Okay, I’m thawing out from a free ”Great to Skate” party held at the indoor rink in Ames, IA this morning. The local Ice Skating Club held a party, and invited all the local schools before they let out for the holidays.
My 13 year old had it in his brain that it was “time to go to his skating party” at 7 a.m. on a Saturday in 20 below weather. Turns out it was a recruiting party for anyone interested in taking skating lessons.
I share this because it’s a perfect example of my previous posts. If the club had just passed around a registration form at school, how many do you think would have signed up? One, maybe two?
But as I’m cursing the day I was born on my way to the rink and swearing the parking lot would be empty as we would be the only ones crazy enough to take them up on their offer on a morning like this, I was mystified to see a FULL parking lot as we pulled in. People love free stuff. If there’s perceived value, they’ll show up for A N Y T H I N G, A N Y W H E R E, in A N Y W E A T H E R!
This morning proves it! (My fingers and toes prove it!!)
So it wasn’t a party just for Michael, but for at least 200 other folks who were looking for a good skate. Throw in a few basic lessons, a featured skater doing a routine to Thriller, and several invitations to sign up for skating lessons, and you have them lining up to enroll!
The Ames Figure Skating Club gets it! They get free, free, fee! They get the fact that people love to buy, but they hate to be sold. And they certainly get that people are crazy enough to come out at 8 a.m. in 20 below weather to buy. How whacked out is that?
And you’re trying to convince me that people simply won’t buy in this environment?!?
Again I ask you: what part of your offerings could you give away to bring em out at 8 a.m. in minus 20 and still have them lining up?
