Back when I was getting my start on Tour, in the days of Black Angles and Blue Hammers (oh, it all seems so long ago now!), there was a phenomenon in the Pro Shop business one might call “The Show Factor.” What I mean by The Show Factor is the spike that Pro Shops would see in ball sales following either the appearance of a new bowling ball or a standout performance during the PBA Tour telecasts on ABC-TV. Customers would often flood into the Pro Shop on Saturday or Sunday (or during the week when they came to bowl their leagues) and ask about the latest ball they saw on “the Show” over the weekend.

Today, one of the biggest arguments top players hear in endorsement negotiations with manufacturers is that, unlike the days of the 1980′s and early 90′s, “the PBA doesn’t sell bowling balls.” The manufacturers argue that the balls of today are difficult to identify on the show, that the PBA telecast doesn’t offer enough vehicles to help promote the equipment and that the players now demand the flexibility of a variety of equipment choices (including the ability to use older, slower-selling models) in order to give themselves the best opportunity to win. These are all predominantly true statements.

The interesting thing about this however, is that, in reality, the power has simply shifted from the hands of the consumer to the hands of the Pro Shop operator. The reason is, in the old days, it was less difficult for the consumer to understand the breadth of choices available (because they were so much more sparing) and thereby easier to make a relatively informed purchasing decision without total reliance on the advice of the Pro Shop operator. Today, there are almost no consumers left who understand the vast array of choices available in a way that would not require some major advice from the Pro Shop operator in making a purchasing decision. Because of this, the Pro Shop operator is the person of the moment and possesses nearly all of the power in moving equipment out the doors.

I do believe that the manufacturers understand this, as proven by the shift in spending from media and product endorsements to grass-roots marketing programs focusing on Pro Shop training, product demos and technical seminars in the last decade. But Pro Shop owners can be just as easily impressed by the Pros as consumers. Many of the recommendations they are making to consumers are based upon what they saw on the most recent PBA telecast. Given that, it is extremely important for anyone with a vested interest in selling bowling equipment, namely, the PBA (for sponsorship purposes), the manufacturers, and the players, to give these Pro Shop owners every available resource to help them do their job in the best way possible.

It is important not just for the survival of our sport’s consumer product market but also because Pro Shop operators are key warriors in the fight to reverse the declining trends in competitive bowling. If Pro Shop operators are confused and are not getting the right information and begin to lose their passion for the sport, that attitude will reflect negatively on the numbers of competitive bowlers we see participating on an annual basis.