Not Just a Gridiron Thing………

Over the years, I have had several different bosses, a few good ones, and more than a few of that other type.  One of the good ones had a football-like phrase he used over and over to get us young people focused.  The phrase was: “it’s all about blocking and tackling.”  Now, we were in the golf industry, and he was speaking about business.  What he was trying to get us to do was to improve our basics, the way we treated customers.  As a service economy, that “blocking and tackling thing” seems more important than ever.

How are the basics at your club?  Do you have good people?  Are they in the right roles?  Do you have a strategy each day, or does the team open the doors every morning hoping to do their best?  With fewer rounds, less dollars for golf, and competitors driving down the rate, creating great basics will enable you to build a service story, bringing you a reputation as the place to experience a great day of golf.  Daily “blocking and tackling” will help focus each member of the team on the details that make the difference far beyond the rate.

Here are 5 thoughts to help you build your basics to a new level:

• Spend more time looking for strong people.  Never wait until you have a need, but be always on the watch for that special smile.  You cannot train “nice!”
• Make certain each team member is serving in their best role.  Change the team up from time to time and see how service changes.  Having good people in their best spot is the answer to great basics.
• Build a system to create a great execution strategy.  After you have it, spend the rest of your days refining it.  Hoping to do well is not a strategy!  Have a system in place where your team can serve well in any situation.
• Keep issues close to the customer.  Once you have a strategy, allow your team to handle the day, no matter what it brings.  This should not be a management thing.
• Recognition with rewards will help keep your team striving to create a fabulous day for your golfers.  Do not miss the chance to recognize great acts of “blocking and tackling.” 

If your team executed the basics of cleanliness and service at close to 100% each day, I believe your club becomes the place to play in the area, while enjoying higher round rates.  People want to feel good and they want to know they have received real value for dollars spent.  As that good old boss always said: “it really is about blocking and tackling.”