my point of view is about one word "Perception"
i understand ur points, i mean, if i walk into a pro shop and a guy under 20 is telling me what drilling i should get, i would go "uhmm... are u sure of what are u talking about?"
but comming back to the topic
u said there are leagues going on, so a good idea would be do sell some raffles, just break even on those, or with minimal profit. what u want is to have ppl seein new balls being thrown. i know the fact that many ppl would put money on brackets and other stuff, so taking few dollars from each person and giving them chance to win balls would definitely give u more advertising.
one observation on ur prices, because of ur low prices and ur age (no offense here) people would think that u are inexperienced and therefore the price. That's definitely not a good idea. If u were older and charge the same price, people would think that u want to be competitive. thats why i believe quite a few people in the alley have the wrong perception towards u.
I have heard of many tips of doing business, one of them is to promote new balls to top bowlers at a minimun price (thats w/o losing money on them) and have a deal with them so that they mainly use those balls and recommend to others. However, u should choose wisely those bowlers, many people dont like the "bowler gurus" in the alleys, those gurus who think they know everything about the sport.
support a lot the jr bowlers and give some discount to them. kids grow fast,that includes lots of re-adjusting with plugs and rework on the balls. Jrs may not purchase a lot of equipments but most of em have parents who also bowl, so if their kids are satisfied, they will trust u and be more confident on dealing with u. If u have certified coachin, u can even have a promotion of few hs of coachin if someone buy a high end performance ball (most ppl would not even use those but it will make the ball look more valuable)
there are many marketing strategies, such as buy one and get next one cheaper (10-20 bucks discount on next ball) so u dont have to price ur balls 35 bucks cheaper.
hope this help
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When a house bowler misses the mark, misses the break point and strike, for many ppl its called a wallshot. When a pro does that its call adjustment
When a house bowler gets his finger stuck in the ball and fall on the lanes, for many ppl its called lame bowler. When a pro does that its called the Machuga flop! ha i like this one.
