BCA Insider - Seybert's Mbr Profile

BUILDING A COMMUNITY SEYBERT’S BILLIARD SUPPLY LOOKS TO BETTER PROMOTE THE SPORT OF BILLIARDS

This year has been an exciting one for Seybert’s Billiard Supply, as it has introduced an array of new initiatives that are all designed to not only raise the company’s profile but to build on its mission to promote billiards and the game of pool.

About a year ago, the company added Mark Horton to its team as marketing director. It then conducted consumer research studies in order to examine quantitative data in collaboration with the institutional knowledge of billiards that the leadership team, headed by owner Sid Kreis, has garnered through their decades in the industry.

The mission was to formalize Seybert’s Billiard Supply’s brand and its purpose.

“That manifested over the next phase, which was working on a branding update, which includes a new logo that is online and in other places as well,” says Horton. “We’re also working on a few other things, but the first major project of 2022 was the rebranding. On the back of that, we’ve also been working on a number of tactical initiatives on the marketing side, so we’ve started doing paid advertising with Google Ads, Facebook Ads, things like that.”

The company has also invested quite heavily in building a community online through social media and using a couple of influencers to get its message across.

SEEING RESULTS

Seybert’s has clearly seen success through its focus on social media and the internet, as its Facebook page has grown from 15,000 followers to 55,000, and its Instagram account now has approximately 130,000 followers, and the store is also establishing a TikTok presence.

“We’re trying to bring relevant content and build a community so that people who are passionate about billiards and pool have a place to find content, share content, and talk about competitions and equipment,” Horton said. “Facilitating that conversation and building that community is important to us.”

FOR THE LOVE OF BILLIARDS

Horton notes that the company’s success is the result of its philosophy, which is rooted in the fact that it is a billiard supply company that is owned and operated by people who love the game of pool. That includes Rick Matzke, who shares his expertise as the store’s general manager, who used to own a pool hall and is a PBIA certified instructor.

“Seybert’s was built by pool players – having their ears to the ground, knowing what consumers are looking for and wanting is everything to Seybert’s,” Horton said. “It’s what we were built on and it continues to be that way today.”

The business has been dedicated to fulfilling the needs of its customer base, which consists of serious pool players. It is, for example, the first company in the billiard industry to sell customers a cue from a certain brand that has a shaft from a different brand.

“…I THINK THE MOST

IMPORTANT THING A COMPANY CAN DO IS REALLY SPEND SOME TIME DEFINING YOUR BRAND’S PURPOSE. CUSTOMERS WANT A REASON TO SHOP WITH YOU.”

“That was an option people didn’t have before,” Horton says. “If someone wanted to put a Predator shaft on a Viking cue, they had to buy the complete product from both companies, and they had to potentially get the joints changed if they didn’t match up. Seybert’s, by listening to consumers and making sure we could provide that extra level of customer service that people couldn’t find elsewhere, has been able to build a reputation as the place to go if you wanted the best.”

It’s also a business that backs up its work by offering customers a 110-percent price guarantee.

“We sell some pretty high-end cues, and we don’t want anyone to feel they aren’t getting a good deal, even if they want high-quality products,” Horton says. “We make sure we aren’t beaten on price, as well.”

A LITTLE HISTORY

Seybert’s Billiard Supply was established in the late 1990s, but its story actually dates back to the late 1970s, when Jim Tong started selling cues and supplies to his friends out of a tractor supply dealership. Meanwhile, Sid Kreis, a friend of Jim, was the manager of the meat counter in a local grocery store, and because he loved the game so much, he wanted to help his friends find the right billiard products.

“In the ’90s, Sid found out about the internet, read a little bit about it and decided the internet would be a great place for a catalog,” Horton says. “This is going back to when the Sears catalog was dominating the retail landscape and Sid was kind of an innovative person, he partnered with Tong to sell online.”

In fact, in one of Bill Gates’ books, the Microsoft founder wrote about a small town in southern Michigan that was home to a retail store that was one of the first successful online retailers. That store was Sid Kreis’ business.

“That’s Sid’s first claim to fame,” Horton says. “He was an early enough adapter to get noticed by Bill Gates and be cited as a case study in one of his books.”

Horton recently discovered another interesting fact about Kreis and Seybert’s Billiard Supply.

“We started selling products online – selling pool products, pool cues – through the internet before Nike.com was selling products online,” Horton says. “That’s a pretty cool fact when you think about innovation and early adapters to new platforms. Sid was able to recognize the potential of the internet before Nike.”

A lot has happened since the late 1990s – the dot-com crash of 2001, the recession of 2008 and 2009, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Through it all, Seyberts has grown every year.

“It’s been slow and steady, not about doing anything crazy on the marketing side,” Horton says. “All of the growth over the last 25 years, until 2021 at least, was just word of mouth and good customer service, people telling their friends. The people we cater to are passionate about pool and they know good products when they see them. Everyone likes to pass on what they’ve got and what they’ve seen – the newest gadget or whatever when they’re at the pool hall. Word just spreads. So, like a flywheel gaining momentum, Seybert’s has grown every year for the past 25 years.”

SHARING A PASSION FOR POOL

Kreis, Matzke, and the team aren’t just dedicated to making their business successful, they are also constantly at work coming up with ideas that can help grow the sport.

“One of the ways we’re doing that is through a partnership with Predator to sponsor their U.S. Pro Billiards Series,” Horton says. “We’ll be the headline sponsor for the Michigan event, but then we’re also a sponsor of their official marketplace, as well. That helps build awareness and also invests in a competition that is getting TV coverage and really helping to raise the profile of the game.”

Seybert’s is also building on its brand by creating television commercials and revamping its loyalty program.

“One of the things that has been very popular with our customer base is the Seybert’s Bucks program, which is essentially a rebate,” Horton says. “If you create an account and buy something through our website, we’ll automatically credit your account with some Seybert’s Bucks, and then you use them the next time you shop.”

The last step in Seybert’s’ commitment to initiatives to grow both its business and the game involves acquisitions, including Penguin Amusement Inc., which manufacturers replacement rails for coin-operated pool tables, and which Seybert’s acquired last October.

“That was our first acquisition, and who knows what the future holds on that front? But we’re looking to help grow the game, and that’s another way to try and drive that forward,” Horton said.

BUILDING ON A LEGACY

Seybert’s is introducing its new initiatives during a year that is building on the success it has had in recent years, even as the company has obviously faced some big challenges over the last two years.

“Last year, I think everyone had a pretty good year,” Horton says of the billiard business. “The government, obviously, for almost 18 months used stimulus and some other initiatives to help boost the economy. The reason they did a lot of those initiatives was to put money in people’s pockets, so that they would go out and spend it, and we certainly saw that. You look at the data and you can actually see a lift in sales during the weeks when a stimulus check hit some people’s accounts.”

He explains that while strong sales have continued in 2022, there’s a big challenge in terms of getting product.

“Just because we order 100 cues, doesn’t mean we’ll get 100 cues,” Horton says. “We’re keen to provide our customers everything we want, and ideally we’d be able to get more product.”

Another hurdle is the increasing costs of raw materials. For example, Horton shares that the cost of the wood Penguin uses to make its rails has increased by 45 percent. That is connected to the supply issue, which was a huge topic of discussion during the holiday season. And supply problems haven’t gone away, even if they aren’t being covered in the news to the degree they were earlier in the year.

“It still takes longer to get a container put on a boat from Asia,” Horton says. “So if your supply chain involves Asia, you have that extra hurdle. Obviously, a lot of our manufacturers that we sell are made in America and avoid that, but we do have some brands that make products in Asia.”

POPULAR PRODUCTS

Supply-chain issues aside, Horton notes that Diamond Pool Tables are in high demand. Also popular is Taom chalk, which he described as long-lasting, with little coming off the cue.

“Seybert’s provides tip-changing services, and Kamui tips are hot right now, and just about anything Predator makes is also selling well,” he says.

He added that Koda cues are also selling and that Viking is making a comeback. So, this appears to be a good time for billiard and home-recreation businesses as many people are investing their disposable income in buying tables.

“It’s a good sign for the industry, and it shows that people have the intent to play for the long term, which is in line with our purpose to help grow the game,” he says. “Seeing more people put tables into their homes is obviously very encouraging to us.”

TOP-NOTCH SERVICE

In addition to offering its customers excellent products, Seybert’s ensures that it provides outstanding customer service. One of the keys to its success is that its leaders and staff always listen to their clients.

“It doesn’t matter what the price is, if nobody wants a product, you’re not going to sell it,” Horton says. “You have to have the right products that customers want.”

He adds that another must in this age for any billiard retailer is to understand the digital space. That trend has been growing for years, but it has really taken off since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago, because as people quarantined, they relied on technology to buy products, order food, work, participate in meetings and interact with friends and families.

“There’s a trend towards digital and online, I don’t think I’m dropping a bombshell that people don’t already realize with that,” Horton says. “But I think the most important thing a company can do is really spend some time defining your brand’s purpose. Customers want a reason to shop with you.”

As an example, he sites two stores selling a product for the same price. In order to stand out, you have to build a brand that connects with people.

“Once you start speaking with the customer and connect with them on an emotional level, now you’ve given them a reason to come back to you,” he says. “It’s a slow process. It’s much easier to put some dollars in a Google Ad, but brand building is a longer game. Finding customers is getting harder, so once you find them, you have to connect with them and make sure they stay.”

And as Seybert’s Billiard Supply is a business that has succeeded for three decades and which continues to grow, its philosophy is worth paying attention to.