So ask yourself this. Are you creating Anticipation in your club or resort offerings? Are you keeping it fresh and regularly trying new things? Do you brainstorm with your staff for new ideas? Are you willing to step out of the box? Are your events really special or just called special because that's what you've always called them. In my conversations and visits to...<< MORE >>

One of our Legendary Partners recently asked me for an agenda for a Sales Meeting for his Resort. I put together a one page document that detailed the components necessary for an effective meeting, but as I looked it over, I felt more explanation was necessary. So, I began to expand on the simple format and explain a bit about the “why” behind each item. It goes back to the old adage, “what gets measured gets done."<< MORE >>

In assessing the operations of many clubs/resorts each month, I find that one of the most poorly operated, inconsistent areas of club/resort operations is Food and Beverage. Especially in member owned environments, which are often overseen by a club board, people seem to think that because they dine out, they somehow have some level of expertise that allows them to make business decisions about this important aspect of the club. The reality is that this is one of the most complex departments in a club to manage, control, and produce a consistent experience.<< MORE >>

I am amazed at the number of clubs and resorts I speak with who fall far short of creating expectations and accountabilities in their businesses for their key management personnel. Business is about producing a “bottom line” in accordance with the experience your members and guests want and are willing to pay for. And yet when I ask about specific goals and staff compensation, I find that in almost all cases, the staff is operating under what I term an “entitlement system” for compensation.<< MORE >>

Remember playing Follow the Leader? It's a game I played on occasion as a kid at parties or sometimes after school. The format as I recall began with choosing a “leader” or "head of the line" and then everyone lined up behind the leader. The leader then moved around and everyone had to mimic the leader's actions. Any players who did not do what the leader did were out of the game. In speaking with Clubs week after week and hearing what they've been doing, it seems like this silly kid's fun game for recreation has actually migrated to the business side of the golf industry. Let me explain! << MORE >>

Everyone in the golf business has heard of a forfeit, right? Forfeits happen often in match play club events when there aren't enough players to fill a bracket or when a player simply can't show up for a match . So, the match is forfeited! It is given to a competitor because the other competitor, for whatever reason, didn't, wouldn't, or couldn't compete. The competitor who shows up the match wins simply because he was in the game.<< MORE >>

There is no better source for a new lead for membership at your Club than a referral from a new or current Member. I talk to several Clubs each week and always ask about a member referral program only to find that the Clubs, though desperately in need of new members, do not have a member referral plan in place. Used effectively, you will generate the majority of your leads and new members from your new and current Members.<< MORE >>

I have had much success with guest registration in private country clubs as a source of leads for membership, outings, and private events. This is accomplished through a formal system in the golf pro shop that requires each guest to complete a guest registration card that asks for some basic information plus a question asking the guest to check off any of the club services in which he may have interest.<< MORE >>

Ever wonder why sales aren't happening more quickly? Ever wonder why even though inquiries are coming in about membership or other services your Club offers....sales do not follow? Ever wonder why guests of members often express interest in your Club but wind up having their outing or meeting at another Club? Your Club could be a victim of one or more of<< MORE >>

Every week I speak to Private Clubs experiencing problems with membership. To gain an understanding of their situation I ask a series of questions that include the Initiation Fee required to join the Club. The majority of time, there is a provision for the return of a portion or in some cases all of the Initiation Fee that is required. I then ask the business reason behind the Initiation Fee structure that is in place and I typically get a response like, “I really don’t know” or “that’s a good question”. << MORE >>