If we have to fix it, you didn’t get it from the right place.

We love doing what we do. As passionate professionals in our field, we have become small business owners to provide a better opportunity to help bowlers bowl better. In this, I am a sponge when it comes to observing the decisions bowlers make, whether it be to the betterment, or to the demise, of their own game. From this perspective, I am recently so perplexed by what I am seeing.

I had an interesting day of it, all day the other day coaching on the lanes at Universal. For one, I had to re-schedule one guy because his fit so bad.

“But,” he says, “This guy I’ve been going to has been drilling for 30 years.”    

Hmmm…OK, I get that, but all is know is that his ball fit his hand so poorly that I had to reschedule him until we can fit him properly enough to have a good lesson. Sure I wish I could have given him the lesson, After all, it is how we both scheduled our time. But, it was clearly in his better interest to be re-fit and to re-schedule. It was just the right thing to do.   

But, it gets me thinking…So much for “30 years drilling experience” and a drop of 30 pins in average for this bowler. And, for every one of him, there are so many more out there!!! As an educator, I immediately feel challenged to reach the many others who also suffer from poor fitting/drilling and have no idea how much better it can be!

How can I effectively dispel the assumption that 30 years of “Pro” Shop means expert service and get to the many others we have yet to reach?

We opened our Pro Shop as experienced bowlers, but, more importantly, coaches. Fitting has changed and has come a long way. Remaining progressive about this and all information available is crucial to providing good service! 

Aleta and I were both in crappy, career threatening fits for years and with improved fitting techniques, could keep bowling! This is one of the very reasons we are so passionate about ball fit. The way it has been done before does not mean it’s the best way for it to be done!

Another faithful student’s dad started the next lesson with his concern for a new ball they just got because it isn’t right. He wanted me to know that he absolutely LOVED the new ball that Aleta had just drilled, but, apparently was talked into buying another new ball to compliment it from someone more convenient and just had it “copied.” Well, not only was it not “copied,” the layout was not even close to what they were looking for in the reaction of the ball! 

Now, what I know is that they are coming to us and trusting us to fix it. Do not get me wrong. I LOVE that they trust us! And, I LOVE that they LOVE our service and product. I TRULY appreciate every bowler who comes to us, because there is nothing better when you make it your life’s work to make bowlers better! But, at what point is it more inconvenient to go through bad bowling and having to re-do your equipment than it would have been to have it done right in the first place from us? And, what about how much more it ends up costing to do so??? 

Another dad brings his son to me again for coaching, and wants us to check out his equipment that he had gotten drilled. His son is not bowling well and after a lesson, we realize his equipment is hindering his bowling. Now, this (unemployed) dad not only has to give his son a lesson to fix him, he also has to fix his ball, and all the rest that he owns! And, one was illegally weighted!!!

One other quick interaction that very same day, was with a man who stepped into the store to let me know how he is all “hooked up” with a young man who is an awesome league bowler who drills his stuff. As I listen, I wondered how this young man’s experience could compete with Aleta’s. It actually pushed me to ask him if he knew who Aleta was. That he doesn’t was almost a relief; but, then again, I was instantly made aware of yet another huge hurdle we face:

In how many other sports could an icon not be known in their own backyard???

Here is what perplexes me: 

The assumption that a “Pro” Shop with 30 years of drilling experience (especially from inside their garage) means that they are keeping up with the latest changes in the sport, providing the bowler with what they truly need to bowl BETTER. So much has changed with better fitting and ball layout techniques and player match-up to equipment! So often, the quality of this service is the difference between who will score more, particularly for bowlers who work on their games!!!

Secondly, I really wonder what makes people who LOVE our service go somewhere else, only to come back because they trust in you to fix and make things right?

If we have to fix it, you didn’t get it from the right place! 

And though I saw all this from area bowlers in just one day, it is even more perplexing when we see an influx of bowlers who come to us from outside the region, out of state, even out of the country for our service and expertise! Just recently, we’ve had folks come in from Tecumseh, Grand Haven, Grand Rapids, Fort Wayne, IN, Baltimore, MD, and Windsor, London and Toronto, ONTARIO!

There surely are mixed signals, and it is interesting to say the least to watch as bowlers decide how to value the professionals who serve them. It’s a study for us, as we strive to reach more bowlers with our truly professional service…to make their lives just better.

More information, including testimonials: http://www.yourbowlingcoach.com

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