Mindshare: your one thing

We each have our favorite brands. They are the companies that build, create or make our favorite things. Within each brand, however, there is that one thing that pops into our head anytime we hear the brand name spoken, see a billboard or watch an ad come across our device. That one thing is most likely our intimate connection to the brand. With Apple it may be iPhone; Chick-Fil-A, personal service; with McDonald’s it could be the fries. With any brand, there is that one item, larger than the rest, that grabs the attention, becomes a part of our head and owns a place in our mind. It is that thing that keeps us interested, excited and loyal.

What is the one thing your members think about when they hear your club’s name spoken? Is there one thing, something unique or distinct that sets your club apart, creates interest, builds a happy image? There is marketing and then there is execution: getting all staffers in the boat, rowing in the same direction. Marketing is storytelling, and it can help create strong images for an audience. At the beginning, however, it is about execution, of taking care of the customer. Once your club has developed consistency of execution and doing things strategically different, it is here where you and your marketing team can identify the thing people can position as special to you. What if 100 members are asked about your club and there is no clear statement of distinction. Maybe “good value or nice people” become the high marks on the report card. What can you do?

Tom Peters, the great management guru says, “Be distinct or extinct.” In a world of sameness where the bar for many might reach average, what is it that you and your team do to create a strong identifier, similar to the iPhone or french fries? In this post I provide three identifiers that might work for your club. The one thing does not need to be magical or the only one of its kind. The smartphone had already been developed prior to Apple’s version, the french fry was an old menu item long before the McDonald brothers set up shop, and personal service goes back longer than we can imagine. It comes down to something extremely unique or execution that simply gets members to stop and take a long look. Here are three ideas for building your one thing:

Personal attention to detail: With a great plan and the discipline to carry it forward, personal attention to detail done consistently well, including the small things many may never notice, can become the thing that sets your club apart.

Clean and neat: From the moment one enters the parking lot until the time they exit towards home, creating a story that puts “very clean and neat” top of mind will set you apart. Why? Because clean is average at best in many parts of the business world. Extraordinary is not mentioned next to clean very often these days. If you add fresh landscaping, flowers in the clubhouse and an aroma like Grandma’s apple pie, your club will hold and keep a special place in the mind of your golfers and staff.

Surprises: No matter the size of your budget, you can develop a series of surprises that consistently delight members and guests. Things such as a special limited item in the restaurant, an immediate deep discount surprise off today’s golf shop purchase, warm cookies handed out by leadership on the golf course, or no-charge instruction for their game, personal fun surprises  will delight people. Think too about unique experiences like events with special guests, a fun bake-off with members, a short game challenge, or any number of other ideas that can stick as a memory. Kill the boring day of golf, bring in ideas and experiences that are designed to first be a surprise and then a memory in the hope of building to your one thing.

Certainly, there are dozens of things that make a golf property special. Being known for dozens of things, however, will not earn you a place in heart or mind. Finding the one thing, your thing that all staff will commit to, can become the reason people play, stay, and tell others about your story. What might that one thing become for you?

Jack Dillon writes the In My Opinion posts. Jack is a speaker, author. He is expert in developing better communications, service excellence, strong operations and a grand golf shop. He has been delighting clients for 5 decades. Reach Jack at: jackd@careerdividends.com or call him at 407-973-6136. Jack is ready to help you. He resides in Orlando.