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Author Topic: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!  (Read 7230 times)

SCOTT-Bowlingcom

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Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« on: January 26, 2009, 07:40:19 AM »
We at Bowling.com are looking to branch out and to help our customers in every way possible.  Many of our competitors currently offer drilling to their customers and we would like your thoughts on us doing the same thing with a twist.
It seems to us that you often get better drilling quality if you go to a local proshop and have a professional measure and drill your ball on the spot than if you send in a sheet with measurements.  Proshops have the unique ability to see the bowler in action and to decide what needs to be done to a ball based on these observations.  So here is our question, Would Proshops be willing to work with Bowling.com on drilling?
One possibility we see is that we could have Proshops around the country sign up through our site.  If a person in that proshop's area orders through us, we could offer to have the bowling ball sent to the local proshop for drilling.  In return, the proshop would allow us to advertise to the customer that they would take $5 off of the drilling fee. Bowling.Com would not collect the money for drilling and the discount would be directly to the consumer from the proshop.  This could generate some good advertisement for proshops and also guarantee they get a customer for drilling.  This is something we are thinking about but wanted to get your ideas.  We feel like this would be a win win for our site and for proshops.  Looking forward to hearing your feedback.


Thanks
Scott Pinkston
Bowling.com
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230-n-up-or-bust

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #1 on: January 26, 2009, 03:45:20 PM »
If this is anything like calling Bowling Green, Kentucky if you want to buy a new Corvette, then distributors will be even more upset with you than they are now...and that's difficult to fathom!
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leftyinsnellville

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #2 on: January 26, 2009, 03:48:06 PM »
Hey! Great idea!  (Glad I came up with it)

http://www.ballreviews.com/Forum/Replies.asp?TopicID=226458&ForumID=16&CategoryID=5

Good to see somebody give it a go, though.

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lsf_21

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #3 on: January 26, 2009, 04:05:54 PM »
quote:
If this is anything like calling Bowling Green, Kentucky if you want to buy a new Corvette, then distributors will be even more upset with you than they are now...and that's difficult to fathom!
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Return with your shield or on it.  Strength and honor.  Help control the population of Avenging Unicorns. Arm yourselves accordingly.

"I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous."-Nick Faldo

Me

MTIXE



haha i bowl in bowling green i was like wtf is he talking about bowling green for
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SCOTT-Bowlingcom

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #4 on: January 28, 2009, 07:47:50 AM »
bump
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SCOTT-Bowlingcom

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #5 on: January 28, 2009, 01:01:12 PM »
bump
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laufaye

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #6 on: January 28, 2009, 03:48:29 PM »
So this is just an idea or you guys going to do it.
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nextbowler

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #7 on: January 28, 2009, 09:15:23 PM »
Las Vegas has some really good pro shops in our area.  I don't know how large
your pro shop is, but why would these pro shops here want to be subserviant
to your shop in any way?
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Stan

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #8 on: January 28, 2009, 09:39:53 PM »
I think it is a great idea.  People are going to purchase equipment online anyway and this gives the local shop the ability not only to make money drilling the ball but to get a new customer.

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SCOTT-Bowlingcom

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #9 on: January 29, 2009, 07:18:18 AM »
quote:
Las Vegas has some really good pro shops in our area. I don't know how large your pro shop is, but why would these pro shops here want to be subserviant to your shop in any way?  


We are not a proshop.  We are an online retailer.  We are wanting to send bowling balls that people purchase online directly to the customers local proshops so the customer can have the ball drilled.  In return, the proshop would allow us to advertise to the customer that they would take $5 off of the drilling fee. Bowling.Com would not collect the money for drilling and the discount would be directly to the consumer from the proshop.



quote:
So this is just an idea or you guys going to do it.


This is just an idea right now.  We are wanting to get feedback to see if anyone would be interested.  If enough people and proshops like the idea then we will do it.


Thanks
Scott Pinkston
Bowling.com
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JOE FALCO

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #10 on: January 29, 2009, 07:43:13 AM »
If you want to help the BOWLER just reduce the price of any purchased ball by $5 so that the bowler can use that for drilling! If I liked the way local drillers DRILLED I'd use them!

Your plan doesn't appear to HOLD WATER unless you have a large percentage of buyers asking you to drill. If BUYERS are already going to local shops for drilling where's the incentive?

From what you are offering it appears that bowlers have to make the decision .. and what are you helping them with?

That's my thoughts .. I'm not a Pro Shop!
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sunsetlefty

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #11 on: January 29, 2009, 08:14:43 AM »
Scott,

The idea is an interesting one. I personally have no problem drilling balls that are purchased from the internet.

I do have a few concerns:

You're offering $5.00 of the drilling fee for the customer. You're suggesting that the pro shop absorb this cost. Why should the pro shop have to reduce it's profit margin? Because you're sending me a customer?

Could it be that bowling.com doesn't want to drill balls from drill sheets?

I can guess that customers' drill sheets vary greatly. Some use cut to cut measurements. Some use full span measurements. Some use what they think is cut to cut, but in reality is a hybrid of cut measurement at the fingers and full span measurement at the thumb. It takes a good pro shop time to analyze the drill sheet information and verify it by measuring the customer's hand.

You're sending the ball to a business address and not a residential address. Doesn't this save bowling.com money? I know that it makes a difference for me when I send out a ball. A residential address costs more to ship to than a business address.

What about odd pin placements,top weights and blems or 2nds? What does the pro shop do with a ball that has these kind of specs?

When the ball arrives, the pro shop is now responsible for providing the proper fit, and a ball layout that will provide a sufficient reaction for the customer. If the ball doesn't fit properly, or provide the reaction that the customer is looking for, the pro shop is on the front line taking the heat for a bad ball.

And you still want me to reduce my profit by $5.00?



Let's all have some intelligent discussion about this post. It does have some real substance to it, and I think that Scott is open to positive feedback as well.




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SCOTT-Bowlingcom

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #12 on: January 29, 2009, 08:17:05 AM »
quote:
If you want to help the BOWLER just reduce the price of any purchased ball by $5 so that the bowler can use that for drilling! If I liked the way local drillers DRILLED I'd use them!

Your plan doesn't appear to HOLD WATER unless you have a large percentage of buyers asking you to drill. If BUYERS are already going to local shops for drilling where's the incentive?


What we have noticed is that there are several online sites that are now offering to drill the bowling balls for customers.  We feel like that is taking more business away from local proshops.  Our plan is to have proshops sign up through our site.  Then when a customer placed an order they could be given the option to ship straight to a driller at a local proshop.  The incentive for the customer is that they get $5 off the cost of drilling if they choose this method.  We would not collect the money for the drilling.  The incentive is also to direct people to their local proshop.


quote:
From what you are offering it appears that bowlers have to make the decision .. and what are you helping them with?


This would not be mandatory if implemented.  If you wanted to have it drilled by someone that was not listed on our site, then you would not have to accept the offer.  But if the proshop you wanted to use was on our site then they could give $5 off the drilling.


Thanks
Scott Pinkston
Bowling.com
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los2003

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #13 on: January 29, 2009, 08:23:19 AM »
This is an ok idea  not great but ok.. The shops are getting free advertisment for the ones that participate.. and still getting to drill the ball.. albeit 5 dollars cheaper, but you may not have even been the one drilling that ball at all otherwise..
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Danes07

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Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!
« Reply #14 on: January 29, 2009, 08:26:03 AM »
Its a decent idea, but I do see a potential problem.  For this idea to truly work you are going to have to get a lot of proshops to come on board with this.  Having only a few shops will work good for a small amount of people, but unless you can get a lot of shops into it I think the undertaking my founder.

Just my 2 cents.
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