Have you ever considered how many times a prospective member is encouraged or discouraged to join your club when visiting your club? The more positive “connect”ions a prospective member has while experiencing your club the more likely he/she will join. Each of these opportunities to “connect” with the prospective member creates a check on the left side of the page and a positive selling signal.
Think about this … Mr. Smith calls the club, receptionist answers, call comes to the membership director, information is sent, follow-up call is made, e-mail is sent, newsletter is sent, membership director calls to make an appointment to visit club, Mr. Smith comes to club, arrives at security gate, passes along club roads and common areas, enters the parking lot or valet area, enters club and speaks to receptionist, membership director and Mr. Smith visits dining rooms, golf shop, tennis shop, fitness center, locker rooms, snack bar, Mr. Smith comes back for a round of golf, enjoys lunch in the dining room, Mrs. Smith brings the kids to the pool for the day, Mr. Smith visits with membership director about his experience, membership director follows up, Mr. Smith applies for membership, meets with membership committee, membership director calls to congratulate Mr. Smith on acceptance, Mr. and Mrs. Smith come to club for an orientation session. Now count the connections: 32 or more opportunities to connect.
Every time a prospective member comes in contact with your club, an employee, or the club’s facilities is an opportunity to sell a membership and influence the sales process. I call this being “tour ready”. Staff members should be empowered with the knowledge of how their respective positions impact the sales process. Clubs grow and thrive on personal relationships.
This “tour ready” policy means that the guard at the security gate is friendly and business-like, the roads and grounds are groomed, the valets are welcoming and helpful, the receptionist is polite and professional, phone calls are returned promptly, the membership director is ready and prepared for the tour, the dining rooms are clean and reset with clean linen, locker rooms are clean, golf staff is polite and friendly, employees smile and say hello when passed in the hallways, the golf cart is clean and ready, the starter is helpful and acquaints Mr. Smith with local rules and answers questions in a friendly manner, the course maintenance staff stops the mower when approaching tees and greens, bunkers are raked, water is frequent on the course, flower beds are free of weeds. Bag attendants are friendly when Mr. Smith arrives back at the clubhouse, ask him about his round, clean his clubs and place them in his car. Food and beverage staff are friendly and helpful, service is attentive and food quality is consistent, chef’s specialties are suggested with pride, the table is set with clean, fresh linen and utensils. The membership director meets him before he leaves and asks how his experience was, sends a note and follows up on his intention to join the club. He receives a call from the membership committee to congratulate him on his acceptance. He receives a call to welcome him to the club from the golf and tennis pros, F&B directors and the general manager. Whew, you get the picture.
First impressions do last forever and should always be on the minds of our team members. Having a great golf course or fancy sales material are never important if the staff is rude, the grounds are cluttered, the bunkers have weeds and the prospect can’t maneuver through your phone system. In other words, they don’t “connect” with the club. Each of these “connect”ions is like a link in a necklace. The stronger the link, the stronger the chain and the relationships become. It may begin with the membership director, but the “team” approach is what facilitates the ability to enroll a new member.
Will your club make connections the next time a prospective member calls or comes by the club? This really isn’t difficult; every staff member just needs to know his or her part of the process.
The membership director can facilitate this process by making a daily tour of the club every day upon arrival. Start with the valet, acquaint him with who will be visiting that day so he can greet them upon arrival, do the same with the receptionist and golf and tennis pro shops, go into the kitchen and talk to every employee, engage them and make them feel special (they get very little praise, but always hear the complaints), go to the golf course maintenance facility once a month, bring donuts or ice cream, let them know why they are important and that what they do is appreciated.
For another day, how to do these “connect”ions affect our ability to retain members? The process of “connect”ions doesn’t end with the sales process. Look at your connections and see if they have a positive or negative effect on your ability to build strong relationships with your members.
To learn more about membership marketing, attend the National Club Conference on May 24 in Chicago, where Beth Meister will present a session on best practices. Click here to view the conference agenda. Register now!
Beth Meister is the President of Club Concepts, an innovative marketing firm working with developers and managers on the consultation, development and implementation of key marketing and sales initiatives.