Today's episode of the Manaverse Podcast is a little different from the usual show. In this shorter than average episode I talk about the different stages in a Magic player's career and how each stage relates to an LGS owner's business. We explore how a player begins with no knowledge of the game or the community and slowly advances through the stages as a casual player, then a casual/competitive player, and finally a competitive player.
I go into ways an LGS can identify which stage their customers are in and how their business can best serve each of them. You'll find out how the one size fits all approach isn't the best way to handle your Magic community.
The idea is simple: Step 1: Line up what your LGS provides with what your customer's want and value. Step 2: Make bank. (Something along those lines anyways)
We'll talk about:
- Which strategies you can use to consistently convert customers who don't play Magic into players that buy your products and play in your events.
- How to tailor your tournaments to attract certain kinds of Magic players.
- Each stage's motivation and reasons for playing the game.
- How to create a system that creates new players for your store and gives them the opportunity to become more skilled players.
- The kinds of products (booster packs vs. tournament staples vs. dollar rares) your LGS should offer each level of player.
- The downside of having a lot of competitive Magic players in your community and how to turn it into an advantage.
Not every Magic player who begins playing the game aspires to become a competitive player, some just want to play for fun and stop right there, and there's nothing wrong with that. But once you're able to identify which of your customers are casual players compared to those with more competitive motivations, you can tailor your business to your community more effectively and improve your bottom line.