MORE THAN A SALE

How do we continue to build a business at the club?  What are some ways to create not only a golfer for today, but for the very long term.  Credit card companies as well as consumer products’ companies know the secret sauce to their success is to have the consumer use their products or cards for a very long time.  For your business, I ask you to think beyond the round or even this year’s membership program and look at ways to inject loyalty into the transaction.  Today, the subject is selling golf clubs, not a popular category anymore at the local pro shop, but one that can help you build more revenue, better service, and sincere loyalty.

  If you sell golf clubs today, you probably have a good instruction program and solid professionals on your staff.  It is important that everyone on your team works to build loyalty each and every day.  I suggest when you sell golf clubs, you provide FREE instruction on how to use these clubs: it makes perfect sense.  The big box stores spend all of their time on the front end of the sale, they miss the real opportunity of building a loyal customer.  When you sell golf clubs, teach the member/golfer how to use the club.  Here are my 5 thoughts on building loyalty:

1. When your shop sells a putter or hybrid, provide a 15 minute lesson on how to use them
2. When you sell a driver, provide a 20 minute Free lesson  on this new club
3. With a set of new irons offer a 30 minute lesson.  Create cool tags for the clubs in your shop: “Let’s Us Show You How to Use this…..”
4. The opportunity is not only about selling more clubs, it is about building a bigger lesson program and
5. Adding new members and building rounds.  We must realize the more times we can get a golfer to come to your club, the more loyal they become.  From selling clubs, to instruction, to special foodie events, every idea you and your team develop should have the end game in mind of creating a long term appreciating asset!

  As the credit card companies and soap companies have learned, loyalty pays big profits.  From now on look at ideas that may appear to have a small benefit, but have in their DNA the idea of creating a life-long golfer out of everyone you and your staff connects to each day.  Lead the team away from the transaction talk, and get them all to understand the way to their better future is by developing loyalty with every register ring!  Transactions are about a price or an immediate need.  Teach loyalty to put your club on a very different path.

Jack Dillon writes the highfives series.  He is an expert on player development, adding women to the game, and the pro shop.  Jack is a Toastmaster and advanced speaker.  Let Jack bring new ideas to your next meeting through his “A Better Way” series.  Jack lives in Orlando.  Reach Jack at 407-973-6136.  Thank you.