Creating new business in the new year

Image courtesy LIGHTFIELD STUDIOS/Adobe Stock

There are many things to think about as you plan for a new year. In addition to new budgets and goals for each department, you are probably looking far and wide for additional revenue, as the world opens more doors, distracting golfers away from your first tee. If, therefore, your club needs to grow sales, with potentially fewer rounds, you might look toward new sources for that growth. This new In My Opinion post will offer three unique business ideas. Although this post cannot provide a guarantee of added revenue, it will suggest, rather confidently, that putting these ideas into practice will create more traffic, added interest in F&B, and better customer service.

The three ideas cover staffing, the golf shop and a new menu item. Think about giving all three a try as you plan a winning 2022. The last several months have shown that comp rounds are down all around the country, so bringing new ideas to the property sounds like a timely notion. The three ideas are: create a never out program for several popular golf shop items; choose three of your most passionate employees and provide each with a more complete training program, a fast track to bigger roles, with a better pay plan and more responsibility; and offer a unique, tasty food item to bring people back to the clubhouse.

1)      A never out program: as a former buyer and operator of dozens of stores, shops, and golf course shops, I was always upset if we ran out of popular golf balls, important glove sizes, top selling golf shoes, and other items that were always easy to sell. Eventually, we created a never out program to go along with our min/max plan, assuring we not only had a deeper, everyday inventory of the critical products, but developed a reorder program that was just about automatic. It worked, with more satisfied customers and sales. Consider from 5-12 items for your never out program

2)      Choose three of your strongest staff members: there are always a few men and women who work a bit harder, a bit smarter, and who apply themselves more than the rest. These people see their role as more than time spent to earn a paycheck. They want a future. Instead of the standard training and retraining programs, think about building something that over time may help build your senior staff and keep the strongest people on the team longer, while enhancing the service scores for both members and guests. Create a program where you teach, mentor and train these folks beyond their current job description. As you develop these people you can measure the results. If it works, make it a permanent program to create a true all-star team.

3)      Offer a signature food item that once tasted, many cannot live without: So many of the best restaurants have that unique food item or cocktail that diners crave. This item may even sell additional food, drink, and so much more. Why not create a story at your club? This suggestion, thanks to F&B expert and friend Rich Stanfield, offers a popular item that may just keep the registers humming, long after the last putt has dropped. The item: fried brussel sprouts with sweet soy glaze and cranberries! 

There you have it: more goods in stock all season long, an accelerator program for your most caring people, and a food special that just might become the hot item in the community. As the world reopens old, familiar paths for all, as more people return to the workplace, it is vital to find new revenue opportunities, with potentially fewer people walking through the door. People now value each day, each experience as never before. Unlike every other human experience, this pandemic has touched every person, and we have all been changed by its devastation. Work with your managers, your staff, and your suppliers on ways to build a better 2022. Although lower rounds might be inevitable, less revenue does not need to be the end result. 

Jack Dillon writes the In My Opinion post. Jack is a consultant, with an expertise in service, communications, purchasing, and operations. He is the author of a new book: Jump the Line: 101 Lessons for Professional Success. To build a better team, operation and golf shop in 2022 contact Jack soon. Contact him at: 407-973-6136 or jackd@careerdividends.com. Jack lives in Orlando and on Zoom.