When I first started in this business, proprietors’ asked me for my latest “gimmick?” I told them I didn’t have one. Hmmm, they said.
Years later, they asked me “what new ideas” I have. I told them I didn’t have one. Hmmm, they said.
After that I got questions like, “how can you increase my direct mail response?” I said “test” your program. Hmmm, they said.
Then I was asked “what medium was the best one to advertise in and how much should they spend”. I said it depends on what they were advertising and what season they were going to do it. Hmmm, they said.
And now I get questions like “what new digital tricks” do you have. I tell them it depends on their goals? Hmmm, they said.
What I always told them and what I continue to tell all my long standing clients and newer client is that before they can even think about delving into tactics, (which they all love to do), they had to understand what strategy was most viable for them.
But first they had to understand what they had to say to show who their business was and what they stood for.
And this could only come about by getting to the stories they told.
GREAT STRATEGIES CAN ONLY COME ABOUT BY LISTENING TO THE STORIES ABOUT THE BUSINESS.
So when I really wanted to learn about the business, I spoke to the founder, the father or the mother and had him or her tell me about the business. Besides learning about someone on a more personal level, I got an instant look into who they were, who the business was and why they were in business at all. (No, money isn’t the reason you’re in business; that’s the result of why you are in business.) You may not agree and that’s OK. That’s why I write this blog…to offer a different POV.
This brings me to why I am in business. I always want be of assistance to someone else. That’s why I work for BVL. That’s why I write blogs for BVL and make phone calls to try and get people to donate to BVL or conduct a fund raiser or conduct a tournament or pledge money for David Kellerman’s Appalachian Trail walk. (Click here to learn more about this remarkable Texas bowling proprietor.)
So if you’re attending Bowl Expo this year, please attend BVL’s free Thursday morning breakfast and hear from Joey Jones, a double amputee and the epitome of courage under the most dire of circumstances.
The breakfast is free and I promise you, your soul will be uplifted when you leave that room. For more information, please visit BVL and click on Joey Jones BVL breakfast.
See you at Bowl Expo
Leave a comment