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Sharpen Your Marketing Skills with Four Tips from the Bowling Alley

By Linda C. Anger

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 11Sep2007
Word count: 560
Viewed: 416 time(s)

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So there I was, with a bowling ball in my hands for the first time in twenty years, watching the 12-year-old in the next lane throw one strike after another. I scored an embarrassing 13 in the first game.

My brain was at odds with my body in even the simple question of which foot would start the stride. Game two, frame two, I threw a strike, then two exquisitely arching gutter balls. That's when it occurred to me that marketing a business and bowling share four basic rules.

1. Stay in Your Lane. If you want to score, the first objective is a focused aim that sends your ball into the heart of the pins. Marketing "lanes" - the boundaries that define our target markets - aren't as clearly defined as a bowling alley, but the concept is the same. Focus on the heart of your client base, and design your marketing message to hit your prospect's most intense desire.

2. Find and Perfect Your Own Stance. My bowling partner towers over me by six inches. He told me to stand behind the dots, take four strides, and aim the ball down the middle of the lane. That process worked for him, but not for me. If I stood a bit closer to the line, took three strides, and aimed for the right edge of the lane to adjust for a wicked left hook, my numbers were better. There is no one-size-fits-all process for marketing, either. You have to be willing to design, test, and fine-tune your process until you find the approach that brings results.

3. Gain from the Gutters. Even the pros experience a momentary loss of focus, or that slight twist of the wrist that spins a ball into the gutter. What makes them pros is their ability to register the error and make immediate adjustments. In 2002, one of the world's largest auto companies ran two ads that alluded to "adult activities" in the back seat. Public backlash was intense, and the ads were swiftly pulled. As much as we want to avoid gutter balls in our marketing and advertising, they do happen. Smart marketers wipe the beer-foam from their faces, adjust their stance, and focus on throwing the next ball straight.

4. Build a Great Team. The 12-year-old whiz kid in the next lane said a lighter ball would improve my game. She was right. In the third game, I scored 74 - a 175.6 percent increase over game one, if my calculator is correct. I've joined the "Bad Bowlers Club" at the local lanes because I am unable to see my form and delivery at all, much less objectively. As advertising guru R. H. Williams says, "It's hard to read the label when you're inside the bottle." Business owners have the same issue in marketing.They're on the inside looking out, full of product knowledge and often answering questions one one is asking. Investing in the objective perspective of those experienced in the field brings stronger results.

Parting Thoughts: Whether you're aiming for the ten-pin or the ten-million dollar sale, success is the result of focus, practice and patience. With the right attitude and approach, marketing can become a sport you love, and one that brings you higher rewards than ten perfect frames at the lanes.

Linda C. Anger is President and Principal Writer/Designer of The Write Concept, Inc., located in SE Michigan. Her mantra in life and business is: "Those who say a thing cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it." http://www.thewriteconcept.com

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