Perception to value

Remember last week when gas prices were $3.45 and up? I got a call from a friend of mine who was in line south of town at a gas station that was selling gas for $3.14 a gallon. The cars were lined up to buy gas that was almost sure to be in short supply soon if they didn’t hurry.

This week, prices went to $3.07 and are probably even going lower as I write this. There are no lines of cars, there is no news story reporting on the local UDF that is selling gas for $3.07/gallon. $3.14 is no longer a bargin.

What changed? Well, nothing except the perception of value! Same gas filling up the same cars by the same people. Same gas stations, yet the same people who thought $3.14 was a BARGAIN last week, couldn’t care less about $3.07 this week. It is all about perception of what is valuable.

Our advice: How much value do teams perceive your soccer tournament to have? What about your market do you know that would create that line of cars down the block of teams begging to get into your tournament? How can you create a buzz about your value? I don’t have the answers, but I do have the questions, which is always a good place to start.

Most of the time, value has nothing to do with the price of something, but how much demand there is for what you have. What kind of demand are you creating for your tournament? Sometimes, it is as easy as being the most fun weekend soccer players will have in their season, not always the most competitive. Take a look around and find that something special that gives your tournament value. Create a perception of demand. Sell it and the teams will line up around the block.