertising and Public Relations. “Give your contact information on the homepage. People also like to talk to a human, so set up your telephone number to connect to a real live person.” When potential customers arrive at your site, you want to keep them there and convince them to make a purchase or head to your store. One of the keys to achieving that goal is by making sure you’re providing people with the information they need. “Many business owners become blinded by the fact that they know too much about their own business,” says Hilary Young, who helps businesses improve their websites through her consulting firm, Hilary Young Creative. “This leads them to make assumptions, or connecting dots that the customer might not be making. So, for a billiard retailer, you would want people to know your hours, your location, how many tables you have available to customers, etc.”
“
MANY BUSINESS OWNERS BECOME BLINDED BY THE FACT THAT THEY KNOW TOO MUCH ABOUT THEIR OWN BUSINESS.”
She says one of the biggest mistakes businesses make is failing to organize pages in a way that lays out information for customers. “Your site should be able to guide them through a logical path, providing different pieces of information along the way,” Young says. “This also means including relevant internal links on the homepage, and throughout the site, to make it easier for people to find the information they need in one click. This helps with SEO efforts as well.”
FOCUS ON YOUR CONTENT Written content is another important step. Dayne Shuda of the blogging agency Ghost Blog Writers, suggests writing your content before the website is designed. “Having the content first gives the designer a much better idea of how to map out the site,” Shuda says. “It takes time, usually more than most business owners are willing to do, but it's critical that any information your salesperson has, the website has as well.” Written content includes product descriptions and company information. Shuda says if you’re not a writer, record your descriptions of products and other content, just as you were talking with a customer face to face, and hire someone to transcribe it. Or hire a professional writer. Publish content that answers questions you’re commonly asked by customers. Articles about options such as pool table size, design, price and other factors can help a customer make a buying decision. Also important, de Braux says, is to feature relevant calls-toaction on all of your website’s pages. “A buyer can make their final decision at virtually any point, which is why you need to provide them with a clear, simple way to take the next step, no matter what page they’re on,” he says. Kristine Neil, creative director for Markon Brands, a communications agency that specializes in brand identity design, suggests providing potential customers with information that will encourage them to make a purchase. “A robust FAQ-style set of technical details can help ease anxiety about purchasing the product as well,” she says. “Retailers should make sure their websites are information-rich. This not only helps with search engine optimization, but helps customers decide if they should convert or not.”
BCAINSIDER.COM | 9
KEEP IT CURRENT
LET’S START SELLING
Also important is keeping the content on your website fresh and up to date.
De Braux says that while providing capability for online purchases is an obvious step to take, billiard retailers need to include certain information on their website to encourage sales.
“Times change, and so should your site,” says Anne Hoglund of the digital marketing firm Netmark. “Keeping your website modern and relevant will make sure that you keep attracting new customers as well as keep the ones you have. Using new and modern themes as well as regularly updating and adding to content is a great way for a site to stay relevant and effective.” Shuda adds that the content also need to be updated regularly. “Customers want to know that the information they’re looking at is recent,” he says. “That means having your products up to date.That means possibly having a blog that’s updated at least monthly and ideally one to two times each week.” Including a blog as part of your site is a good idea, but Shuda recommends not falling into the trap of turning blog posts into long sales pitches for products. Instead, he says a site should answer general questions about builders, and provide useful information in order to gain their trust.
AN EYE ON DESIGN If you want people to visit and use your website, the way it looks and the ability for customers to navigate their way through your site are absolutely vital. Hoglund says a website should be appealing to visitors and easy to use. “Take advantage of eye-catching graphics and descriptions,” she says. “Make sure to engage and interact with your customers, and try to give them as good of an experience visiting your site as they would coming to your business in person. With the ever-shrinking attention rates, if you can’t capture their interest, you’ve already lost.” Young adds that a site should be responsive. “Since the majority of searches are done on mobile devices or tablets, it’s incredibly important to have a responsive design for your business site,” she says. “This will not only ensure that people searching on hand-held devices will still be able to find the information they are looking for, it will also help boost your organic SEO.”
10 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
“For a business that sells billiard equipment, you can safely assume that buyers are highly involved in the buying process,” de Braux says. “Billiard products are highly customizable and generally not an everyday purchase. That’s why it’s important to provide customers with the information they need to make an educated decision.” Shuda suggests billiard retailers focus their websites on the in-person sales process, from the moment a customer first gets interested in buying a pool table or other product. “A website is an online salesperson,” he says. “It needs to take the online customer through the exact same process. It needs to answer all the same questions that a customer would ask if they walked into the store and asked one of the salespeople.” One of the first steps of the selling process is pricing. “It’s one of, if not the, first thing most customers look for, especially in retail,” Shuda says. “They want to know if they’re even in the right ballpark with their estimate.” Another suggestion from Shuda is to make sure your website doesn’t pressure customers to make a purchase. “If a customer walks into your store you probably don’t say, ‘Buy this table!’ as your opening greeting,” Shuda says. “Yet if you go to many business websites, you’re bombarded with ‘Buy Now’ buttons and ‘Subscribe’ pop-ups and all kinds of things. Take customers through the normal sales process.”
“
USING TRACKING TOOLS ... CAN SHOW YOU EXACTLY WHERE THE SALES FUNNEL IS GOING WRONG.”
He adds that retailers should group products, because few products are purchased in isolation. “Once you have successfully helped users find the product that works for them, give them the context that this product can be used in, and allow this to inspire their next purchase,” he says. For example, if your website features pictures of a game room, visitors who come looking for a new cue may get the idea to buy a pool table light. And when showcasing new cloth, complement that promotion with a table cover. Send the message that if someone is investing in new cloth, they’ll want to protect it. “A lot of online retailers miss this trick by showing only the product, it is of course important that you give customers the chance to properly explore the product, but don’t miss the chance to inspire their next purchase too,” says Mike Sims, founder and owner of ThinkLions, a web and app development and consulting agency. “Ensure your navigation groups products together, and your site architecture allows them to be displayed on the same page as the related products.” Another way to promote sales and keep content current is by showcasing the latest products. This is especially effective with things like cues, balls, chalk, racks and other products that complement a table because those items are the kind that bring enthusiasts back to your site. “Nothing beats new, so if you are offering a new service or product, you need to make sure that it gets promoted so you can draw in more people,” says Ann Hoglund of Netmark, a digital marketing agency that works in web design, and which has worked with a billiard retailer on a website. “A great way to promote new items internally is to add a new banner telling all about how amazing your new product is. You can also promote it by offering deals, or making postings and ads on social media and search engines. Let the world know all about what you have to offer.”
PART OF AN OVERALL STRATEGY Neil says a good website should be part of a store’s approach to sales. “Billiard retailers can benefit from the same strategies that many other large-item, tangible-product retailers can benefit from,” Neil says. “The first tip is to realize that their website, social media, in-store, and print marketing efforts are all interconnected. Each should complement the other.”
She says a chief component of that is branding and photography. Branding – use of color, typography and messaging – should be consistent through all mediums, and the same style of photography should be used in print and digital marketing. “It’s up to retailers to determine what style of photography best serves their brand, but once they do, they should use it in all of the spaces where they market their business,” she says. “If they are selling billiard tables online, video of the table in use can be powerful.”
KNOW WHAT’S IMPORTANT TO YOUR CUSTOMERS Your website can have everything going for it – an effective design, beautiful photography, usability and helpful information about your business. But what really matters is knowing how your visitors use your site. “When it comes to online retail, it’s important to know that the most important information is showcased on your site in the areas that customers are actually looking,” Sims says. “It’s nice to have great sales copy and an awesome call to action, but none of it matters if site visitors never see it.” He suggest installing “heatmaps” and screen recording software, which tracks the most visited and used parts of your website. “Track user behavior to consistently make improvements to the site,” Sims says. “These insights will allow you to organize your information more effectively, improve user engagement, and optimize your page for maximum conversion.” Something else to keep track of is conversion rate optimization, or CRO. “Even though this is crucial to making sales, quite often we don’t focus on it,” Hoglund says. “CRO is an essential tool for business. Using tracking tools such as Google Analytics can show you exactly where the sales funnel is going wrong. When you can easily see the problem, then you know exactly what to fix in order to get satisfied customers.” Another aspect of CRO is making sure that all the hard work that you have put into building your website doesn’t go down the drain by some simple flaws. Testing and changing your site as needed will help ensure that your customers’ sales journey will run as smoothly as possible.
BCAINSIDER.COM | 11
Fun for the Whole Family
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BCA {MEMBERS ONLY}
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VELOCITY FOOSBALL TABLE BY HJ SCOTT • 1 ½” HPL (High Pressure Laminate) wood cabinet with scratch, heat, moisture, & fade resistance • Hollow & secure high-strength steel rods with anti-skidding comfort grip handles • Reinforced metal legs with Antiskidding adjustable leg levelers • Counterbalanced men attached by “C” shaped pins • Impact resistant & sound dampening silica gel bumpers • Wear resistant & easily assembling nylon bearings • Dual Side ball return system
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SELLING TO THE PROS By Al Williams They seem like such an obvious market: Professional players, at the top of the sport, who are always looking for an edge. They’re in constant search of that tiny advantage – perhaps that one new piece of equipment – that helps them get even better when they’re already among the best. But while pro players may be an enticing target audience for retailers and manufacturers, they are not an easy one. They know their game – and thus, their equipment – well. They’re already sponsored by manufacturers, and therefore are loyal. But still, they’re always looking, always stretching, always wanting to get better. That’s what makes them the best. To help retailers and manufacturers learn the best ways to connect with pro players, we’re taking you inside the minds 14 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
of two of the best: BCA Hall of Famers Johnny Archer and LoreeJon Hasson. Here are our conversations, edited for space and clarity:
LOREEJON HASSON Once you reached the top level of the game, what improvements have you tried to make? I came back after many years and looked at it going, “Gosh, what do I do? I already know I can play. How do I improve?” For me personally, I’m learning one-pocket. It’s a game I detested. I look forward to it. That’s all I practiced, actually, yesterday. As I look at all the great players, everybody plays
one-pocket. They’re so excited to play one-pocket. Finally, at the beginning of the year (in 2017), I went to Sammy (Jones, her coach) and said, “Don’t faint, but I think I need to learn how to play one-pocket. I really want to get to a better level, and I think this game will overall help.” Once you how know how to make the shots, once you know how to break and run out; I might make a wrong choice here and there, and Sammy will let me know. But you need to challenge yourself if you want to get better.
What equipment has been helpful to you? I’m so old-school, personally, but with my sponsor being Meucci, and his cues were always low-deflection, and he has improved that throughout the years. I use the pro shaft now, and I love that. It does deflect a little bit less. As a player, that’s something that I like. I’m always going to look for a better break cue stick. Break cues are something that constantly evolve, and get a little bit better. How far can you go with it? They always tweak something, it seems. I love the extensions on the cue sticks. That’s a big thing that has helped everyone’s game. Jump cue sticks, per se, have gotten way better. But as far as making your shots, I don’t care what you use. If you can’t make one with, you can’t make one without. My biggest thing is learn the basics: Mechanics, mechanics, mechanics. Part of equipment is your body, I think.
That’s the foundation of it. The foundation is the whole thing. If you’re talking to a player who already has it, then yeah, I think different things enhance it. Even if it’s mental. Even if it’s just a little bit mental, and it helps you, that’s good. That’s OK. I’m not going to say that doesn’t happen. Mentally, when you get something new, and oh my gosh, you can’t miss with it. As long as it helps you in some aspect, then go for it. Cue sticks, and everything
like that, are very personal. There are cue sticks worth thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars. There are even Meuccis that Meucci made for me that are like, “Oh, I don’t like the way this hits!” I don’t know why; I just don’t. It just didn’t feel right. If you pick up a $100 cue stick or a $7,000 cue stick, if it feels good to you, that’s the cue for you. And if you can afford it, obviously.
Plus, when you’re a pro, you generally know where your equipment is coming from. I’m very blessed. I know where I’m getting my stuff from, and I’m very thankful. I have a beautiful Gil Castillo case. I put a picture on Facebook. Here is somebody who is proud to have me have his case, and I’m proud to support it. It’s the first leather case that weighs nothing overall. It is the lightest; I don’t know how he does it.
What advice can you offer to manufacturers about connecting with players? If a manufacturer was looking for someone, it would be wise to know the players. Manufacturers that don’t think you need players, you do. All of you. Every single one of you. If you want your cue stick out there and known, and you have players out there winning, they’re going to put it out there. Social media has changed the dynamic. People follow you. They do. Manufacturers need the players just like the players need the manufacturers. Even if you can help a little bit. It doesn’t mean you have to break the bank, but do something. Pay someone’s entrance fees for a year up to a certain amount of money. It’s hard for players. I don’t know how they do it, players who have to go out there and pay all their way. It’s very difficult. Someday we are going to be back onTV again.Forget this livestream BCAINSIDER.COM | 15
stuff. We’re going to be back on TV again. And when we are, you already want to be there. Even the juniors, I see the cue stick manufacturers that are smart, giving the kids the cues. They’re smart. Play with my cue now, you’re going to play with it for the rest of your life.
JOHNNY ARCHER How often have manufacturers approached you with products? A hundred times. Two hundred times. Fifty times.
So, plenty of times. Many times. Here’s the thing: Every manufacturer that’s come to me believes in what they have. They really, truly believe in what they have. It’s all good. Every shaft is good, every tip is good. I will know within the first three balls I hit if it matches me, or if it’s anything close to matching me. I’ll know right then, within two minutes. I don’t need somebody to come to me and say, “Give it a week.” I’m not going to give it a week. My stroke today isn’t going to change a week from now. The way I hit it is not going to change a week from now. So I need it to react better for me right now. Not when I’m trying to get used to it.
Let’s talk about practice. How often, and where, do you like to practice? I’ve never been big on practicing a lot. Even back when I was a teenager, I always tried to play against somebody. To me, that was my practice. Shane (Van Boening) is one on the other side. He likes to hit balls for four or five hours. I’m the dead opposite case… If I can put in a solid hour of practice a day, where I’m really focusing, for three or four days in a row, that’s plenty for me.
What type of improvements do you try to make to your game? It’s always something to help me be more consistent – not so much actual improvements of my game, or doing something I’ve never done before. I’m always trying to figure out a little niche, or a little something with helping me be consistent. I would assume that for top players, that’s what they do. We’re always learning a shot here and there. Maybe it’s a safety, or making it a little easier to play in a certain position. But as far as certain ways to hit a ball to have it go around for position, when we get to a top level, I don’t think that’s a shot we’ll have not figured out, or at least tried before then. 16 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
How about products? Do you look for new ones? They probably are out there. I’m one that doesn’t really try a lot of new products. (Note: Archer uses Scorpion cues.) I’m always trying a different type of shaft – a different wood, a different wood type – or maybe different tips. But as far as changing my whole game, say, from going from the wood shaft that I use to a Predator shaft with supposedly less deflection, or whatever the new ones are, to me that’s more the modern game. I compare that to Diamond tables against Gold Crown. The way I look at it is people who came along before, say, 1995, are probably going to prefer Gold Crowns. Players that came along after 1995 are probably going to prefer Diamonds. To me, that would be more of the Predator shafts against, say, regular wood shafts. They say wood shafts have more deflection. All that is in your mind anyway.You’re trying to draw an imaginary line in your mind from the cue ball to the object ball to the pocket. Now you have to adjust along the way with speed, with spin, with certain ways to get in position. You have to play all that out in your mind. There is not a shaft or a tip or anything that will make that easier or better for you. It’s in your mind.
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A MARKET FOR USED TABLES By Keith Loria People sell pool tables for a variety of reasons. Maybe they’ve faced a lifestyle change such as a divorce or their kids have moved out; perhaps they need to turn the game room into a bedroom for an elderly parent; or maybe they just stopped playing and the table takes up too much room. Although many people try to sell these tables on their own – and one only needs to look through Craigslist ads to see this is so – the better way to do it is to sell to a reputable billiard retailer who specializes in used tables. 18 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
Shane Bouchard, owner of Maine Home Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, has been dealing in used tables for years, though he admits lately it has been harder to find tables priced reasonably as people are trying to get more value than many are worth. “At our peak, we were doing about 200 a year. Now, we’re struggling a little so we’re transitioning more to selling new tables,” he says. “When I first got into this business, the person I was working for said there was no reason to sell used tables and I disagreed.
When I started my own business, I perfected a model and it became a big success for me early on.” Jason Beck, owner of Beck’s Billiards in Phoenix, Arizona, specializes in used equipment, with approximately 95 percent of the business falling into the used category. “We didn’t start this way, but we evolved into this after seeing the success selling used tables,” he says. “Once you are not selling Olhausen or Connelly, you’re competing with inferior
tables on the market. You can choose to sell other manufacturers, but I found you actually get more of a margin from selling the higher-end tables used.” Plus, Beck says, people seem to want to own the better tables – especially if they don’t have to pay a whole lot of money for them. The deals for used tables present tremendous savings. For instance, currently the store has a 7-foot Olhausen Southern Pool Table for sale for $1,595, an 8-foot Connelly Coronado table for $2,695 and an 8-foot Olhausen Custom by Kip Merritt Design for $3,995. Considering the latter normally commands upwards of $20,000, this is a great deal for someone who wants to play on the higher-end tables. Additionally, all of Beck’s used tables come with a lifetime level warranty and a 5-year parts and labor warranty on the slate, rubber, and pockets. Beck notes this is an even better warranty than what you get from the manufacturer because the manufacturer does not cover the labor. At any time, Pro Billiards - Pool Table Service & Sales, located in Brighton, Michigan, has more than 150 models of used pool tables in stock and every table comes with a 1-year warranty. “We have access to every make and model of new, so if someone wants that, we can get it, but we find more and more people are looking for used tables,” says Juston Markell, owner of the store. “People would rather have an American-made 10-year-old table than something that is cheaply made today, which would run about the same price.” For example, Markell believes someone would much rather play on a Brunswick Mission style table from a decade ago than some fancy-looking table made overseas today. “We buy tables, refurbish them and the customer walks away with a table at a
nice price point,” he says. “We won’t buy pre-owned tables that are entry level; we only deal in higher-end tables.”
BUYING A TABLE Before agreeing to buy any table, Beck asks for lots of pictures and a good description of the table to see if it’s worth his time. After all, even if it’s a top model and an ideal table, if it’s beat up with scratches and big problems, it won’t sell. He’s learned that even if a table is free, sometimes it’s not worth it. “If it is, we will go with the intention of buying it and taking it right there and then,” he says. “If we get there and the table is in good condition and we agree on a price, we handle everything.” Typically, he will travel as far as 50 miles to see a table.
pening to the table or home on the way out and offer a fair price. “A lot of tables you will buy for $1,500 out the door, and when we disassemble, move and reassemble, add cloth and fix it up, you add another $800 or so as the going rate,” he says. “The sale is not always about the money.What I will get in the future – referrals, sales of lights or accessories, etc., makes it worthwhile.”
THE RIGHT TABLES “The secret to being a success at this is to have the right inventory,” Bouchard says. “When I was selling new tables, I was competing with better table companies. Now, mine are almost as good but at a lower price. The people buying these brands have done their homework so there’s very little convincing you need to do. You’re no longer competing price wise.”
The thing that helped Bouchard the most early on was Craigslist and he still utilizes it for much of his used business. “I search it daily in my coverage area to see what is available. I spend maybe 15 minutes a day, so it’s not a huge time commitment,” he says. “If someone has a table that I think will work, I call them. I also advertise our moving service and I run my own ads telling people I buy used tables.” Bouchard has established a value-perpool-table formula based on his years of doing this, so he knows exactly what he can offer for each table he buys.
Used tables may take up a lot of room, but they usually sell quick.
“Some people think tables are worth far more than what they really are,” he says. “We buy a ton of tables so we understand the true value.” The thing that has made Bouchard a success at this is that when he buys a table, he lets the seller understand that as professionals, he and his team come in, pick it up, are insured against anything hap-
Top billiard tables can be had for a fraction of the cost of a new table. BCAINSIDER.COM | 19
there is a market for used balls, cues, lights and just about anything to do with the family game room – even chalk! Although Beck’s Billiards carries a large assortment of other used equipment and accessories, Beck notes it’s not really a big profit maker and it’s not the greatest use of a business’ time. “We carry everything – ping pong tops, lights, cues, chairs, etc. – but that stuff takes so long to sell and there’s so little profit that the only reason we even carry it is so that if someone asks for it, we have it,” he says. “There are times when people come in who buy a used table who just want to buy everything used.”
Not every used table is worth buying and most used dealers don’t even bother with those that aren’t made in America or are completely rundown with scratches and lots of problems. “There are a couple of different styles you don’t buy, but we look for the ones that are in better shape,” Beck says. “Let’s say you have a Connelly that’s 15 years old with dead rubber and not very good pockets. You would need to obviously make the table like new or you can’t sell it. For a table like that, it’s worth putting the time and money into improving it.” The Connelly and Olhaussen tables are the bread-and-butter for Beck, and he says that once he puts one on the market, it usually sells within a month without any need for haggling.
Because those selling tables usually have the other items that go along with the table, Bouchard has quite a collection of used accessories for sale as well. “Normally, I tell them they can probably get more if they sell individually on Craigslist themselves, but I offer them an all-in price since I need to use up shelf space, and most people will sell everything to me for about 50 percent of what it’s worth because they don’t want to go through the hassle,” he says. “There is a good market for things like beer mirrors, lights or some chairs. Certain cues are in demand and we get some really good deals.” When Markell buys a used table, he typically makes an offer for the entire room. This way, he’s getting everything from the triangle and chalk to chairs and lights.
“With other tables, those that are older, a lighter wood or a goofy model, we have to bargain,” he says. “We’ll set the number high in the showroom and give room for people to negotiate.”
“A lot of times, things end up in the dumpster, but once in a while you find a needle in the haystack,” he says. “One time we got a Richard Black cue, which was probably worth $1,000. And we’ve picked up about 75 Willie Hoppe Brunswick cues.”
MORE THAN TABLES?
MONEY MATTERS
There are always people who will be looking for bargains and that means
Selling used tables can be a profitable business. Beck says that his goal for any
20 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
table is a minimum of $1,000, but he always tries to double his money. “Our showroom is 1,100 square feet so we can fit 16 assembled tables on the floor at one time, but we try not to put tables out that will take up a lot of time,” he says. “If they are out there three months, it eats into the other tables.” Any table that does last that long on the floor will quickly see a price reduction. A challenge for those who sell used tables is where to put them, especially if you don’t have much warehouse space and inventory is building up. For that reason, Bouchard offers to sell used tables on a consignment base. “I get photos of the table, a description of the condition and the sale is contingent on the table being as described,” he says. “When it sells, I pick it up and move directly to the new house so I am guaranteed to get the moving job and set-up fee, which is where my money comes in.”
ADVICE FOR CUSTOMERS When people ask Beck about used tables, the most important tip he offers is to look at the manufacturer and buy a table made in the U.S. with a strong reputation. “Once you choose a model, you want to be sure that the slate is in good condition, ask if it has ever been moved and by whom,” he says. “People should probably walk away from a table if they say they moved it themselves. Many times, pool tables will end up with broken slate when they are moved without being taken apart. Look under the table to see if the slate or frame has any cracks. Finally, check to see how the ball rolls on the table. Does it bounce off of the cushions or can you hear a thud when it hits the side rail. If you hear a thud and the cushion rubber is hard to the touch, it needs to be replaced.”
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BUILDING CUSTOMER LOYALTY By Charles S. Donnavan One of the chief principles of operating a successful retail business is providing solid customer service, and in the billiard world, that means getting to know your customers and their needs, filling those needs and anticipating ways to enhance the game. “The best and proven method for building loyalty is to provide personalized experiences to customers,” says Ashwin Ramesh, CEO of Synup. “Creating a personalized experience might sound complicated, expensive or daunting, especially when there are so many other aspects of the billiard business that need attention, but it’s actually not.” Studies have shown that the average U.S. retail store spends 4 to 6 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an existing one, so it’s more expen24 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
sive for your retail business to generate new customers, meaning you should always be working to maximize the value of your existing customers. Those who do so successfully will keep their customers coming back again and again. James Daddio, a veteran retail expert, says merchants with the best customer experience will have better customer retention, improve customer satisfaction, and increase cross-selling and up-selling. Merchants who don’t, face the risk of failure. “Exceptional customer experiences entail so much today,” he says. “It requires relationship building, personalization, use of the latest technology, top-rated customer service, creative marketing,
and consistent cross-channel selling, all among many other things.” A recent study by Convero revealed that the more often a customer returns to your store, the more likely they are to make a purchase. The findings showed that after one purchase, a customer has a 27 percent chance of returning to the store. But, if you get them to come back a second or third time, they have a 54 percent chance of making another purchase. Loyal customers represent a better chance for repeat purchases. Here are some tips on how to build loyalty with your customers:
Get To Know Them
Thanks to the digital age, most businesses have historical customer data
available to them. With the use of event-based tracking and performance analytics, you can learn and make use of a good amount of information.
Send Personalized Emails
Think of the last time you ordered something online or signed up for something at a local establishment. The follow-up email probably included your name and likely your most recent purchase. While these types of emails are frequently set up to be an automated response, the customer recognizes their name and the fact that you remembered what they spent money on. These are the kinds of details – often readily accessible to today’s businesses – that make a customer feel special and help you earn their loyalty for your establishment.
Make Sure You’re Listening To Your Customer Replying to an online review is one way to show your customers that you are listening to them. And perhaps most importantly, that you care about what they’re saying. Listening and responding to what your customers say is not only courteous, but it’s good for your online reputation.
By using review sites in conjunction with social media, you can find out what your customers need, and then use that knowledge to your benefit to drive your retail business. Other ways to do this include by social media polls, phone calls, receipt surveys and talking to customers at checkout. It might seem simple, but just asking your customers for feedback as they pay for an item and are about to leave the store can help you digest a lot of information and show your customers you care about their experience in the store.
“
Don’t Forget To Show Appreciation For Their Time And Feedback
When customers do offer feedback, they’re showing you what works or doesn’t work. They’re enabling you to stay ahead of the game. So, let them know you value that effort by simply answering their message, saying thanks, or sending them a coupon for their time.
program can help customers feel that you value their business. The data generated by loyalty programs is also very valuable.When implemented correctly, you can use this data to help customers find products they’ve purchased in the past or return an item without the hassle of a receipt. On the retailer’s side, this data can also be used to learn more about customer purchasing habits.
Reward “Super” Customers
Multichannel Integration
Greet Every Customer
Having loyal customers helps billiard retailers be better merchants by understanding what is important to them and how they can continue to stay relevant and offer the best curated assortments in the billiard retail space. This of course will help a store grow revenue and continue to thrive.
Recognizing your most loyal customers will work to your advantage. Showing appreciation for customer feedback, a simple thank-you, or a discount or gift card could be looked upon as a wonderful gesture from your side by your customer. You can also do a quick shout-out on social media to let them know you appreciate their business. Sending birthday cards is another great way to show your customers that you care about them. Every single person who walks in the store should get a friendly greeting, no matter how busy the employees are up front. You should also make it a point to learn customers’ names. You should start every conversation by asking their name, telling them yours, and thanking them for stopping by. That builds the type of rapport that makes loyal customers.
Have a loyalty program in the store.
Some billiard stores have found that customer loyalty programs create a exponentially higher chance of customers coming back, as people love earning points and being a part of something. These loyalty programs are a great way to incentivize customers to visit your store more frequently. Discounts and promotions that are tied to a loyalty
CUSTOMER LOYALTY DRIVES PROFITABILITY...”
Another way to improve your customer experience is through multichannel integration of your retail systems. Your ability to provide a better customer experience can depend on the automation of your inventory, order, customer, item, and shipping/tracking data between your systems.
Daddio says customer loyalty drives profitability for your business as loyal customers are more likely to make more purchases and spend more. “All retailers strive to make their buyers as loyal as possible,” he says. “A key driver of customer loyalty is customer experience. Retailers with a better customer experience have a better chance of retaining their customers.” Remember, regular customers are some of the best word-of-mouth advertising a store can get, plus it’s nice for store owners to see these returning customers as it means they are not buying their products online or at Target. Customer loyalty is what drives longterm profitability for your retail business. That’s why all businesses should focus on making their customers as loyal as possible.
BCAINSIDER.COM | 25
CENTURY BILLIARDS MARKS MORE THAN
100 YEARS OF SUCCESS By Anthony Stoeckert
From the rich and famous to the average Joe, Century Billiards and Game Room has been devoted to its customers for … well, more than a century. “We are a family business,” says James Grimaldi, whose family owns the business in East Northport on Long Island in New York. “Our family has been in this industry for over 100 years, I am currently the fifth generation in our family business. We are one of the oldest families in this industry.” The company started in the late 19th century when Pasquale Grimaldi – James’ grandfather’s grandfather – came to the United States from Italy, and began working on pool tables in the Bowery. Today, Century Billiards and Game Room sells pool tables, as well as foosball, ping-pong, shuffleboard, darts, furniture and more. It also creates custom-made tables and refurbishes classic tables. The family business is currently run by James’ father, Robert, and James’ uncle, Richard. Longtime employee Bill Jackson is the foreman and heads production while James handles service. “Everybody reports back to my father and my uncle,” James says. “I’m the young blood; we’re working on the sixth gen28 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
eration, but not just yet. But we’ve pretty much been in this area for the entirety of Century Billiard Table Corporation. Things have changed, but our work hasn’t changed. We maintain the core fundamentals of how we’ve done it.The product speaks for itself.”
THE EARLY DAYS The name of the business used to be Susser and Grimaldi, and James says the company still owns some old tables and name plates with that name on it. Century Billiards was opened in the early 1960s on Long Island by Patrick Grimaldi (James’ grandfather). The family worked for Brunswick on the original Brunswick Gold Crown tables. “Whenever Brunswick would open up a pool hall back then, they would contract the installation back to our family,” James says. “They would have Willie Mosconi come out and do a ribbon cutting, and run 150 balls.” Members of the Grimaldi family were on the set of “The Hustler,” the classic 1961 movie with Paul Newman and Jackie Gleason, and set up a table in Newman’s New York apartment to practice on as he prepared for his role as “Fast” Eddie Felson.
Century Billiards shop work in the 1980’s
“Everyone claims to have known Jackie Gleason, but we actually did know Jackie Gleason on a first-name basis,” Grimaldi says. “We worked on two of his billiard tables, he was a phenomenal shooter. Willie Mosconi was a good family friend of ours. We go back to Willie Hoppe, Jimmy Caras. Our family has been all over this industry since the ’50s. “Whenever something was going on, they were reaching out to us.We built up a good reputation, a good name in the industry.” They were the first Brunswick dealership on Long Island, and helped set up lots of pool halls around New York. Grimaldi says Century also was the first Olhausen dealership on the East Coast in the early 1980s. “We always worked with Brunswick but we had a handful of other reputable, well established, good quality American-made brands,” he says. The family doesn’t deal in new Brunswick models these days, but their collection of antique tables includes various Gold Crown models as well as Centennials and Anniversary models. “We buy them, we restore them to mint condition and then we sell them off to true collectors and people who want the original high-end quality Brunswick table,” Grimaldi says.
DEDICATED TO QUALITY AND CUSTOMERS James Grimaldi attended an all-boys private school on Long Island, then went to Fordham University in the Bronx, majoring in business administration with a concentration in finance, with the intent of becoming a lawyer.
He had worked in the family business since he was a kid. He remembers being as young as 5 or 6 and taking trips to New Jersey with his father to pick up cloth and parts for tables. “I was always involved on weekends and after school,” he says. “My buddies were hanging out, playing and riding bikes. But I was always at work with the family, I was involved on jobs and installations.” But the family plan was not for him to work in the business. “After college, I decided I wanted to be in this industry,” James says. “Fifteen years later, things are great – Knock on wood.” The company has done jobs well beyond Long Island – in New York City, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington D.C. the Carolinas, Florida, Texas and Vegas. It has shipped tables to Vancouver, Mexico, the Caribbean and Los Angeles. One area the company has not gotten involved with much is e-commerce. “I feel Amazon is killing it for the hard-working brick-andmortar store, so I try not to be involved with Amazon and Ebay,” Grimaldi says. “Not because I don’t know how to, but I choose not to. I feel it waters down and devalues the quality core craftsmanship. We based our business on service – when a customer comes in here and says, ‘Listen, I just built a home’ or ‘We just finished our basement, we want to do something,’ I take my time after work or on weekends and I go to their home; check out the entrance, measure the room, make sure they get the right sized table. “And then we cater to their needs. I work with lots of interior designers, builders, architects and we give them what they want. The products speak for themselves, we always use qualBCAINSIDER.COM | 29
ity materials. That’s our slogan – We treat every game room as if it was our own.”
Then there are families who want a different game, such as ping-pong or foosball.
Game rooms are fun, of course, but for the people at Century Billiards and Game Room, they also are important and beneficial to families. The idea of a family spending time around a dinner table is classic and vital to a family, but Grimaldi says families also should be gathering around game tables.
Which leads to something else an online retailer can’t do. Century customers can see and touch the products they sell. For example, Grimaldi says the store has 8 to 10 foosball tables on the floor.
“They should also be joining around the pool table, the pingpong table, the shuffleboard table, the poker table,” he says. “These are things that keep families together and kids out of trouble. By having these games in their home, parents know where their kids are and who their friends are. I’m a firm believer that a game room in the home is phenomenal.” From the company’s beginnings to this modern era where people can order a pool table online, he says word of mouth has always been the best form of advertising. “If we do a job right and we follow up on it and we make sure that you are happy and it is a quality product, you’re going to tell everybody about it,” Grimaldi says. “Everyone is going to come over and use it, and you’re going to say,‘Hands down, don’t even bother to waste your time with anyone else, go to see these guys.’ “I’m not the cheapest on the block, but I’m not the most expensive either. We’re very fair, honorable reputable people. We’re family guys, we’re consumers just like everybody else, so we treat everybody like we want to be treated.”
PART OF THE FAMILY Many of Century’s tables are high-end, but Grimaldi says the store also offers tables that cost between $2,000 and $5,000. Xfinity Rooftop Lounge - SunTrust Park
“When you purchase a product from Century Billiards, you’re purchasing us, you’re becoming a part of our family at that point,” he says. “And I’ve played on every foosball, pingpong, air hockey table and pool table known to man since before I could see over the table.”
FITTING ALL NEEDS, AND BUDGETS Century’s offerings include the Olhausen line, the Golden West line and Valley Dynamo’s Tornado foosball offerings. For darts, they offer Bottelsen products. They also sell Toltec Lighting. The business also makes custom-made models, and recently had a corporate client that wanted custom-made matching billiard, foosball and ping-pong. But not everyone can afford that, so the company also has foosball tables retailing between $700 and $800, which Grimaldi says are higher quality than what can be found in large sporting goods chain stores. “We can satisfy all budgets,” he says. “We don’t try to upsell and push the highest-quality product because maybe you don’t need it.” For example, Grimaldi says that when selling to colleges in the Long Island area, Century promotes tables that are durable. Not necessarily a custom-made table, but a $400 model isn’t going to last in that situation. “We work with everyone from Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Smith to NBA athletes, NFL athletes, Major League Baseball players, celebrities, rappers – Jay-Z, the Kardashian family,” Grimaldi says. “We do the billionaires but we also work with Mr. Smith who saved up for the last 10 years to get his kids a pool table for Christmas. We cater to everybody.”
THE GREAT OUTDOOR POOL TABLE Another popular choice is outdoor pool tables, which Grimaldi says are popular in hotels with warmer climates, and on eastern Long Island. “In the Hamptons, everybody has an outdoor pool table,” he says. “Why? Because they can afford it, and they have beau30 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
1.
2.
3.
4.
1. Restored 1876 W H Griffith antique table | 2. James Grimaldi installing custom table in a NYC apartment | 3. The cew at “Guys & Dolls” Pool Hall in Valley Stream, NY just after renovating 19 Gold Crown tables with Disvovery Channel for a show called “Constructive Intervention” | 4. Upscale table
tiful backyards and you’re spending millions on a home and you’re inviting people out every weekend to hang out and entertain. So they’re getting an indoor game room but they’re also getting an outdoor game room.” He says his uncle, Richard, basically invented the outdoor pool table in the late 1980s and perfected it in the 1990s. “He’s the one who took this family business and said, ‘I’m going to build a pool table and I’m going to build it better,’” James says of Richard. Richard also started a manufacturing company, Game Room Concepts in Orlando, where the outdoor tables are manufactured. James says the growth of outdoor tables was gradual. “Little by little a snowball effect took place,” he says. “It was tough to get people to understand the concept because nobody truly believed that an outdoor pool table would last. But our product will outperform and outlast anything else on the market, hands down.”
THE ART OF RESTORATION The family is especially proud of its talent with restoring used tables. “We sell to the ultimate game room enthusiasts,” Grimaldi says. “People who want to do these game rooms. Not only do we service products, people who buy it off a neighbor or Craigslist, or they bought it at a tag sale, we can move them, change the cloth, change the rubber cushion, we put in new pockets.” He says the family’s dedication and talents are shown through their ability to restore and repair pockets.
BUILDING ON A LEGACY The quality of Century Billiards’ work, and its dedication to its customers over the years is proven in the amount of repeat business the company has. “Families that my grandfather dealt with, their table was moved to the next generation, and now it’s being moved to the next generation,” Grimaldi says. “I’ve worked on tables that my grandfather worked on, my uncle or my father worked on, and now I’m working on them. It’s kind of cool, it’s a nostalgic thing. The customer feels good about and it we feel great about it.” He recently worked on a table for a fire department in Roslyn, Long Island. The table dated to the ’20s, and members of the family, going back to James’ great-grandfather worked on that very table over the decades. “It’s pretty cool when you see the markings and the initials of your grandfather and it’s dated in pencil,” Grimaldi adds. “It doesn’t feel like work. I’m working 80 to 90 hours a week, but it never feels like work.” Sometimes he’ll be called to work on a table, see the table and recognize the handiwork and initials, and realize it’s a table his family had worked on. “It’s funny, we don’t always know it’s going to be ours because you never know what you’re going to come across,” Grimaldi says. “Sometimes we do come across a set of pockets and based on the way they were stitched my father will say, ‘Look, you’re grandfather worked on this because it has a double stitch here.’ It is pretty cool to be carrying on a family tradition.”
“There’s probably a handful of people that can actually hand-sew leather pockets and we still do that, right here in shop,” he says. Century also strips tables, refinish them and replace cushions. “We cover all the bases,” Grimaldi says. BCAINSIDER.COM | 31
R
Design Leader. California House . Phone: 1-800-251-3597 . info@californiahouse.com . www.californiahouse.com
SCORE BIG SALES
By Anthony
Foosball is a perfect complement to pool tables, so it only makes sense that billiard retailers feature foosball tables in their showrooms. Foosball has a lot of appeal for people with game rooms, partly because it’s a game the whole family can play together.
Tom Mosher, director of sales and marketing for Warrior Table Soccer, agrees foosball is growing in popularity.
“Foosball has been popular for several reasons,” says Brian Igielski, sales manager for GLD. “Moms and dads may have seen foosball when they were growing up, going to college, and in taverns and sports bars. It’s also an easy game for all ages to understand. It’s a game that parents, grandparents and children can all participate in together.”
“Foosball has seen a renaissance of sorts with more visibility across all media outlets,” he says. “Tournaments can be found across the country via many online sources. There is major growth in youth development across the country propelled by inroads made into schools, clubs and resource centers for kids.”
Foosball also has appeal for young kids because it’s fast-paced and because multiple players can play at the same time instead of waiting to take turns.
Corporations also are seeing the appeal to foosball, and helping in both branding and team-building efforts.
“It’s something everybody can play,” says Chance Pack of Valley-Dynamo, manufacturers of Tornado foosball tables. “The increase in popularity, currently, is because everything in the billiard industry is cyclical and I think it is foosball’s time to come back around.” 34 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
ON THE RISE
“Branding for the World Cup 2018 has started already with lots of growth sure to push foosball further into the consciousness of the country,” Mosher says. “The availability of videos online showcasing tips and tricks, as well as, commentated tournament play has driven the demand for higherquality tables at affordable prices.”
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THE PERFECT FIT Another advantage of foosball, according to Pack, is that a table doesn’t take up a lot of space, so if someone has a game room or man cave with a 4-by-6 spot in a corner that isn’t being used, a foosball table would fit. But for commercial use, Pack says Tornado recently designed a table for 16 players, which was installed at Pinstack, an amusement center in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The popularity of that massive table is an indication of foosball’s appeal. “Since we put it in there, every corporate event they do, everybody’s playing it,” Pack says. It’s so popular that Pinstack asked for two more tables for its other locations. And even though a 16-player table isn’t feasible for home use, it’s a sign of how popular foosball has become. Mosher says a lot of parents are drawn to foosball because they’re looking for things that will get their kids to put down
their video games and join them for a family activity. “The ability for kids of all sizes and genders to compete on a level playfield helps to keep boys and girls engaged,” Mosher says.
DESIGN OPTIONS FOR FOOSBALL TABLES Alex Simmons of KICK Foosball says many of today’s buyers are looking for stylish tables. “The newest trends in the foosball industry are ‘modern’ style tables with unique bodies that stray away from the more traditional-style, box-looking tables,” he says. “Customers want their foosball tables to stay current with the latest craze and fashions as the world is now progressing faster than ever.” Pack says he’s seeing a resurgence of foosball, and that people want to go back to classic tables. These players are longtime foosball enthusiasts who didn’t love gameplay on more decorative tables in regard to things like ball control and passing. BCAINSIDER.COM | 35
So, experienced foosball players are going back to traditional tables and their classic playing style. He adds that Tornado’s best-selling table is the T-3000 tournament table. “I’ve seen a huge increase in that business over the last two years,” Pack says. “We’ve looked at doing some new furniture-style models, but with what we’re seeing with people kind of shying away from the furniture-style tables we are in an ‘If-It’s-Not-Broke-Don’t-Fix-It’ mode right now.”
NEW AND POPULAR TABLES
“We already have a wide selection in all sorts of foosball accessories, replacement parts you need or if you need to upgrade your table,” he says. “Basically, we have everything you would ever want or need and for some reason if we do not have it on hand we would be happy to fabricate it for you. Our offering in customization has recently grown. What I think is really neat is when they get their playing field customized to their names.
NEW ADVANCES IN THE GAME
KICK’s newest table is the KICK Skyline, which is the most durable table the company has according to Simmons.
Foosball has been around a long time, but manufacturers are savvy enough to change with the times and add advancements to the game.
“It is now the most professional-grade table that we offer,” he says. “The table is ideal for those who are foosball table junkies or who want to feel like a pro at home.”
Simmons says KICK is always looking for ways to add new elements to its foosball tables.
KICK’s most popular table remains the KICK Legend. “It is our signature table and best-selling table,” Simmons says. “Players love the distinct curvy body while getting all the features you would find on tables five times the price.” Brian Igielski of GLD says the company introduced two new tables in the fall of 2017, The Fat Cat Rebel, and the Fat Cat Revelocity.
“Even though we have been in the foosball industry for over 20 years, we never look for ways to stop improving and innovating our product line,” he says. “Our latest innovation is our patent-pending ball return design on our KICK Skyline table.We have altered the ball return system in a way that it is impossible to get the foosball stuck in the return tube, even if you have multiple shots coming in at the same time.”
“These two tables are smartly priced and introduce our new Quick Snap player rods,” he says. “These rods remove the toughest part of table installation.” The company’s most popular table is the Tirade. “The Tirade is a traditional cabinet-style table. It’s been in our lineup for a while, and has great reviews online,” Igielski says. Mosher saysWarriorTable Soccer’s most popular table by far is its Professional model, and that there has been “explosive growth” in the company’s expandable tables for parties and events. “The Force 8 foosball table for eight with LED and sound activated lasers is a big hit as well as the ultra-flexible Force 16, which offers three different configurations for play by 8, 12, or even 16 players,” Mosher says. “We have also witnessed an increase in our custom table program. From simple branding, to our amazing one-off builds, companies are using Warrior foosball tables to catch attention everywhere.”
NEW ACCESSORIES Selling foosball tables at your store also opens up the door to selling foosball accessories. Simmons says KICK’s newest additions to its catalog are table covers. 36 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
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Another design change is a shift from hollow rods to semi-hollow rods on all of its tables.
Warrior also has a series of new enhancements on its foosball tables.
“Hollow rods are usually the most preferred style of rods due to the light weight of the rods making it able for players to slide them during game play,” he says. “However, over time with those intense games and years of play, rods were starting to bend. Even the slightest bend in a rod throws off the balance of the counter-balanced players and causing other major problems during game play.”
“Our exclusive Rod Guards are an innovation we are proud to say keep people safer while they play,” Mosher says. “Warrior now employs state-of-the-art centerless grinding to produce foosballs that are balanced and true for excellent roll and ball control. We have seen a lot of growth in ball sales online and through billiard resellers. We now also offer LED tables and black light tables as well. We also began producing a Foosball Beer Pong table that converts easily to both games as well as an introduction to a new game ‘FoosPong,’ combining both games into a brand new-game that is lots of fun.”
Igielski says that companies are finding ways to attract younger players. “In order to capture young people’s attention today, technology including lights and sound are being incorporated into table games like foosball,” he says. “Graphics are another way to draw their attention.”
BILLIARDS AND FOOSBALL With the rise of popularity of foosball, it only makes sense that billiard retailers offer the category to their customers. “It’s been proven in the billiard industry, time and time and time again, people will walk into a billiard store or a home leisure store, and the mindset is pool,” Pack says. “Then they walk in and see the foosball table on the floor and – boom – they’re saying that would be something neat to have in the game room.” Key to making sales is having foosball tables on display. As Pack says, you can’t sell it if you don’t show it. He also suggests displaying foosball tables at various price points. If you put out only a high-end table, you’ll turn off people who would buy a less expensive model. And if you only show the lower-end foosball tables, you might miss out on the chance to sell higher-priced tables. “I think a lot of people leave money on the table because of that,” Pack says. “They want to get into the category and they throw something cheap on the floor.Yeah they sell it, but they could have sold a $2,000 retail table but they’re selling an $800 retail table.” Simmons says it’s very important that billiard retailers focus some attention on foosball. “It is a large market and many people enjoy playing this classic game!” he says. “Retailers, nowadays, want to make the most with their space, and foosball tables are definitely overlooked. I feel that it is the most underrated billiard table out there.” Dana Simpson, general manager of The Pool Shoppe in Hamilton, ON, says the company recently brought in a very modern foosball table, with gray and black tones, and reasonably priced.
Tornado Platinum 38 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
“We proceeded to sell only brand name tables priced at double that of the modern one,” Simpson says. “Turns out the rea-
son was not only ‘brand’ but also because those brand-name tables – Fabi & Roberto – utilize one goalie on the rod because their play surface has raised corners, preventing the balls from becoming trapped. The modern one I brought in is flat so it requires a total of three men on the goalie rod to rescue the ball from the corners. Moving forward, we are simply going to stick with the best – the consumers are doing their research and we learn from them every day.”
PROMOTING FOOSBALL Another key to selling tables is getting out the word that your store sells foosball tables and accessories. “Just like any other item you want to promote, advertising is the most effective way to get your newest products noticed,” Simmons says. “Retailers can also host tournaments to promote a certain table that month or a table that they specialize in. This can attract enthusiasts in the local area.” Igielski believes foosball is the perfect fit for billiard retailers. “Billiard retailers provide family entertainment options,” he says. “Foosball is an integral part of that mix of options. Foos-
ball is offered by many quality manufacturers at various price points, to fit all budgets. Foosball is also a great option when space is limited, like an apartment or condo. Bottom line, billiard retailers sell family fun, and foosball is fun.” Warrior makes tournament-quality tables for retail for less than $800, which has a lot of appeal to potential buyers, Mosher says. “Warrior has worked hard to build a loyal following and a consistent presence on most social media platforms,” he says. “Warrior also subsidizes tournaments around the country in support of the marketing efforts.” As such, he says, billiard retailers would do themselves a favor by carrying the tables. “Foosball can be a significant boost to the bottom line providing dealers make available tables like Warrior that are not only affordable, but built to play at a very high level,” he says. “Those dealers who have embraced Warrior in their offering have seen a strong volume of sales. Foosball has a much smaller footprint than billiards and can be placed in an area as small as 6 feet by 8 feet, so it can find room in most homes.”
BCAINSIDER.COM | 39
TURNING REVIEWS AND REFERRALS INTO REAL-TIME SALES FOR YOUR BILLIARD BUSINESS By Lynn Switanowski Retail Facts 2018: 90 percent of consumers say their buying decisions are influenced by online reviews and further, 72 percent of these consumers will act after reading a positive review about a business. But the sad reality of retail today is that only 36 percent of small businesses – billiard industry businesses included – invest the time in creating reviews for their customers to read about their business. This must change. As billiard sales continue to come from numerous sources in the billiard industry – independent retailers must find a way to create customer loyalty by providing online reviews about services and products they sell. Here we share six tips for gathering online reviews for your billiard business, which can help grow your sales in 2018 and beyond. 40 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
1. SET UP PROFILES ON MULTIPLE SITES Determine which ones are best for your business as each review site has a demographic profile so you should match it to your business. Our starting recommendations include Google My Business, Facebook, Yelp, Yellow Pages and/or the Better Business Bureau. If you are heavily participating in social media currently, location-based review sites, including TripAdvisor or Foursquare, maybe useful.
2. ASK FOR REVIEWS Make it a habit to ask after every single store transaction. Your customers understand how important reviews are
for businesses (they’re looking at them daily for other products and services they need). Your job as a billiard retailer is to provide an excellent product or service as well as a top-notch customer service experience – and then ask for a review. Your customers won’t be annoyed as they love your business and want to help you – they just need to be asked to do something.
3. MAKE IT EASY TO LEAVE REVIEWS Put review profiles in all of your marketing materials – send a follow-up text or email after a purchase with links, or include a business card with links to where you can write reviews. It can’t be overstated – make it simple and people will respond quickly and often.
4. INCENT, DON’T BUY CUSTOMER REVIEWS Incenting customers with a small coupon and or gift for writing a review will go a long way toward making them feel good about what they did for your business. Don’t buy their loyalty – make it sincere, but you can offer them something for taking the time to say something about the experience they had with your billiard business. One tip would be to offer a monthly giveaway for products/services based on all the customers that left reviews that month.
5. THANK YOUR REVIEWERS DIRECTLY Make sure that you thank every single customer. Pro tip: Occasionally sur-
prise a top reviewer by sending them some discount code or some freebie after they posted an exceptional review or a few reviews in a row. This will delight them and make them an even bigger evangelist for your billiard business.
6. MAKE GETTING A REVIEW PART OF THE PURCHASE PROCESS This means that you should create a process of capturing reviews and it becomes the final piece of the sales process. It’s important that your employees understand the importance of getting reviews from every customer they work with. Create an internal incentive program for employees who get reviews consistently from their customers. Choose a bonus that will appeal to your associates – money, gift certificates to restaurants,
concert tickets or paid time off. Make sure it’s an incentive that the employees will want, and they will work harder to achieve the goals. Online reviews are a powerful marketing tool for your billiard business. Don’t forget to use this tool every single day to reach both current customers as well as to talk about your business to new customers who are doing research online. It’s a common practice in 2018 that will only grow and help your billiard business in the coming years.
LYNN SWITANOWSKI Lynn Switanowski knows billiard retail. As an international consultant and keynote speaker, Lynn shares her experience with billiard audiences world-wide, helping solve business issues that lead to more sales and profit for her clients. Lynn is a published author and a contributing editor to numerous billiard industry publications. Lynn will be a speaker at the upcoming BCA Expo. For more information, please contact: lynn@cbc-group.net.
42 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
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TOP 10 TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN THE
By Charles S. Donnavan With the Billiard Congress of America’s annual International Billiard & Home Leisure Expo taking place in New Orleans July 11-13, exhibitors and attendees are already planning for an exciting few days of events. For those coming in early or spending some extra time in the Big Easy, the city offers a great deal for people to do. Below are some things to consider when spending time in New Orleans to make the most of its tradition and atmosphere. From streetcar rides to visiting parks and churches, there are a bounty of options for fun and frolicking around New Orleans.You can spend the day in one of its many lovely parks, meander through a cemetery or listen to some amazing jazz.
1.
BOURBON STREET
Considered the heart of the French Quarter, this popular city street extends 13 blocks from Canal to Esplanade 44 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
Avenue. It’s famous for its nightlife and restaurants, and here you can see and listen to some of the best jazz in the city. A stroll down Bourbon Street – day or night – offers a wealth of street performers (mimes, artists, musicians, dancers) and the bars, restaurants and clubs have plenty of top musicians.
2.
THE NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM
Over on 945 Magazine St., this museum is a must-see for all history lovers and patriots. Since opening on D-Day in 2000, more than 2 million visitors have entered, looking at the powerful images and extraordinary artifacts from the Second World War. Museum exhibits include the 1930s prelude to war, the Normandy Invasion and the battles of the Pacific Islands. Through these and other historic sections, visitors can follow America’s role in the war and on the home front. Additionally, the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion houses The Union Pacific Train Station, an immersive exhibit which
allows guests to experience the sights, sounds, and emotions of going to war.
3.
LAFAYETTE CEMETERY
4.
JACKSON SQUARE
Being below sea level presented big problems for the people of New Orleans when it came time to burying the dead, which is why there are numerous, old, historic cemeteries throughout the city where the departed are entombed in elaborate marble chambers above ground. Lafayette Cemetery is the oldest of the seven municipal, cityoperated cemeteries and houses immigrants from over 25 different countries and natives of 26 states as identified on the closure tablets.
This historic park, formerly known as the Place d’Armes, is one of the best places in the city to enjoy a picnic or
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nice walk, especially in the summer. Jackson Square offers a wide green space surrounded by beautiful buildings including St. Louis Cathedral and the Louisiana State Museum. There are also plenty of psychics in the area ready to give you an authentic New Orleans future reading.
5.
MUSICAL LEGENDS PARK
Located on Bourbon Street, this is a must-stop spot for music lovers. The park was constructed to commemorate and celebrate the history of jazz, honoring legends such as Pete Fountain, Fats Domino, and Al Hirt. Statues of the musicians adorn the park, and live jazz is played daily beginning around 10 a.m.
6.
THE ST. LOUIS CATHEDRAL
The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest Catholic cathedral in the U.S., having been built in the early
46 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
18th century. Still in use today, the church is open to visitors and the site regularly holds free concerts at the nearby Catholic Cultural Heritage Center.
7.
FRENCHMEN STREET
The popular entertainment district spans two blocks and is loaded with bars offering top musicians. Clubs such as the Spotted Cat and Cafe Negril are free and give people the chance to come and go for a listen. Craft lovers should be sure to check out the Frenchmen Art Market, also on the street.
8.
GERMAINE CAZENAVE WELLS MARDI GRAS MUSEUM
With the Expo being in July, Mardi Gras is long over but you can still learn about the fun and colorful traditions at this museum. Located at Arnaud’s Restaurant, it contains dozens of Mardi Gras costumes, vintage photographs, carnival masks and faux jewelries. The oldest costume dates back more than 75
years. The museum is free to the public during the restaurant’s opening hours.
9.
NEW ORLEANS JAZZ HISTORICAL PARK
In the neighborhood of Treme, this 4-acre public area was built 25 years ago to celebrate the rich history of jazz in the city. It has a visitor center, where you can get a copy of a walking tour map and even audio files to enrich your sightseeing experience. They also conduct free concerts and music workshops for kids.
10.
THE CABILDO
The Cabildo is considered one of the most historically significant buildings in the U.S. Built between 1795 and 1799 to replace a structure that burned in the 1794 fire, the Cabildo served as the seat of government in New Orleans during the Spanish colonial period. Located on Jackson Square in the historic French Quarter, the museum continues to showcase the rich and colorful history of New Orleans and Louisiana, with its cultures reflected in the Cabildo’s permanent and rotating exhibits, which incorporate the personal perspectives of everyone from history book characters to ordinary inhabitants.
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USING CONTESTS TO DRUM UP BUSINESS By Keith Loria
Running a contest or holding a giveaway promotion is a great way for retailers to both acquire new customers and engage with existing customers, all while building brand awareness and growing the business. Contests do way more than just create buzz around the event itself, they can capture email addresses and important demographic information, and serve as the groundwork for building relationships with your customer base. Shane Bouchard, owner of Maine Home Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, ran a radio contest a few years ago around Christmas time, and was thrilled with the results. “I was looking for a creative way to pay for advertising, so I worked with a local radio station, where we offered an 8-foot pool table, a light, pub table, two stools and the entire installation as a prize,” he says. “Our website got a lot of hits, we got our name out there in the community, and it probably represented around $8,000 worth of advertising for what cost me around $2,000.” 48 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
Bouchard got some help on the pricing from his vendors – such as RAM Game Room – who gave him a deal on the items he was giving away, which lessened the burden on his end. Upon reflection, the one thing he would do differently is he would have asked the radio station for access to the entry list to generate more leads, as it told him they received three times more hits on the contest than in other years. “Next time, I will definitely do that,” he says. Not every contest has to offer such a valuable prize. Other billiard stores have given away cue sticks or a light or even just a 10 percent discount. It’s not always about the prize; people just enjoy winning something, so holding a contest is a great way to get interest in your store. Contests and giveaways are also appealing to retailers because of their flexibility.You can spend as much or as little as you want, both on the prize itself and the marketing efforts behind it. Results
vary, but when done right, they can reap serious rewards. Contests can also be a great tactic to increase employee engagement and performance. By holding competitions among workers, you can create some excitement in the workplace and get people jazzed up about trying to win a prize. Before holding a contest or giveaway, know that there are a number of legalities and guidelines that a store needs to consider, and the rules depend on the type of promotion you’re running and what platform you use as a host. This way no one can accuse you of picking a winner that is unjust. Here are some ideas to help billiard retailers host their own successful contests to boost customer engagement and conversions.
CAPITALIZE ON SPECIAL DAYS Christmas season is a great time to hold a contest as people are looking
for gifts and this gives them an incentive to come into your store. Offer a giveaway of a top cue or gift card, or even a table if you feel there will be enough people involved.
cal charity and half the money will go to the lucky winner of the raffle.
your profiles, which depending on your social media of choice could be measured in the form of likes, shares, follows, posts, comments, mentions, retweets, etc.
You see these type of raffles being held at schools and ballparks all the time, and it gives people a chance to win big. As the retailer, you get the honor of delivering a check to whatever charity you have chosen, and you also get the names and emails of any customers who enter.
A great idea is to offer one entry for every $25 spent in the store. This will entice people to spend more. But think beyond just Christmas. Hold a contest on the anniversary of your store or celebrate a season or something silly like Groundhog Day.
Make the prize something visually appealing that will entice people to come to the page and click on it. And don’t forget to include a clever hashtag, such as #Winthecue.
USE SOCIAL MEDIA
HOLD A DESIGN CONTEST
Social media contests can sometimes be just as important as in-store ones. If your store has a presence on social media, or if you’re looking to establish one, a contest or giveaway is a great way to gain visibility.
HOLD A RAFFLE AND DONATE Raffle off something in the store that will appeal to billiard players of all ages – money. Hold a 50/50 drawing where half the money collected will go to a lo-
Could your store use a new logo, or maybe an idea for a T-shirt that employees could wear? If so, this is the perfect opportunity to hold a contest for an innovative design. Invite people to create the design and have a panel of judges from the store pick the winner.
Basically, you’ll look to award “entries” to users in exchange for engaging with
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non-billiard related questions. People love to show other people that they know more than them, so this will bring billiard-obsessed people to the store, and when people have the sport on their mind, they are more likely to buy something.
RAM Game Room helped Maine Home Recreation with its contest by offering discounts.
A contest like this will most likely bring in some people to the store who might not otherwise visit, and could conjure some interest in the sport. And the best part about it, you as the retailer will get a strong design or logo for the cost of whatever you decide to give out as a prize.
HAVE A TRIVIA CONTEST Have you ever visited a trivia night at a local restaurant? In essence, this is a contest, and it’s a great way to get people thinking about the sport of billiards. Hold a monthly trivia night and have categories like “famous billiard players,” “rules of the game,” and other,
50 | BCA INSIDER • SPRING ISSUE 2018
Offer gift cards to the winners of competitions and have the top players back at the end of the year for a championship night with a better prize. Make sure everyone involved hashtags the event on social media, as well.
game and you’ll supply the prize, and you can work out compensation with your partner who will earn money from people entering and coming in to their establishments.
THINK CHARITY Challenge your customers or employees to give back with a fundraising contest. Perhaps you’ll match the amount raised by the entrant who raises the most funds, as well as reward them with a prize pack reflective of your products.
CONSIDER GIVEAWAY SALES CONTESTS PARTNERSHIPS Many employers offer rewards to em-
Partnering with other businesses is a strategic way to reach new audiences. Find a partner that makes sense for your store and look for ways to work together. For example, work with a local pool hall or restaurant that has a billiard table. You can have people compete in a
ployees who hit sales targets or generate the most revenue for a certain period of time. While this is appreciated, other ideas that might get those in the store excited are rewards such as extra days off or discounts in the store.
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