Who are those strangers in my (Club) house?
Posted by Golf Management Blog at 5/21/2009 6:38 AM 
Categories: Golf Management, Private Club Marketing, Golf Management Companies, Golf Management Company, Golf Management Marketing, Private Golf Club Marketing
Categories: Golf Management, Private Club Marketing, Golf Management Companies, Golf Management Company, Golf Management Marketing, Private Golf Club Marketing
Who is that guy? Who are those people? How often have you heard that from your members in the golf shop in the morning while waiting to check in for golf? Or, questions about the group playing in front of them on the course? Well, those strangers might just provide the very best opportunity for your Club to achieve your membership sales goals this year.
One of the best and most inexpensive sources of leads and prospects for membership are the GUESTS your current members bring to their Club. They are a natural since they already know someone who is a member and they have already been to your club. But, they are often over overlooked, ignored, or seen only a source of some short term greens fee revenue.
What is your Club's Guest Policy?
Does your Club have a Guest Policy that makes sense for the realities of TODAY? When was the last time it was reviewed? What are you trying to accomplish with it? Have you given serious thought to when guests should be permitted, how much they should be charged and how often they are allowed to play. Do you consider seasonality and busy times and days at your Club when establishing the foregoing parameters? What I find time and time again is that the policy hasn't been reviewed or changed in years. “That's what we've always done,” is a typical response.
Are guests required to register prior
to using your Club's amenities?
The answer to this has to be YES, WITHOUT FAIL, 100% OF THE TIME! Now you will hear excuses from every department about how it's too busy to have guests register, Members don't like it, it upsets the guest, and many other excuses to keep from making this happen. But, like anything else worthwhile, it requires a commitment to become effective.
If guest registration has not been taking place, you should first send a letter to your members explaining what the policy is, why it is what it is, and the fact that all guests must register. This letter should come from the Board Chairman, Club Owner, or General Manager depending on the structure of your Club. Your club has the right to know who is on the property. Also, in case of an emergency a guest may need to be contacted so your club should know where all guests are possibly located at all times. Then begin the registration process
With a Private Club Commander website, this can easily be accomplished electronically. The information you should be sure to capture is Member name, Guest name, address, e-mail address and a question asking if they would like to receive information on membership and /or other Club services such a Private events, or golf outings. You will be astounded at the number of guests who will tell you they are interested in more information. At a Club I recently worked with, guest registration was the very best source for bringing new members to the Club.
Is your guest policy enforced?
So now you have a guest policy! Do you enforce it? If all guest play is not tracked you are doing your Club a disservice. Every Club will have speeders. Speeders are those members who want their guests to play more than the Club allows and will try some innovative techniques to beat the system. These are often good prospects for membership and have to be held to the policy guidelines. A commitment from all Club officials to enforcement is critical and key to the success of your Guest Policy.
What happens to the Guest Registration Information?
Your Guest Registration system must have a simple, reliable way to get guest information to the Membership Director in a timely fashion. Private Club Commander's website captures all guest information, sends an e-mail notification to the appropriate people in the Club that someone has requested information on a Club service, and automatically populates our state of the art Sales Management tool in the CRM. You will never lose a lead again! We can even set up an immediate thank you letter for your interest in the Club and follow up letters to go out AUTOMATICALLY at predetermined intervals.
So, now what?
How often have you heard the advice, “don't talk to strangers”? While sound in many instances, it is the worst possible advice for Private Clubs interested in growing their membership roster! Strangers in the House can become a Private Club's new best friend. Call or e-mail me TODAY to discuss how guest registration can become an ongoing revenue generating machine for your Club.
One of the best and most inexpensive sources of leads and prospects for membership are the GUESTS your current members bring to their Club. They are a natural since they already know someone who is a member and they have already been to your club. But, they are often over overlooked, ignored, or seen only a source of some short term greens fee revenue.
What is your Club's Guest Policy?
Does your Club have a Guest Policy that makes sense for the realities of TODAY? When was the last time it was reviewed? What are you trying to accomplish with it? Have you given serious thought to when guests should be permitted, how much they should be charged and how often they are allowed to play. Do you consider seasonality and busy times and days at your Club when establishing the foregoing parameters? What I find time and time again is that the policy hasn't been reviewed or changed in years. “That's what we've always done,” is a typical response.
Are guests required to register prior
to using your Club's amenities?
The answer to this has to be YES, WITHOUT FAIL, 100% OF THE TIME! Now you will hear excuses from every department about how it's too busy to have guests register, Members don't like it, it upsets the guest, and many other excuses to keep from making this happen. But, like anything else worthwhile, it requires a commitment to become effective.
If guest registration has not been taking place, you should first send a letter to your members explaining what the policy is, why it is what it is, and the fact that all guests must register. This letter should come from the Board Chairman, Club Owner, or General Manager depending on the structure of your Club. Your club has the right to know who is on the property. Also, in case of an emergency a guest may need to be contacted so your club should know where all guests are possibly located at all times. Then begin the registration process
With a Private Club Commander website, this can easily be accomplished electronically. The information you should be sure to capture is Member name, Guest name, address, e-mail address and a question asking if they would like to receive information on membership and /or other Club services such a Private events, or golf outings. You will be astounded at the number of guests who will tell you they are interested in more information. At a Club I recently worked with, guest registration was the very best source for bringing new members to the Club.
Is your guest policy enforced?
So now you have a guest policy! Do you enforce it? If all guest play is not tracked you are doing your Club a disservice. Every Club will have speeders. Speeders are those members who want their guests to play more than the Club allows and will try some innovative techniques to beat the system. These are often good prospects for membership and have to be held to the policy guidelines. A commitment from all Club officials to enforcement is critical and key to the success of your Guest Policy.
What happens to the Guest Registration Information?
Your Guest Registration system must have a simple, reliable way to get guest information to the Membership Director in a timely fashion. Private Club Commander's website captures all guest information, sends an e-mail notification to the appropriate people in the Club that someone has requested information on a Club service, and automatically populates our state of the art Sales Management tool in the CRM. You will never lose a lead again! We can even set up an immediate thank you letter for your interest in the Club and follow up letters to go out AUTOMATICALLY at predetermined intervals.
So, now what?
How often have you heard the advice, “don't talk to strangers”? While sound in many instances, it is the worst possible advice for Private Clubs interested in growing their membership roster! Strangers in the House can become a Private Club's new best friend. Call or e-mail me TODAY to discuss how guest registration can become an ongoing revenue generating machine for your Club.
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