Doug King Takeover (7 Viewers)

[Skyblueweeman]

I tried to sponsor the club it’s a joke

Like @Nick, I had no issues when I enquired. Swift response with all the info I needed.

 

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[Skyblueweeman]

And good marketing managers (or agencies) are not cheap. In footballing terms they are but if not if you don't have a pot to p*ss in.

Even for clubs like ours though, it's an expense that they'd rather not pay - especially when we've cost cut as much as possible. It does need someone other than someone straight out of uni with a marketing degree though, you're right.

 

[Nick]

The marketing, using the data etc is everything I mean about maximising revenues for the club.

It should be a no brainer for whoever the new Chairman is to come in and have a look at what we do and look to try and improve it.

 

[olderskyblue]

You don't need any resource to contact a lapsed customer. A cheap as chips CRM could do that and you could get an intern to programme the data

Exactly.

When my mate was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I contacted the club after a few games of the season, and asked for the cost to upgrade the season tickets from block 19 to one of the corporate lounges. Simple enough question you would imagine. 2 customers willing to spend more money with the club just to get easier access to the seats. (he couldn't manage all the steps where we were).

Not even a reply, also after contacting them a 2nd time.

At the end of that season, we didnt bother renewing at all for the next season. No contact chasing us, asking us why etc etc.

Very poor

 

[KenilworthSkyBlue]

And good marketing managers (or agencies) are not cheap. In footballing terms they are but if not if you don't have a pot to p*ss in.

They're not, but fundamentally the club would benefit if they sourced a decent one. I know of multiple clubs in and around the Midlands - even those leagues below us - that utilise the services of decent marketing agencies.

The club really should have one given it's lack of staff. And probably more aptly, the lack of quality of staff.

 

[Nick]

Somebody ring Adam Dent.....

 

[SkyblueDad]

Would need a new chairman and board of directors anyway so let them decide.

Well that’s it Nic you’ve hit the nail on the head, there will be a new chairman, probably a board new brooms etc that might include a new ceo too.

 

[olderskyblue]

They have all the data. It was on Excel spreadsheets from speaking with Tynan in the past. I think the issue is they either haven't bothered uploading relevant contact information to their CRM, or certainly not all of it, or they're not using it properly.

Most CRMs are capped with regards to number on contacts on there - the more contacts the higher the annual/monthly fee. At a guess that could be where the issue lies.

Must have changed. When I invested in a CRM system, it was costed against the number of users, not the amount of contacts.

 

[hill83]

“YES TAKEOVER TALK, POSITIVE TIMES!”

Maybe not then.

 

[olderskyblue]

“YES TAKEOVER TALK, POSITIVE TIMES!”

Maybe not then.

You new here?

We're happiest when we're moaning... thought you knew that

 

[Grendel]

Of course it's a resource issue. If you use a CRM system to auto-generate those emails, who follows up the responses? Who contacts Dave to get him to book a ST again.

Look, I get the hatred from you for DB...but it is still a resource issue. You need people to run effective marketing campaigns - someone of your calibre should know that. The club have been running on as few staff as possible as we've been 'cutting our cloth' accordingly. That doesn't mean that it's worked from a financial point of view and undoubtedly, the marketing has likely suffered.

The point still stands - hopefully this takeover will help re-engage with the fan base with a better strategy.

Dear me - "hatred for Dave Boddy" - you can actually point out issues of competency and role capability without personal agenda and looking at this thread I am not the only one of that opinion. Pricing strategy this season has been badly thought through. Regardless of any of that the CEO has to negotiate contracts and leases. Its not a personal vendetta to suggest someone like Boddy is not fit for purpose in that area

Oh Its not a resource issue to generate an e-mail at all.

 

[KenilworthSkyBlue]

Must have changed. When I invested in a CRM system, it was costed against the number of users, not the amount of contacts.

Isn't it priced by features and users? CRMs aren't really my area of expertise but I was speaking to a contact not long ago about how the one they were using (the name escapes me) was also priced by data storage.

 

[SkyblueDad]

One thing, of many, the club is piss poor at is contacting people who no longer go. I've gone from being a season ticket holder to not being able to attend games. Not one call too see why or an offer of a cheap / free ticket

Fair enough my non-attendance is due to having to deal with family stuff so even if they offered something I couldn't go but there must be plenty of people on the database who just don't go anymore and could be persuaded back

Its a very basic thing to do and if they're missing things like that there's no chance they're sorting out much else

It’s a football fact the only thing that attracts fans old or new is the product on the pitch and some hope, currently we have both and our solid support I’d say is 17/18000, job of the club now is get that up to 20k+ home fans.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

It’s a football fact the only thing that attracts fans old or new is the product on the pitch and some hope, currently we have both and our solid support I’d say is 17/18000, job of the club now is get that up to 20k+ home fans.

Record season ticket sales met by pathetic financial support for the manager and nearly a month of home games postponed. Only at CCFC

 

[SkyblueDad]

The crowing about Fisher being "sacked" is just stupid. He probably made himself a millionaire after his stretch at the club and would have been more than happy to walk away. He was the one conduit to Seppala and probably stopped us going into administration a few times over the last 5 years. Now we are left with Boddy (hmm) and King- a massive unknown quantity with no experience in Sports management.
Debt free but continually trading at a loss, ground we still dont own, only assets are 2 or 3 saleable players- be really interested to see the business plan because it doesnt really make sense. Expect lots of talk about FFP.

I think the business plan has started with booting Fisher out. imo a positive move.

 

[Skyblueweeman]

Oh Its not a resource issue to generate an e-mail at all.

F*&king hell - just ignore the bit where I says it's not about auto-generating an email - it's about having the resource to follow up. At least read my post properly if you're going to respond.

It still IS a resource issue if there's no human to call people back and utilise the data the club is no doubt sitting on. Email marketing is good to a certain point - but it doesn't meet the needs of our end-to-end customer journey. You need humans (resource) to fulfill.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

F*&king hell - just ignore the bit where I says it's not about auto-generating an email - it's about having the resource to follow up. At least read my post properly if you're going to respond.

It still IS a resource issue if there's no human to call people back and utilise the data the club is no doubt sitting on. Email marketing is good to a certain point - but it doesn't meet the needs of our end-to-end customer journey. You need humans (resource) to fulfill.

Sounds like you, Nick, G and KSB should be running marketing while OSB runs accounts, CC4L manages the side and Frostie/Esoterica/Evo run scouting. I’ll be Sky Blue Sam-can provide my own kit

 

[Grendel]

F*&king hell - just ignore the bit where I says it's not about auto-generating an email - it's about having the resource to follow up. At least read my post properly if you're going to respond.

It still IS a resource issue if there's no human to call people back and utilise the data the club is no doubt sitting on. Email marketing is good to a certain point - but it doesn't meet the needs of our end-to-end customer journey. You need humans (resource) to fulfill.

Seriously you can hire a contractor on a daily rate of £350 to follow up once you have the data - this is ridiculous. If a CEO cannot find that its a joke.

Our commercial offers - sponsorship and mascots being prime examples - are also a joke. It took me half an hour to compare offerings to other clubs. It would take an intern a few days to compile the date

Wigan have a strong website and pretty good commercial offers. I doubt they have a massive team behind them.

This is real basic stuff - What do Hornby and Scope actually do then?

 

[SkyblueDad]

I think the business plan has started with booting Fisher out. imo a positive move.

He has been here since 2011 i think we have had two administrations, certainly one, Northampton, St.Andrews, transfer embargoes, two relegations, yep the boy did well.

 

[KenilworthSkyBlue]

Sounds like you, Nick, G and KSB should be running marketing while OSB runs accounts, CC4L manages the side and Frostie/Esoterica/Evo run scouting. I’ll be Sky Blue Sam-can provide my own kit

This is the worrying thing though...

If posters on a football forum are tabling pretty simple concepts which a supposedly reputable organisation is either blissfully unaware of or simply can't be bothered to action then they have no hope.

 

[Grendel]

This is the worrying thing though...

If posters on a football forum are tabling pretty simple concepts which a supposedly reputable organisation is either blissfully unaware of or simply can't be bothered to action then they have no hope.

And to blame resource is pathetic. Its GCSE level 3 stuff

 

[fernandopartridge]

‘Corner kick sponsored by Grendel Spreadsheet Solutions’ wouldn’t fit on the scoreboard

The other corner would say 'This Corner kick is not sponsored by Grendel Spreadsheet Solutions'

 

[Senior Vick from Alicante]

It would be Doug King losing money.

What if he offers every City fan a free pint, as some have suggested? Are you going to run around the concourse frantically telling people to stop costing the club F&B revenue?

Free shaving foam?

 

[Nick]

Seriously you can hire a contractor on a daily rate of £350 to follow up once you have the data - this is ridiculous. If a CEO cannot find that its a joke.

Our commercial offers - sponsorship and mascots being prime examples - are also a joke. It took me half an hour to compare offerings to other clubs. It would take an intern a few days to compile the date

Wigan have a strong website and pretty good commercial offers. I doubt they have a massive team behind them.

This is real basic stuff - What do Hornby and Scope actually do then?

£350 a day? What contractors are you looking for? That's £7k a month.

It wouldn't even be that much.

 

[KenilworthSkyBlue]

And to blame resource is pathetic. Its GCSE level 3 stuff

Yeah I've never accepted that excuse. Regardless of how much it gets thrown around.

From conversations it's clearly wearing thin with a lot of existing and new sponsors, boardroom members and box holders. Might've worked with some in L2 but it simply won't wash now we're in the Championship.

 

[fernandopartridge]

F*&king hell - just ignore the bit where I says it's not about auto-generating an email - it's about having the resource to follow up. At least read my post properly if you're going to respond.

It still IS a resource issue if there's no human to call people back and utilise the data the club is no doubt sitting on. Email marketing is good to a certain point - but it doesn't meet the needs of our end-to-end customer journey. You need humans (resource) to fulfill.

For a company with a turnover that is somewhere between £15m to £20m, is employing a couple of marketing assistants really that much of an expense (yes I know player wages swallow up most if not all turnover)?

The club will pay the Apprenticeship Levy - it could even have one more experience marketing person and a younger apprentice which'd cost buttons.

 

[Sky Blue Pete]

Exactly.

When my mate was diagnosed with terminal cancer, I contacted the club after a few games of the season, and asked for the cost to upgrade the season tickets from block 19 to one of the corporate lounges. Simple enough question you would imagine. 2 customers willing to spend more money with the club just to get easier access to the seats. (he couldn't manage all the steps where we were).

Not even a reply, also after contacting them a 2nd time.

At the end of that season, we didnt bother renewing at all for the next season. No contact chasing us, asking us why etc etc.

Very poor

I always go direct to tynan or mark h

 

[Grendel]

£350 a day? What contractors are you looking for? That's £7k a month.

It wouldn't even be that much.

I am talking about a top end professional person to do it. Give the brief and properly engage the customer. It would be done in a couple of days I would assume if its a clean data base with lapsed customers that are a few years old and duplications removed.

It was @Skyblueweeman who suggested the phone route. Personally I'd go text reminders, its even cheaper, easy to set up and will get as good a response rate.

 

[KenilworthSkyBlue]

F*&king hell - just ignore the bit where I says it's not about auto-generating an email - it's about having the resource to follow up. At least read my post properly if you're going to respond.

It still IS a resource issue if there's no human to call people back and utilise the data the club is no doubt sitting on. Email marketing is good to a certain point - but it doesn't meet the needs of our end-to-end customer journey. You need humans (resource) to fulfill.

Yeah which as stated, there's no point investing in a new CRM then if the club doesn't have the resource to manage it.

It's like buying a car without knowing how to drive and expecting it to get you from A to B.

 

[Grendel]

Yeah which as stated, there's no point having a new CRM then if the club doesn't have the resource to manage it.

It's like buying a car without knowing how to drive and expecting it to get you from A to B.

My apprentice can manager a CRM

 

[Nick]

The club has got a CRM executive and a couple of cheap marketing people haven't they? No idea if they are any good.

 

[KenilworthSkyBlue]

I am talking about a top end professional person to do it. Give the brief and properly engage the customer. It would be done in a couple of days I would assume if its a clean data base with lapsed customers that are a few years old and duplications removed.

It was @Skyblueweeman who suggested the phone route. Personally I'd go text reminders, its even cheaper, easy to set up and will get as good a response rate.

Ideally I'd probably tailor the contact method to the demographic of the fan.

Older fans might prefer a call or email, younger fans would be more than content with a simple SMS.

 

[Skyblueweeman]

Seriously you can hire a contractor on a daily rate of £350 to follow up once you have the data - this is ridiculous. If a CEO cannot find that its a joke.

Our commercial offers - sponsorship and mascots being prime examples - are also a joke. It took me half an hour to compare offerings to other clubs. It would take an intern a few days to compile the date

Wigan have a strong website and pretty good commercial offers. I doubt they have a massive team behind them.

This is real basic stuff - What do Hornby and Scope actually do then?

Perhaps SISU didn't want to pay £350 a day. Contractors can be hit or miss to be fair but that's by the by.

The club has plenty of sponsors - I assume Hornby and Scope are involved with those but I don't what their day to day diaries look like. Could they be doing more? Probably? Could I do more in my business? Probably. Could you do more with your spreadsheet? Probably.

Great for Wigan - I've already said that the takeover will hopefully herald a better and results driven marketing plan. We're aligned. Woo-hoo.

 

[KenilworthSkyBlue]

The club has got a CRM executive and a couple of cheap marketing people haven't they? No idea if they are any good.

Think the last few pages of this thread probably answers that one.

 

[Grendel]

The club has got a CRM executive and a couple of cheap marketing people haven't they? No idea if they are any good.

in that case the resource issue really is nonsense