The Dropoutology Way To Getting League Bowlers

I hope you received my email last Saturday about National Bowling Day and how you can tie it into a BVL fundraiser. If you didn’t have time for reading it, just go to www.kaploegroup.com and click on blog. It’ll be there.

Many of you are looking at your leagues starting in about a month and I’m not going to list all the tasks that you need to do. I trust that you all have your favorite ways to conduct the league formation process.

However, I have found that one segment of bowlers usually get little attention. Considering that 15%to 20% of last year’s bowlers will not return, going back to these dropouts may prove fruitful since they already know what the product is…they just might want a different version

1. Figure out how to communicate with your dropouts going back two to three years. Customer Connect at USBC can help you to find this information. Call them!! Then send your dropouts an email inviting them into the center during the month of July, any time, for a couple of free games or a $10 gift certificate. 
   
2. I’d suggest a series of three emails, written somewhat humorously, but delivering a “We Want You” Back” message, 
   
   1. Message #1 is “We Missed You.”
   2. Message #2 is “Where have you been?” sent to those people who didn’t come into the center to respond to the offer, but increase this 2nd offer to a $15 gift certificate
   3. Message #3 “Should we send out a search party for you? Plus increase offer to a $20 gift certificate.
3. Disclaimer: “All offers expire by Labor Day. Can’t be combined with any other offer and not available for cosmic bowling. Expires, September 4th .
   
4. If the dropouts come into the center, you can identify them by their mobile phone message as well as a coupon they might print. 
   
   1. Be prepared to get their name and email, properly introduce yourself and then make a note to come back in half hour.
   2. Do NOT jump on them as soon as they come in.
5. What will you offer them will be contingent upon the questions you ask such as:
   
   1. What other activities have you been doing since you haven’t bowled?
   2. Have you bowled in another center?
   3. Would you still like to join a bowling league? (Ask “how come”? If they say no
   4. Social, competitive, traditional league?
   5. What days are best for you to bowl
   6. Are you interested in a new bowling ball?
   7. Do you have other friends or family members you would like to bowl?
   8. What would incentivize you to get back to bowling?
6. Once you get the information, you need to decide what programs you already have that would fit this dropout’s needs. If you do not have anything that fits his/her needs write down what he or she wants. When you get enough of the same or similar answers, you know have the essence of a new league
   

 Congratulations, you are now a master of “dropoutology.”