Author Topic: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops! (Read 7187 times)

SCOTT-Bowlingcom · « **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

Nails · « **Reply #16 on:** January 29, 2009, 08:35:15 AM »

quote:
We feel like that is taking more business away from local proshops.
Thanks
Scott Pinkston
Bowling.com

So, you want to throw them a bone after taking away their largest profit margin? How noble.
--------------------
Telling it like it is.

cmurder300 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 29, 2009, 08:35:22 AM »

Scott, I think this idea could be great for both parties especially on balls you have deeply discounted or on special pricing, but I do have a few concerns

1.Will the customer be able to order specific weights and specs and if not will the proshop be involved in the ordering process?

2.Who will be responsible for warranty and damage issues and how fast will you guys respond to said issues?

3.Where is the real incentive for the proshops? Will you guys allow us to sell deeply dicounted balls 1st before selling them to the general public?

4.How much advertising will you guys provide on your site for proshops that sign up for this program?

Again, I think this has potential for deeply discounted and special pricing balls that our distrubitor can't match, but our pricing is already competitive with the internet and we already encourage people to get their internet balls drilled here. So for a proshop like mines there must be more incentives especially since you will take $5 out my pocket.
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UAW FOR LIFE
www.infinitevisionbowling.com

Long Roller · « **Reply #18 on:** January 29, 2009, 08:49:42 AM »

Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems as though the advantage for the proshops is that bowling.com would be sending them drilling business that they would (most of the time) wouldn't already have. This seems like a win win for both parties. The $5.00 is more of a referral fee than anything. Maybe this wouldn't work for proshops that have so much business that they dont' have time to drill other balls, but something tells me this isn't the case.
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Shane Soule

azguy · « **Reply #19 on:** January 29, 2009, 09:36:03 AM »

I have a few customers, as it is, that buy from you and they, at times, get a ball cheaper ( less any shipping/handling) than I can get it in the shop. That burns me a bit, but I know they'll walk through the door and want it drilled, so be it.

It is an interesting plan/thought. I for one would have no problem in your idea and in some ways it will/may direct a customer to a shop they might not have known was there, who knows.

The discount ($5.00) will not kill me nor will it stop me from paying a bill/salary, so sounds like something that may be well worth the effort.
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az guy aka: R & L Bowlers Pro
rlbowlerspro@cox.net

laufaye · « **Reply #20 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:03:50 AM »

Scott,

You want to help? Go unplug the f u c king server....
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Laufaye

DukeHarding · « **Reply #21 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:09:20 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?

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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Hit them light and watch them fight
J O E - F A L C O

Joe,

I think it's a good idea. I have to drive 100 miles round trip to my driller's shop. I actually have cut back on new ball purchases due to the distance.
I buy balls from a lefty friend of mine...he drops them off for me...they are plugged and re-drilled. We meet up and he gives me the ball(s).

Pro shops would have to come on board. A lot of pro shops are still fighting the internet. It's reality.
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Duke Harding

www.dukeharding.com

DukeHarding · « **Reply #22 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:12:35 AM »

quote:
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.

--------------------
Gary Palma
X-act Reaction pro shop at Ideal Lanes
PBA Member
2008 Hammer Staff Member

Gary,
I actually think a pro shop could charge more...the pro shop ends up being responsible for the ball, which they didn't sell. When I bring a ball that I bought on-line, into a pro shop, I realize they are only responsible for putting holes in it, not cracking, etc.
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Duke Harding

www.dukeharding.com

KingofKings696 · « **Reply #23 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:13:09 AM »

Well Scott IMO I would have to say that to get proshops to potentially go with this you would probably be better off taking the 5 off the top if they go with the proshops advertising on your site. Now you are not taking away from the little profits that they actually make from the blanks but in the long run all the online "retailers" are just hurting the local shop. So IMO if you truely want to help out the proshops get the online shops and what not to play fair. Face it I find all the time at my local proshop a ball drilled for 190-200 now you offer the same ball for anywhere from 110-130 so drilled we are talking 160-180 for the same exact ball now if we think about it for a proshop to compete they just had to eat half of their drilling cost more or less. You not providing drilling you never incur the time heck if you were to really help the proshop you would pay the proshop 5 dollars for drilling one of your internet blanks. I personally however will buy new through my local proshop any day of the weak before I do from here I will only buy balls off sites such as ballreviews/BBE. So maybe one day we will all be happy when the online retailers fall to the times(we can only hope).

leftyinsnellville · « **Reply #24 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:17:21 AM »

quote:
Well Scott IMO I would have to say that to get proshops to potentially go with this you would probably be better off taking the 5 off the top if they go with the proshops advertising on your site. Now you are not taking away from the little profits that they actually make from the blanks but in the long run all the online "retailers" are just hurting the local shop. So IMO if you truely want to help out the proshops get the online shops and what not to play fair. Face it I find all the time at my local proshop a ball drilled for 190-200 now you offer the same ball for anywhere from 110-130 so drilled we are talking 160-180 for the same exact ball now if we think about it for a proshop to compete they just had to eat half of their drilling cost more or less. You not providing drilling you never incur the time heck if you were to really help the proshop you would pay the proshop 5 dollars for drilling one of your internet blanks. I personally however will buy new through my local proshop any day of the weak before I do from here I will only buy balls off sites such as ballreviews/BBE. So maybe one day we will all be happy when the online retailers fall to the times(we can only hope).

The object is not to steal away the pro shop's customers, rather direct traffic into the pro shop that wouldn't normally be there absent the purchase from the on-line retailer. It's always better to make $55 a hundred times than it is to make $60 twelve times.

Kid Jete · « **Reply #25 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:34:53 AM »

Why are some of you guys yelling, cursing and getting all bent out of shape? You all b**ched about how much business online retailers are taking away from the B&M shops and now that one of them is trying to find ways to help you guys out you're giving him sh*t. Why be a dick about it? That's why he's ASKING for opinions and help on possibly coming up with something. The way some of your attitudes are, if I was SCOTT I would tell you to f**k off and offer a $5 discount to buy the ball from him instead of your shop.

He just wants opinins and help working something out. If you don't like the idea respectfully tell him that and maybe brainstorm some other ideas. I just can't understand the attitude of some of you.

sunsetlefty · « **Reply #26 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:35:19 AM »

The point that I was trying to make in my original post was that the pro shops provide the experience, equipment, etc. necessary to provide the bowler with the correct fit and ball layout.
To ask each shop to drop $5.00 is the wrong way to go.
IMHO bowling.com should do something different, such as this:

Go ahead and provide the $5.00 coupon. Let's say it's numbered BOWL0001. The ball is sent to the pro shop along with the coupon.
The customer sets an appointment to get the ball drilled up.
The pro shop provides the service and deducts $5.00 from the final fee.
The pro shop logs onto bowling.com and enters the coupon code.
The pro shop receives $5.00 back in product from bowling.com.

This is just my idea, there may be better ones out there.....
--------------------
Gary Palma
X-act Reaction pro shop at Ideal Lanes
PBA Member
2008 Hammer Staff Member

Long Roller · « **Reply #27 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:36:24 AM »

agreed

quote:
Why are some of you guys yelling, cursing and getting all bent out of shape? You all b**ched about how much business online retailers are taking away from the B&M shops and now that one of them is trying to find ways to help you guys out you're giving him sh*t. Why be a dick about it? That's why he's ASKING for opinions and help on possibly coming up with something. The way some of your attitudes are, if I was SCOTT I would tell you to f**k off and offer a $5 discount to buy the ball from him instead of your shop.

He just wants opinins and help working something out. If you don't like the idea respectfully tell him that and maybe brainstorm some other ideas. I just can't understand the attitude of some of you.

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Shane Soule

Kid Jete · « **Reply #28 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:42:51 AM »

quote:
The point that I was trying to make in my original post was that the pro shops provide the experience, equipment, etc. necessary to provide the bowler with the correct fit and ball layout.
To ask each shop to drop $5.00 is the wrong way to go.
IMHO bowling.com should do something different, such as this:

Go ahead and provide the $5.00 coupon. Let's say it's numbered BOWL0001. The ball is sent to the pro shop along with the coupon.
The customer sets an appointment to get the ball drilled up.
The pro shop provides the service and deducts $5.00 from the final fee.
The pro shop logs onto bowling.com and enters the coupon code.
The pro shop receives $5.00 back in product from bowling.com.

This is just my idea, there may be better ones out there.....
--------------------
Gary Palma
X-act Reaction pro shop at Ideal Lanes
PBA Member
2008 Hammer Staff Member

See not this is how someone who doesn't totally agree with the idea should respond. It's called being contructive. I like the idea, I think that's the step in the right direction.

DukeHarding · « **Reply #29 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:43:38 AM »

quote:
We have a problem with the cost of products to us and then 1 week later after we buy the ball at $130-$139 we see them selling it online for $109.

Mike300,

I'm not in the business and THAT bothers me.

I buy 20-30 balls a year, and bowlers will ask me how I can afford that many balls. I tell them I buy them on-line...the next question, is normally which ball should I buy, and which on-line shop.

I always tell them to buy from the pro shop at the center...they only buy a ball each year, and are going to need the pro shop services, such as, sanding, polishing, etc.

Bowlers who buy large quantities of balls, will end up trying to save money and buy on-line.

I pay $35 a ball drilled, bare holes w/thumb slug.
Normally drill 2-3 at a time.
I also refer people to my driller, but it's 50 miles each way to his shop.
Most bowlers will not drive that distance to have a ball drilled.

--------------------
Duke Harding

www.dukeharding.com

jls · « **Reply #30 on:** January 29, 2009, 10:58:50 AM »

quote:
Bowling.com = Classic Products

Why would I as a Pro Shop support a distributor who sells to not only pro shops but the end user....the Bowler.

They give better pricing to the consumer than to the pro shop.

I have went up and down with my former rep from Classic in regards to their site.

He finally relented and said that they back the site.

I no longer do business with them as my distributor.

THIS IS A CLASSIC, { strike that } GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT IS GOING ON EVERYDAY.
More and more pro shops are waking up and pulling their heads out of their butts and finding out who the DIRTY 6 ACTUALLY 7 are. And then once these pro shops find out who these dist. are that have been cutting their throats, they stop dealing with them.

Now most big dist. may have 300-500 pro shop accounts. If they start to lose all of these pro shop accounts, it will hurt them big time. For as the wise one has stated, just riccy, online is 30%, which may mean pro shops may be as much as 70%.

No major dist can afford to lose 70% of their business.

To me, this is why we are seeing some of the things that are now going on with BP.com and Bowling.com

I think more and more pro shops like this one, are finding out who has been cutting their throats by fronting online dealers. And now that more and more of them have, they are buying from another dist.

It takes guts to come on here and face all the consumers who get great deals.
Most of them, hate shops that defend themselves. They could care less that the dist. are screwing us. Why, because they can buy a ball for about the same as we do. So it's money in their pocket. Can't say I blame them, who wants to pay more. But the point here is simple. These dist. are suppose to be selling to pro shops or online dealers. They are not suppose to be the online dealer. Basically selling to themselves.

I'm glad to see this pro shop has the guts to NAMED Classic as the dist.
behind bowling.com.

Many other shops feel that Cook and Ace are suppling BP.com

I think some of these dist. are hurting big time. 2 reasons.
1st, the economy has hurt online sales as well as pro shops sales.
2nd, more pro shops are finding out what dist. are screwing them, and have stopped dealing with them.

GOOD, GLAD TO SEE IT.

PRO SHOPS, IF YOU AGREE, SEND THE WORD OUT TO ALL YOUR FELLOW PRO SHOPS, MAKE SURE THEY KNOW WHO THE GOOD GUYS ARE AND WHO THE BAD GUYS ARE.

PAYBACK IS A bIXXH
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jls

Edited on 1/29/2009 12:11 PM

Author Topic: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops! (Read 7187 times)

SCOTT-Bowlingcom

Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!

Nails

Re: Bowling.com INTERESTED in working with Proshops!

cmurder300

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Long Roller

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azguy

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laufaye

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DukeHarding

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DukeHarding

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KingofKings696

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leftyinsnellville

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Kid Jete

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sunsetlefty

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Long Roller

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Kid Jete

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DukeHarding

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jls

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