There is so much more to being a tennis professional than just teaching. A lot of us get into the daily grind of just teaching the lesson. We have to remember that there is so much more and our customers demand it, in a way. Good customer service is one big reason that customers come back for a lesson again and again. It is very easy to think that the most important thing is fixing Mary’s backhand. But what really has Mary coming back for lessons has little to do with your teaching and more to do with your customer service. It is the little things you do for her, before and after as well as during the lesson that has her coming back every week.
I have an amazing general manager at Charlotte Country Club who has taught me so much over the last few years. One thing he has preached is that our members and their guests may not remember what we say to them during their stay but they will remember how they are treated. He has also shared various things over the years that have really hit home. One thing he recently shared with me is that there is one very popular national food chain that is rated better than anyone in its business. It is not because of the food, but because of the little things they do for their customers like opening the door for them, getting eye level with them to take their orders and much more.
Tennis professionals should ask themselves what we can do that will set us apart from other pros or clubs. How and what can we do that is better than what our competition does? Sometimes it is the programming or the league teams we offer, but most of the time it is the little things we do for our customers that they remember the most. How can you make your members feel special every time they come to the club courts? The little things can include:
- Greeting customers by name and knowing the names of the spouse and children
- Remembering to mention their recent birthday or the trip that they are about to go on
- Congratulating them on their most recent win
- Calling to remind them of an upcoming lesson or event at the club
- Asking the staff what your member prefers to drink and having it ready for them at the court
- Having a lunch or a snack to take with them on the run
Most tennis pros know a lot of the “little things” we do on the court, but I wanted to cover just a few more:
Always make sure you are involved in the lesson and engaged. There is nothing worse than a pro that is just there feeding balls and looks like he or she can’t wait to be done.
Give your student lots of positive feedback but make sure you aren’t talking too much and they aren’t hitting tons of balls. Try and give your feedback mostly as they hit and only stop to talk when you must.
Make sure you have their approval on a major change in their game. This may be a grip change for the serve or adding spin to a stroke. Many pros want to teach every lesson the same to very different customers or members. The most important thing is to make sure you have your member’s approval first. If not, there is no reason to change Sally’s forehand if she likes her old one. There is no reason to get Tim to hit in the open stance position if he doesn’t want to. This is a very quick way to lose a lesson and even more importantly, give your member a bad experience at the courts.
After the lesson is over, make sure you ask your student if he or she has any questions on anything you have covered during the lesson. Make sure you schedule the next lesson and, if possible, provide an appointment card as a reminder of the time and day. One thing that makes a big impression on your members is a quick follow-up card or phone call to remind them of the great time you had on the court and that you look forward to the next lesson. Another great “little thing” to add to this conversation or card is a quick reminder of something you worked on. For instance, “it was great to have you on the court this Thursday and keep working on your grip on your serve and we’ll work on it some more next week.” This makes the note or phone call more personal and much more meaningful.
The 20/80 Rule
It is always a good idea to stay in contact with all of your members but sometimes it becomes difficult. There is a simple rule that we follow that a lot of you have probably heard. It’s the 20/80 rule, which states that 20 percent of your tennis members play 80 percent of the time. This means that 80 percent of your tennis members aren’t coming out to the courts very often. You need to find out why and how you go about getting them back. One thing we have done is get our staff to call those members who fit into the 80 percent category who aren’t playing. Your calls are to say hi and to see if there anything you can do to help get your members back on the tennis court. Maybe there is a program that you don’t currently provide that they would like to see implemented. You might send out suggestion forms or a suggestion box for programs. Maybe they aren’t playing because they are struggling to find someone to play with. So maybe you could start a matching service to help pair up members with like members. In the case of some seniors, maybe there aren’t enough things for them to do so they stopped. You and your staff could set up a senior drill morning just for them. You may never know things like this unless you speak to the members.
There are several programs that will help with a few of these next “little-thing” items. Keep track of birthdays, anniversaries and kids’ birthdays for your members. When these dates come up during the year, send them a personal e-mail or card to wish them well on this occasion. This is a great way to say something special on their special day. It shows that you are thinking about them and their families even when they aren’t on the tennis court.
The WOW Factor
There are certain instances where you want the “WOW” factor effect. Maybe you are having a big event at the club or having outside guests that you want to impress. You may want to have each participant’s name put on a name plate that will go on the lockers. This is great for the nonmembers and shows them that they are welcome and will be treated as members during their stay. If you are having a dinner or luncheon during the event, have personalized menus with each participant’s name written at the top. Lastly, take lots of pictures and even videos during the event. This will make for a great CD that each participant can take to remember all the special “little things” that your club does for its members as well as its guests. Then always do a follow-up with your members after an event or a program. You always want to strive to make it better next time. A great and easy way to obtain this information is by doing a survey. Find out what the participants liked or disliked and ask what might be missing from the event. This will be valuable information to you when putting together the next event.
Many tennis pros are very good at what they do and work at amazing facilities, but we can always do better for our members. Most of us think to do a better lesson or teach Sally a different stroke, but we often forget that it is the little things that make our members or customers want to return. At Charlotte Country Club we are always trying to make “Raving Fans” out of our members and their guests. This will be done, more times than not, with the little things.
Scott Mitchell is the head tennis professional at Charlotte Country Club in Charlotte, N.C., which was rated one of the top 10 country clubs in the nation in 2010. He has coached more than 30 league team champions and has been ranked with his wife Ashley as one of the best mixed teams making it to number one in the United States in husband/wife mixed doubles in 2006.
This article is copyrighted by the United States Professional Tennis Association and was published in the September 2010 issue of ADDvantage magazine (www.addvantageuspta.com). It is reprinted here with the permission of the USPTA.