Expo Webinar Primer

By Keith Loria ily’s First Coronavirus Response Act.”

The 2020 BCA VirtuALL Expo will feature four incredible, informative webinars as part of the 2020 Business of Billiards Webinar Series (sponsored by Legacy Billiards).

Lynn Switanowski, founder and president of Creative Business Consulting Group, a retail strategy consulting firm, who is a popular and long-time BCA Expo speaker, will host three webinars, kicking things off on July 27 with “Home Entertainment is Hip Again.”

“Ironically, since COVID has hit, the billiard and home leisure industry has taken off. The manufacturers did a good job and some of the smarter, more adaptable independents capitalized on it,” she says. “So, the idea is how do you take this current mindset where we’re not going back to 100-percent ‘get out for entertainment’ for a very long time, and use that for your marketing messages to better sell your products to your customers?”

The premise of the webinar is to offer advice on how to help retailers communicate that they can solve people’s home entertainment needs that they didn’t even know they had.

“That requires a message around the current situation and making stay-at-home relative again,” Switanowski says. “Think social distancing and small-group get-togethers which are perfect for being at home. The idea of the webinar is to take their business and put it in the context of how relevant it can be in today’s social situations.”

On July 28, Colin A. Walker, an unemployment lawyer Friends, executive director for the firm, will host “Operation Open Doors,” which is a primer on adapting to new COVID-19 regulations.

“This webinar is about legal and business issues related to workers just starting to come back to the office,” Walker says. “She and I tag-team it. She will talk about the business side of things, such as staffing issues, equipment issues, IT and safety. I will talk about the employment-law issues such as the Famwith Fairfield and Woods, P.C. in Denver, and Michelle

Additionally, in Colorado, the state has some specific requirements, just as all states do, and Walker will talk about what legal issues people will need to know.

Michelle Friends

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“Michelle is really good with technology so we welcome questions during our presentation,” Walker says. “When she sees a good question, we’ll bring it up and one of us will answer live.”

During the webinar, the law firm’s team will also conduct polls, such as asking “how many people have a policy on returning to work,” and then tailoring some of the information based on the results.

“This is important to everyone in the BCA – manufacturers, retailers and pool halls – as there are some specific issues that this industry has,” Walker says. “For instance, manufacturers will learn about what they need to do if someone says they don’t feel comfortable coming back to work. From Michelle, they will get a lot of good information about operational stuff they should be considering, such as whether they should be taking employees’ temperatures every day and recording them.”

Walker notes that laws and regulations concerning coronavirus are changing very fast as governors continue to make rules and adapt restrictions. That’s why it’s important that those in the industry stay on top of these things.

“We’re happy to take questions at the end, and during the presentation we will take questions, but we have plenty to talk about for an hour,” he says.

Switanowski is back on July 29 for the webinar, “Marketing Your Home Entertainment Business: Adjust, Adapt or Become Irrelevant,” a how-to of using social media to drive sales.

“For this one, it’s more around the nuts and bolts of it all,” she says. “Whether it’s setting up selling capabilities on social media, setting up an e-shop, and showing how best to connect to customers. It’s the next version of what they should be doing already.” For instance, Switanowski will explain why using online reviews to engage customers is important, and how retailers can communicate the best ways to shop, even if the front door is closed.

“There are now a lot of different ways that people can connect and retailers can service customers,” Switanowski says. “Virtual showroom appointments for instance. We need to communicate that new mindset that retailers don’t need to be in front of you to make a sale.”

Many of the manufacturers have found success with this, simply by forwarding calls to customer representatives. And the webinar will help retailers understand the front door might not open fully for a long time, but there’s still a way to do strong business.

“There are marketing techniques that will engage them,” she says. “Framing the marketing in the context of COVID in reality is stuff they should have been doing anyway. But now, the sense of urgency is that if they don’t do this, they will not be speaking to any customers.”

What retailers need to understand, even as some are starting to open their doors, is that many customers are scared and don’t want to go shopping in the same way as they have in the past.

“As a billiard retailer, how can you communicate that you’re cleaning and sanitizing your store every day and letting people know it’s a safe place to shop, and your team is wearing masks and there’s social distancing going on?” Switanowski asks. “All of that needs to be communicated and if I don’t have a customer on an email list, how am I going to tell them that?”

The next day, July 30, Switanowski leads the webinar, “Your Pool Room CAN Stay Relevant.” She notes reacting strategically and quickly to navigate this current lowered capacity in the pool room – no matter how long it lasts – will have crit

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ical repercussions for the long-term health of your business. This pool-room-focused session will share immediate ways to help your pool room connect with customers today, tomorrow and for years to come.

“We’re trying to help the pool rooms, which have historically done even less with marketing than the retailers,” she says. “These are essentially bar/restaurants that are getting hit really hard. We’ll explore how they are staying top-of-mind with their customers and what they can do to stay successful.”

Some of the best successes Switanowski has seen are pool rooms that have turned their parking lots into family arcades, setting up tables outside and offering takeout food and drink orders.

“But for those pool room operators who can’t do that, what are they doing to stay relevant?” Switanowski asks. “Are they showing old pool tournaments, are they communicating tricks, are they doing virtual live lessons? Basically, this is a marketing message directly to pool rooms.”

Having been a staple at BCA Expos for many years, Switanowski knows these virtual webinars will be different in scope, but she feels they will be just as valuable as her in-person talks.

“This is the wave of the future,” she says. “It’s still about building the trust and rapport. I will be onscreen more showing my face, and even though I am not physically walking up and down the aisles, for me my job is to mirror the engagement. I’ll be doing more polls and surveys during the session to engage and interact with all the participants.”

She knows this is a new experience for a lot of veterans of the billiard biz, but is confident that everyone will get something out of the webinars.

TOP: Colin Walker BOTTOM: Lynn Switanowski