He calls himself “Old Barnyard”. Claiming not to remember the origin of this interesting moniker he thinks that it could be from his early basketball days. You should know this right off when you pick up and start reading The WOW Factor. In his book, Barney Adams – the founder of Adams Golf, says that if you want to stop and question him you might as well have his correct name. Not Byron or Barney as some may call him, but Barnyard.
The WOW Factor is broken into two sections: part one is the story of Adams Golf and the second is an insider look at the golf industry. One portion I was quite fond of as someone who writes about golf was the 28th chapter: "Writing About Golf Equipment". Old Barnyard states:
"Writing about golf equipment can be a prelude to boring reading to all but the severely affected. After all, it is about the application of physics."
I now have a name for my illness; severely affected! All kidding aside, he makes history of golf club design and other equipment topics very interesting. There is even a chapter in this section entitled “PGA Show Deaths”.
But alas, I have jumped ahead. The first section is an account of an entrepreneur and his vision. Mr. Adams wants to give some practical business advice along with his general message and story. His tale is one of dedication, trial and error, and determination. Whether a golf enthusiast, student of business, or just a fan of real life success stories; there is something for many different audiences in this publication.
Excerpt from The WOW Factor – The Marketing Challenge (Chapter 19):
"One year the day before PGA Show after setting up our booth I passed through the booths of some of the big companies. They dwarfed mine ……how could I possibly compete…….I felt intimidated. I decided to stop and have a conversation with myself before leaving the area. " Quit this self-pity routine," I said. Your job isn’t to whine about the bigger guys and how no one stops in your booth. Your goal is to do such a good job that the people who attend the show will want to see what you have. ……It was about delivering the message, getting show customers to say," WOW that’s a great product" it may sound a little strange a guy standing in the aisle talking to himself …..I remember it to this day and it worked. My attitude changed."
