Marketing Tennis to Juniors
by Joe Dinoffer -
November 25, 2008
On marketing tennis to juniors, here is a tip from a great tennis club marketer, Lenny Schloss. Lenny advocates breaking down programs into five levels. Each level is identified with a certain number of balls which participants will presumably hit during the lesson program. As closely as I can calculate the assumption is that each player will hit 3-400 balls per hour in their group lessons. Level One is called the 5,000 Ball Academy. In this level, the program and hours are arranged so that participants will end up hitting at least 5,000 balls upon completion of the program. Level Two is the 10,000 Ball Academy. Level Three is the 15,000 Ball Academy. Level Four is the 20,000 Ball Academy. And, Level Five is the 25,000 Ball Academy. Lenny suggests to guarantee participants at each level to achieve certain levels of competency, enjoyment, and fitness. For example, at Level Three, he recommends promising players to expect accuracy within 10 feet of their targets and the ability to control shots and make adjustments hitting up to 40 miles per hour.
Additionally, his promotional material motivationally compares the fitness benefits of each level to familiar exercise programs. For example, at Level Three, the weekly exercise received is compared to jogging briskly eight miles per week, a high impact 45-minute aerobics class three times per week, or a 45-minute stationary bike workout three times per week. With so much emphasis on health and fitness, Lenny’s concept taps into the mindset of his audience and encourages them to see tennis as an enjoyable alternative to what many people perceive as the drudgery of jogging or aerobics classes.
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