One of our members walked into a Regal theater last week, had a two-minute conversation with the manager, and walked out with “sounds good \u2014 send me an email with more details.”<\/p>
Then he asked me the question almost everybody asks: “Is there a template for that?”<\/p>
There is. But before I give you the template, you need to understand the game \u2014 because the packet isn’t what gets you in. Understanding what’s in it for them<\/em> is what gets you in.<\/p> With the big chains \u2014 Regal, AMC, Cinemark \u2014 there are two ways in.<\/p> Door one: National CineMedia.<\/strong> The chains work with NCM, which will sell you what’s called a tabling \u2014 a booth in the lobby. They have a standard rate depending on how busy the theater is. Two things to know: first, whatever they quote you, I’ve always found you can negotiate them down about 25%. Second, their contract says they get to see everything you’re going to hand out. That’s reasonable \u2014 they want to make sure it’s appropriate for the seven-year-olds coming to see Minions and doesn’t conflict with anything they’re doing.<\/p> What’s in it for NCM is simple: you pay them, they give you access, and as long as the theater isn’t mad at them, everybody’s happy.<\/p> Door two: the theater manager directly.<\/strong> This is the better door \u2014 but it only opens if you lead with what’s in it for him<\/em>.<\/p> Here’s what most school owners get wrong. They walk in thinking about what they want: leads, a booth, access to families. The manager doesn’t care what you want. And any money you offer a big chain theater is a rounding error. So what do you actually have that he wants?<\/p> More than you think. You have a customer list. You have a prospect list. You can email them, text them, hit social media. You have relationships with elementary schools all over your area. You are a traffic-generating machine \u2014 and traffic is the one thing a theater manager always wants more of.<\/p> When I was building these relationships, the conversation went like this:<\/p> “We’re in the area, and I’d love to help you while you help us. For us, it’s valuable just to be in front of the families coming in to see the big family movies. For you \u2014 we’d love to do special showings for our students, we’d love to rent out the theater for events, and whatever your big promotion is, we’ll push it to our entire email list, our prospect list, and our social media. During the school year, we’ll promote it through the schools, daycares, and camps we work with.”<\/em><\/p> Then you tell him what you’re not<\/em> going to do: you’re not going to sell anything at the table, you’re not going to take up much space, and you’re not going to get between his customers and the concession stand. Understand this: the theater manager’s money is made on popcorn and Coke. His single biggest fear is that you’ll intercept the last twenty bucks in somebody’s pocket before it gets to his register. Take that fear off the table explicitly.<\/p> One of the smartest moves I’ve ever seen: a couple of owners who were having trouble getting in simply bought a hundred boxes of the theater’s own popcorn. Everybody who spun the prize wheel at their booth won a box \u2014 redeemable at the concession stand. Suddenly the booth was driving<\/em> concession traffic instead of threatening it. Doors opened.<\/p> Back in the early ’80s, when I was doing this the first time around, I offered a theater twenty martial arts uniforms for their concession staff to wear during a martial arts movie release, plus thousands of one-month passes \u2014 real value, $197 each \u2014 for anyone who bought a ticket. In return they gave me slides on the screen before the ads, poster cases in the lobby, the works.<\/p>Two Doors Into Every Theater<\/h2>
The Pitch That Works<\/h2>
How Far This Can Go<\/h2>