The document outlines a workshop for player development and marketing strategies in the golf industry. It discusses establishing a clear understanding of who consumers are and why they play golf. It also covers the role of PGA professionals in engaging consumers at different stages of the marketing lifecycle, from inspiring new golfers to retaining existing customers. The goal is to develop integrated programming and strategies to grow the game and maximize financial impact.
6. 1. INTRODUCTION
who are we,
the current situation
and future possibilities
2. RE-THINKING WHY
why people play golf,
why we teach golf,
and why we matter
3. THE CONSUMER
who they are,
what they want
& where they are at
4. ROLE OF PGA MEMBER
what we excel at,
how we add value,
& the consumer pathway
5. MARKETING LIFECYCLE
an introduction to the
marketing lifecycle,
overview & examples
6. INSPIRING GOLFERS
how to inspire golfers,
including where to do it
& with what messages
7. ENGAGING GOLFERS
deepening engagement
with golfers is a means to
more rounds & revenue
8. CONVERTING GOLFERS
converting golfers into
coaching programs has
tangible financial impact
10. PROGRAM STRATEGY
tying it all together
into an integrated
programming strategy
11. MEASURING
how to measure &
communicate your
programming success
12. SUMMARY
comprehensive review of
real player development
and its success factors
9. RETAINING GOLFERS
retaining golfers can have
a measurable impact on
facility usage
8. » Complete the distributed worksheet
» The most important words you want
the customer to know about you
» 5-minutes
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
11. …they told us about their pixels and processors and weight and thickness…
Hewlett Packard came…
… and so they went.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
12. DON’T START WITH WHAT
» HP launched a great tablet.
» They advertised it as the best tablet.
» They told us how powerful, how light & bright
» They didn’t tell us why, but it was a better
tablet than Apple’s..
WHY
HOW
WHAT
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
13. DO START WITH WHY
» Apple told us they would teach us to learn a
new language or teach our children to spell.
» Using a beautiful, easy to use, Apple device.
» It’s an iPad.
WHY
HOW
WHAT
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
14. DAVID CHRISTIE, PGA
Director of Golf
Eagle Canyon Country Club
Johannesburg, South Africa
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
16. TRADITIONAL GOLF PROPOSITION
Better Golf Shots
lessons
1. WHAT
Better Golf Shots
your ‘system’ & guidance
2. HOW
Better Golf Shots
better golf, more fun
3. WHY
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
17. A NEW OPPORTUNITY
Better Golf Shots
fitted equipment, lesson plan
3. WHAT
Better Golf Shots
improve your short game
2. HOW
Better Golf Shots
lower your score, win more
1. WHY
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
18. » Consider new learnings, such as:
• Who is your audience?
• What do they care about?
• Why is it important to them?
• What call-to-action resonates?
REDO YOUR MESSAGE
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
24. “RESPECT IS LOVE IN PLAIN CLOTHES.”
“THERE IS NO MARGIN IN A COMMODITY.”
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
28. CARY COZBY, PGA
Director of Golf
Southern Hills Country Club
Tulsa, OK
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
30. RE-THINKING WHY RECAP
» People buy the “why” not the “what”; distance, not drivers; improvement, not
lessons; experiences, not tee times.
• ACTION ITEM: Define Your 25-word Why with Staff and Management
» Your audience must recognize themselves in your communications
» Create emotional connections that lead to loyalty beyond reason
• ACTION ITEM: Become a Lovemark at Your Facility
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
32. WHAT WE THINK THEY CARE ABOUT
» Good weather
» Good course conditions
» Welcomed and greeted by name
» Lowest Score
» More good shots, less bad shots
» Length of round
» Nothing goes wrong
» Feel respected
» Orderly facilities & quality service
» Have fun with friends
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
33. WHAT THEY SAY THEY CARE ABOUT
» Good weather
» Good course conditions
» Welcomed and greeted by name
» Lowest Score
» More good shots, less bad shots
» Length of round
» Nothing goes wrong
» Feel respected
» Orderly facilities & quality service
» Have fun with friends1
3
2
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
34. THAT’S LIKE ASKING…
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
35. GOOD ROUND POOR ROUND
BETTER SURVEY POORER SURVEY
= =
WHAT THEY ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
36. THEY WANT GREAT
GOLF EXPERIENCES.
WE OFFER TEE TIMES.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
39. WHY THEY PLAY GOLF
SOCIAL&
ENTERTAINMENT
SPORT &
COMPETITION
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
40. WHY THEY PLAY GOLF (cont’d)
SOCIAL&
ENTERTAINMENT
SPORT &
COMPETITION
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
41. MARK SIERAK, PGA
Head Golf Professional
Barrington Golf Club
Aurora, OH
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
42. CONSUMER VALUE HAS CHANGED
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
43. FAMILY ROLES HAVE EVOLVED
PAID WORK
HOUSE WORK
CHILDCARE
30
40
50
60
1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
HOURS SPENT PER WEEK, FATHER » According to the Pew Research
Center, 56% of working mothers
and 50% of working fathers find
it very or somewhat difficult to
balance work and family life.
» Since 1965, the role of the father
in the family has evolved to
encompass more household and
childcare responsibilities.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
47. "All of us deeply involved in the game constantly encourage golfers of all skill levels to play the proper tees, but
too often golfers want to bite off as much of the golf course as they can. What ends up suffering is their
scorecard and their overall enjoyment. This program should help stimulate people to play the proper tees and
maximize the golf experience."
JACK NICKLAUS
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
51. THE “DEMAND MODEL”
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
52. KNOWING THE CONSUMER RECAP
» You must know who your customers are & who your target customer is
• ACTION ITEM: Ask your membership/customer base “why they play golf”
» Golf must exploit rapidly changing generational demographics
» Consider the demand model in both your programming and messaging, as your
customers have different preferences based on a variety of factors
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
54. TONY MARTINEZ, PGA
Director of Golf
Keeton Park Golf Course
Dallas, TX
342GRADUATES !
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
55. TONY MARTINEZ, PGA
Director of Golf
Keeton Park Golf Course
Dallas, TX
but only...
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
56. TONY MARTINEZ, PGA
Director of Golf
Keeton Park Golf Course
Dallas, TX
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
57. TONY MARTINEZ, PGA
Director of Golf LOVEMARK
Keeton Park Golf Course
Dallas, TX
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
58. RICK BAYLISS
Past President of the CMAA
Chief Operating Officer
The Lost Tree Club
North Palm Beach, FL
‘CHIP & SIP’
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
66. A LESSON TAKER WILL…
… SPEND 65%
MORE ON F&B.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
67. IAN HAYES, PGA
ZwartkopCountry Club
Johannesburg, South Africa
‘PRACTICE &
BREAKFAST’
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
68. A LESSON TAKER WILL…
… PLAY 20%
MORE GOLF.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
69. A LESSON TAKER WILL…
… SPEND 79%
MORE IN RETAIL.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
70. A LESSON TAKER WILL…
… 100% RENEWED
THEIR MEMBERSHIP.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
73. ROLE OF THE PROFESSIONAL RECAP
» There is a pathway that all consumers unconsciously navigate in their golf journey
» The PGA Professional is uniquely positioned to manage consumers onto & up the
consumer pathway.
» Engagement is a means to an end, it can drive all aspects of your business
• ACTION ITEM: Review the amount of time dedicated to “engagement” at your facility
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
89. MARKETING LIFECYCLE RECAP
» There is a standard marketing lifecycle that all products must follow
» Golf is no different, we must inspire, engage, convert and retain customers if we
want to increase golfers, rounds and revenue at our facility.
• ACTION ITEM: Walk from your parking lot, through your shop, past the practice area and to
the first tee. What inspiring material did you see? What positive messages did you read?
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
102. 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
“TO WHAT EXTENT
DO YOU TRUST
EACH OF THE FOLLOWING
ADVERTISING OR PROMOTIONS?”
Source: Forrester Research, Inc.
COMMUNICATION MEDIUMS
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
103. COMMUNICATION PREFERENCES
GENERATION MEDIUM
Traditionalists Face-to-Face
Baby Boomers Face-to-Face, Phone, Email, Web & Facebook
Generation X Email, LinkedIn, Twitter & Web
Millennials Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Web
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
105. RECONSTRUCT THE ADVERT
» Reconstruct the previous ad to
communicate to your audience
around “why” and not “what”
» What imagery, title, caption and
call-to-action would inspire your
target market to engage?
» 3 minutes
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
107. “HOW MANY
FITTING VARIATIONS
ARE THERE REALLY?”
THE BEAUTY OF A QUESTION
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
108. DISCOVER FOR THEMSELVES
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
114. INSPIRING GOLFERS RECAP
» Inspiring someone to action is difficult, there are a lot of distractions
» Different generations are inspired through different communication mediums
• ACTION ITEM: Identify who your target market is and where you can reach them
» There are any different ways to inspire: appeal to emotion, question, or tell stories
• ACTION ITEM: Inventory and review the messaging in your facility’s on and off-site
communications, including your staff’s face-to-face interactions with your customers
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
119. BILL ABRAMS, PGA
Head Professional
Balmoral Woods Country Club
Crete, IL
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
127. ENGAGING GOLFERS RECAP
» Engaging with customers has a standard industry model, applicable to golf.
• ACTION ITEM: Define your engagement model, including how you will inspire the consumer
» Engagement is a means to an end: you are unlikely to convert a consumer into a golfer
during your first engagement, use the opportunity to build trust, credibility.
» There are an unimaginable number or types of “engagement events”
• ACTION ITEM: Brainstorm a list engagement events; Implement one at your facility
» You can create a “sales gap” by highlighting the golf opportunity or threat
» Engagement that is not converting or retaining a golfer is wasted opportunity
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
130. … so plan for the sale and then ask for the sale!
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
131. THE ENDS WE LEAD TO
RETAIN
(reduce losses)
RAISE
(occasional to regular)
RECRUIT
(new blood)
REWARD
(value avid)
RECOVER
(lapsed)
» Increased Member or Green Fees
» Increased Food & Beverage
» Increased Retail & Apparel
» Increased Equipment Sales
» Increased Event Fees
» Increased Coaching Revenue
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
132. GOLFER
NAME: OLI OCCASIONAL
ROUNDS: 4 per year
SCORE: 90 – 100
INCONSISTENT STRIKES
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
133. CONVERT AN OCCASIONAL GOLFER
» Create an event for “Oli Occasional”
» Objective: Encourage occasional golfers to play golf more
frequently and to become more engaged with you and
the facility
» Consider on course experiences, resources, facilities, etc.
GOLFER
NAME: OLI OCCASIONAL
ROUNDS: ~4 per year
SCORE: 90 – 100
INCONSISTENT STRIKES
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
137. CREATE A LEVEL-BASED PROGRAM
» Create a three-level coaching program
» Objective: Move customers up the
pathway,in either terms of skill or type
(intro, recreational, engaged, committed).
» Consider on where your customers are
coming from and where you want them to go.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
139. JOHN PERNA
PGA apprentice
Assistant Professional
Oak Brook Golf Club
Oak Brook, IL
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
140. RETAIN
(reduce losses)
RAISE
(occasional to regular)
RECRUIT
(new blood)
REWARD
(value avid)
RECOVER
(lapsed)
DON’T FORGET FORMER PLAYERS
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
142. RECOVER LAPSED GOLFERS
» Objective: Recruit lapsed customers back to your facility
» Consider an event to engage golfers who no longer play
for whatever reason.
» How will you inspire them? How will you retain them?
» Be sure to define the results you wish to achieve
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
143. THE POWER OF ADVOCACY
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
144. PETER MYERS, PGA
Owner & Golf Professional
Dunes Golf Centre
Fraserburgh,United Kingdom
135 NEW MEMBERS
12 MONTHS
$2.2MM
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
145. BILL HARVEY, PGA
Teaching Professional
Arroyo Del Oso Golf Course
Albuquerque,NM
FILLED ALL JUNIORPROGRAMS.
OPENED MORE.
FILLED THOSE, TOO.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
146. DEE FORSBERG, PGA
Teaching Professional
Brookview Golf Course
Golden Valley, MN
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
147. GOLFER
NAME: OLI OCCASIONAL
ROUNDS: 4 per year
SCORE: 90 – 100
INCONSISTENT STRIKES
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
148. CONVERTING GOLFERS RECAP
» If engagement was the means to the end, conversion is the end
» Golfer conversion can be new players, retained players, recovered players or
players who play more golf; Golfer conversion happens onto & up the pathway
• ACTION ITEM: Define your facility’s golfer conversion strategy
» Referrals and customer advocates are accelerators of your business
• ACTION ITEM: Empower your best customers to spread the word
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
152. HOW DO YOU RETAIN GOLFERS?
» Objective: Your facility has had large participation in
your introductory golf offering, however less than 10%
of the customers are continuing on to play golf.
Create an event that reduces the number of
introductory players lost.
» Be sure to define the results you wish to achieve
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
154. RICK RUPERT, PGA
Head Professional
DesertHorizons Country Club
Indian Wells, CA
» General Manager provided a monthly “at-risk” list to Rick, with whom he
would invite for accompanied play; the end result was:
• 75% booked into their next round of golf
• 50% booked into the next formal club event
• 25% booked into a coaching program or an assessment
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
155. GOLFER
NAME: OLI OCCASIONAL
ROUNDS: 4per year
SCORE: 90 – 100
INCONSISTENT STRIKES
RETENTION EVENTENGAGEMENT EVENT
PAR-3
CHALLENGE
RETENTION EVENTRETENTION EVENTRETENTION EVENT
ACCOMPANIED
PLAY
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
156. RETAINING GOLFERS RECAP
» Retaining golfers is easier than losing them & having to win them back
» The number one priority is to identify at-risk golfers and engage with them
» Your job is to understand the barriers and the opportunities with each of these
golfers. Do they need more social integration? Better golf improve their golf
experience?
• ACTION ITEM: Create a list of at-risk golfers and save them
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
162. A MONTHLY CAMPAIGN
JUNE 2016 – BETTER GOLF
CAMPAIGN & DESCRIPTION
Deadly from 15 Feet
The factors that impact your ability to make more 15 foot putts: aim, setup,
technique, practice & technology
ACTIVE MARKETING
Fitting Assessments
Putting Practice Clinic
ENGAGEMENT EVENTS
10 Foot Challenge
Club Putting Championship
PROGRAM OFFER
Graduate of the Greens (Master and Wizard)
Putters and Balls
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
163. CREATE A CAMPAIGN
» Create a campaign with the objective of recruiting back customers at the start of
a new season.
» Consider the following factors:
• Campaign Name & Description
• Target Audience & Desired Outcomes
• Active Marketing Events
• Engagement Events
• Monthly Calendar
• Program Offers
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
164. AN EXAMPLE
APRIL 2016 – PLAY MORE GOLF
CAMPAIGN & DESCRIPTION
Re-Introducing Golf
Inspire golfers to get out and enjoy the facility at the beginning of the season
OBJECTIVES
Re-acquire “at-risk” customers early on in the season
Reconnect with “recreational” golfers, who we hope to move to “engaged” golf
ACTIVE MARKETING
9-hole Par 3 Championship
40-yd Chip & Sip
ENGAGEMENT EVENTS Target Golf
PROGRAM OFFER Assessments, Coaching Programs, Book & Pay Now, Multi-Visit Coupon, etc.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
165. PLAN FOR WHAT
YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE.
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
166. PROGRAMMING STRATEGY RECAP
» Make sure you have tactics and activities for each strategy (recruit, retain, recover,
reward and raise) that’s important to you
» These tactics and activities can be plotted on the consumer pathway
» You can organize these tactics and activities into campaigns
• ACTION ITEM: Create one campaign per month that focuses on golfer recruitment
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
168. LEAD MEASURES LAG MEASURES
Communication Metrics
(e-mail open rates, social activity etc.)
Golfers
Number of Customers Engaged Rounds and Revenue
Number of Inspire Events Coaching Revenues
Number of Engagement Events Equipment Sales
Number of Retention Events Retail
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
169. ENGAGEMENT RULES ALL
» One-on-one Coaching
» Group Coaching & Clinics
» Skills Challenges
» Fun Performance Events
» Technique Assessments
» Equipment Fittings
» Supervised Practice
» Accompanied Play
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
172. Initiation Fee: $45,000
Annual Dues: $7,000
Average Annual Spend (excluding initiation & dues): $5,000
Average Membership Length: 12 years
PLAYER CREATION MATH (private)
ITEM VALUE OCCURANCES TOTAL
Initiation $45,000 1 $45,000
Annual dues $7,000 12 $84,000
Average annual member discretionary spend $5,000 12 $60,000
Value of ONE New Member $189,000
Number of New Members 4
Total Value Created by Player Development $756,000
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
173. Total Members: 500
Annual Member Loss: 40
Total Student Members: 100
Annual Student Member Loss: 5
PLAYER RETENTION MATH (private)
General Membership 500 Student Membership 100
Annual Membership Loss 40 Student-Membership Loss 5
Loss Rate 8.0% Loss Rate 5.0%
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
174. REVENUE SCORECARD
» Quantify the direct and
incremental revenue
attributed to your player
development activities.
PGA.org/RevenueScorecard
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
175. MEASURING SUCCESS RECAP
» Create success (lag measures) by influencing your lead measures
• ACTION ITEM: Focus daily on activities that influence your lead measures
» We very rarely communicate what we are achieving to our management
• ACTION ITEM: Create a monthly engagement report
» Player Development has a tangible financial impact on your business
• ACTION ITEM: Complete a Revenue Scorecard at PGA.org/RevenueScorecard
INTRO WHY CONSUMER PGA MEMBER MARKETING INSPRING ENGAGING CONVERTING RETAINING STRATEGY MEASURING SUMMARY
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Placeholder until presentation begins
Discussion Ideas
Thank the host section, Executive Director, attending staff and host facility
Thank the Professionals for attending and investing time in their future
Cover cell phone policy & restroom location
Let them know MSR policy & survey to be distributed at end
Please disclaim that any of the featured products, programs or events discussed in this workshop should not be considered as an official endorsement by the PGA of America and rather are for the sole purpose of market analysis and storytelling.
Expected Time
5 minutes for opening
~ 15 – 30 minutes for the entire section
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Ask audience to write “why they are a PGA Professional” on sticky note, place on wall
Goal of Slide
Learn about your audience; Place the focus importance on them
Discussion Ideas
Ask for some audience members to share, or share amongst themselves; we will reference later
Highlight some notable members in the audience, especially ones with player development track record
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Introduce yourself
Establish personal credibility
Create emotional connection
Discussion Ideas
Share a personal story, or your background that establishes expertise
Share a meaningful photo or video
Have someone in the audience vouch for you
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Level set with the audience
Create a “need” for this upcoming information
Discussion Ideas
Previous definitions of “Player Development”
Current participation numbers
Headwinds facing industry, Members
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Set the tone for the day – one of optimism
Discussion Ideas
Discuss a new definition of “player development” focused on rounds, revenue and enhancing income, increasing job security
Reference the upside for player development, the “opportunity”
Highlight reasons for optimism: continued growth in JLG, GGR and PerformanceTrak figures
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
“…which leads us into our agenda…”
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Lay out the agenda, with the end in mind
Discussion Ideas
Start with why: empowered to be a revenue generator for them and their facility
Then how: by mastering all principles and aspects of player development
Then what: this specific presentation and curriculum
You may consider managing expectations, as some Members could be overwhelmed
It’s a simplistic, step-by-step lesson that builds one-upon-the-other
Delivers clear action/next steps for each specific learning module
Difference with the two-day is lack of deep dive into programming (including best practices, methodologies and curriculum).
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
“… let’s dive in…”
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This is the anchor of Section 2, our first major learning module
Goal 1: The importance of “why, then how, then what” communication
Goal 2: Importance of creating emotional connections
Discussion Ideas
We are trying to change an audience who will usually begin all communication with what they are (a PGA Professional or Golf Club) or what they’re selling (membership or lesson) to think about starting communication with an appeal to the emotional desire in the customer for something.
Formally we want them to think about communication structure as ‘why’, ‘how’, ‘what’; and to make sure the why has an element of emotional appeal.
Expected Time
“Structure of Communication” Sub-Section: 60 minutes
“Emotional Connections” Sub-Section: 40 minutes
Total Section: ~ 100 minutes
Transition
“…let’s get back to basics, remember your “why sticky notes?”
Slide Instructions
Complete the worksheet
Referencing their “why” from the earlier exercise, ask them to create a professional proposition regarding player development
A VIDEO WILL PLAY ON YOUR NEXT CLICK
Goal of Slide
Get the individuals thinking about a communication and going to setup a session where they learn about the importance of structuring communication.
This may well be uncomfortable but we want every participant to have to create a Proposition.
This is setting up self discovery using the slides and videos that follow.
Discussion Ideas
Ask the audience to think of the 25 words that every customer will see that defines who they are to that customer.
No discussion but allow each person 5 minutes to think about it and create their advert.
Be wary of the Professional who thinks they’ve got it “figured out”
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
“…let’s look at some real-life propositions as examples”
Slide Instructions
The video should autoplay (~1 minute)
Once complete, lead discussion
ANOTHER VIDEO WILL PLAY IMMEDIATELY UPON YOUR NEXT CLICK
Goal of Slide
We want them to observe how Apple communicate and discover the differences themselves.
We also want to break down barriers to engagement in the group.
Discussion Ideas
Ask the audience to complete an assignment writing down 2 things they noted that were powerful from an advertising perspective.
Now ask the audience to discuss what they have written as their observations.
We are looking for:
hardly mention the iPad
Focus on what the customer can accomplish with the product rather than what the product is
Communication structure is Why before anything
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
“… so what’s really going on here? In this next video Simon Sinek breaks down the subtlety that Apple uses to appeal to consumers “why”.”
Slide Instructions
The video should autoplay (~18minutes)
Watch video and then lead discussion
Goal of Slide
Educate the group on a structure for communication that is led by “why” and possibly “how” with limited value on the what.
We want the group to watch the video and reflect on their proposition and the structure of their communication during the video.
Discussion Ideas
As you watch the following video reflect on what you have written as your proposition and start to consider how you might think about improving it later.
Ask the audience to comment.
If it is not discussed prompt the question “How would you rate the golf industry and its advertising against this communication structure?”.
How well does their club web / academy / personal site communicate within the Simon Sinek structure.
Expected Time
~25 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Explain how HP had a product that was twice as good in every respect for half the price so how did this happen?
Discussion Ideas
Three years ago when tablets were in their infancy, HP brought out a tablet that was more powerful, better screen resolution, better manufacturing and a lot lighter than the Apple iPad.
It was also half the price.
HP burst onto the market telling us about their pixels and processors. Paraphrasing the words of Simon Sinek, my wife “didn’t understand, didn’t care, and didn’t want it”. Her question, which in the face of a GeekSquad BestBuy staff member telling her about the technical features causing too much intimidation for her to voice, would have been: “can I play Suduko on it?”
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Show the group how NOT to do it
Discussion Ideas
HP told us the ‘what’. They told us all about the tablet. They were obsessed with the ‘what’ and ‘who’ they were. “A leading technology company”. So obsessed they completely ignored the customer and how it could change their life.
They told us it was half the price, non too subtly, but we still didn’t buy it. We weren’t comparing it against an iPad. We didn’t know WHY we would buy it.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Show the group how to do it
Discussion Ideas
Apple on the other hand say to us: “How would you like to learn a new language, or teach a child to spell, or read a book”. They are being very clear about WHY we would like this product.
The advert itself also shows you the product being used by women, older people, children. It is all an easy swipe. The HOW is intuitive. It is simple. Anyone can do it.
The end of the advert mentions the iPad model they’re advertising.
By the way, when Apple have deviated from this model, such as when they introduced the new iPad with the high resolution screen, they failed to capture the imagination.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Take the WHY concept back into the even their very transactional pats of their job: selling equipment or golf shoes or lessons or programs.
Share Dave Christie story
Discussion Ideas
The lesson here is very, very important to our industry. An industry that is obsessed with who we are, the game as some spiritual deity we should all worship.
I started on my journey in the golf industry, to this point standing before you today, on a practice tee, trying desperately, like most inadequate golfers, to turn a #5 iron right to left. I wasn’t succeeding. In part, I was convinced because of the racket that was going on elsewhere on the tee where the Professional (David Christie) and a customer (Wheelie) were haggling about the price Wheelie should pay for the Mizuno MP001 Driver he wanted. Wheelie wanted a discount and David was appealing for food for his family.
I went across and interfered and persuaded David to “sell” Wheelie the Driver at trade plus R 100 for every extra yard he could deliver over his current Driver with a fitting. The result was that the customer paid more than the list price for a Driver and a Fitting – David added 22 yards to his tee shots – yet the customer went away very, very happy.
David’s communication had been all about the product and not the reason to buy it. In fact I’d make the comment that no-one wants to buy a Driver, we want to buy the extra yards. So why are you selling us something we’re not trying to buy!
The same applies with Coaching. No-one wants to buy lessons. Everyone wants to buy one of: improvement, success or time with their Pro and / or friends.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Show why the program was successful
Discussion Ideas
Look at this advert. It is describing the why: “you’ll be ready to play golf and have fun”. The how: “In a social setting, you’ll feel comfortable in, with other women, having fun”.
They don’t care about the what (the # of lessons). They care firstly about will they have fun with friends actually. That, I suspect is the result they really want. Whether they can actually get out on a golf course at the end is of far less consequence.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Summary of what we’ve learned – again, the wrong way to do it
Discussion Ideas
Learning to communicate from the “WHY” is not easy. It has to become a mission, a passion for you. After you’ve produced any communication, you have to go back and examine it.
Great value in verbal communication in your shop. Customer: “What shoes have you got in the $ 90 – 150 range?” You can have different responses.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Put into immediate practice what we have learned.
Discussion Ideas
Learning to communicate from the “WHY” is not easy. It has to become a mission, a passion for you. After you’ve produced any communication, you have to go back and examine it.
Great value in verbal communication in your shop. Customer: “What shoes have you got in the $ 90 – 150 range?” You can have different responses.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Ask the audience to redo their original proposition, beginning with “why”
A VIDEO WILL AUTO PLAY ON YOUR NEXT CLICK
Goal of Slide
Put into immediate practice what we have learned.
Discussion Ideas
After they’ve done it have 2 or 3 volunteers provide their 25 words (leave the image for the moment) and have the group evaluate it.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
“… so we know we should appeal to emotion and establish why, but how do we create the emotional connection to make it more powerful?” Watch this ad…”
Slide Instructions
The video should autoplay (~2 minutes)
Lead discussion and ask for 3 things they thought were powerful
Goal of Slide
The danger of the previous section is that the student thinks it’s all about the NUMBER in the result. We need them to also see how they’re trying to create emotional connections.
We are creating This is an award winning video that does a number of things very well. Above all else it makes an emotional connection with the audience around what we believe. It also identifies the audience and its values through its imagery.
This is an advert whose text never once mentions the product. In fact for much of the advert, or until the end, the viewer may actually be unsure about what is being sold.
Discussion Ideas
Ask the audience to complete an assignment writing down 3 things they noted that were powerful from an advertising perspective.
Now ask the audience to discuss what they’ve written. We are looking for:
Appealing to a set of values they know their target audience have
Identifying with a lifestyle their target audience has
Use of imagery so that the target audience can see themselves
The product is a consequence of what we believe in
This is an emotional connection, not feature and function, not even benefits
Expected Time
7 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Introduce Lovemarks Book & Concept of PGA Professional as a lovemark
Discussion Ideas
Introduce Kevin Roberts, the author & CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi
Concept that margin and loyalty is a consequence of emotional connections with a customer
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Gain added credibility to what we are learning by ensuring the audience appreciates the leadership position of Saatchi & Saatchi and that what they’re now learning is S&S best practice.
Highlight the importance of emotional connections.
Discussion Ideas
Now discuss how car adverts have evolved from facts and performance figures (which invite comparison and analysis but not a compelling reason to act) to those which now appeal to emotion.
Re-enforce the RAM advert we’ve just watched is built off of a very emotional appeal.
Most importantly close with the learning which is the Kevin Roberts quote about emotion and action.
What creates an emotional reaction for golfers?
An opportunity to highlight that it’s not the hygiene factors – it’s about the experience of hitting the ball, the social
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
There is either an absence of people in golf web sites or a preponderance of juniors and ladies, missing out on an appeal to 80% of golfers and 90% of ex golfers. We want to start the audience thinking about the customer they have to appeal to.
Discussion Ideas
Make the point that the Ram video describes a group of people and what they believe. It helps you along with a visual representation of all of the people who are influences over the purchase of a Ram truck in the mid-west.
I see adverts for ‘Dawn Patrol’ that have no people in them. The question ought to be: who are we trying to appeal to? What would they value about “Dawn Patrol” and how can I represent them at least; and possibly in the moment that the viewer would value.
If you want to increase the diversity, including the growth in minority and gender participation (including different age groups), then it is critically important you include their images in your marketing material
Ask the question again about our web sites or event propositions. Who features? What do they say about our beliefs?
Remember to think about what your target audience would value in imagery.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
If you want to recruit customers to golf beyond its prevailing demographics, then you need to authentically invite those individuals to play
Discussion Ideas
If you want to attract either a specific market, then you have to make an emotional connection with that target-market
That requires imagery that they recognize as reflecting themselves
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click twice for two quotes (“no margin in commodity” & “respect is love”)
Goal of Slide
We are setting up to use the existing golf knowledge of (TaylorMade cycle and decline) and predisposition to (Ping’s sustained position with customers in the iron category) the equipment market the audience has to help them see the need to be “loved” and not to be just a brand or a fad, and certainly not a commodity.
Discussion Ideas
In golf we have been struggling to get beyond car adverts and the performance metrics.
A lot of effort has gone into the ‘numbers’ and features. For Drivers it’s been all about selling distance. There’s no question that works. John Lyberger will tell you that he’s had incredible success with the very, very expensive XXIO Drivers with over 45’s because they do actually help you swing faster (they can measure it on the LM) and the ball does go much further.
But that leaves the relationship in a place where it is very results orientated – and there’s always going to be a cowboy with a faster draw.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This now takes the practical journey through the RAM and Sinek videos and re-enforces through theory what they are actually trying to get to with that understanding. Eg the communication structure and the emotional connections are the processes to an end result (Love).
Discussion Ideas
Remind the audience of Saatchi & Saatchie, Kevin Roberts and his book.
Describe the four sections on the quadrant with the opportunities and challenges of each section.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We are going to use the TaylorMade cycle (and the cycle of so many brands that have gone before) to explain the dangers of being a fad: Love WITHOUT Respect, which is sometimes a position occupied by Professionals who rely overly on service with a smile.
Discussion Ideas
Use the Taylormade cycle in any way that you are comfortable. They failed to make a strong enough emotional connection with the consumer base across the product range.
Actually it could be argued that they showed too little respect for the consumer. Certainly the pricing and structural discounting meant they were showing too little respect for their own product. Eg How can they value their own product at about 50% of what it was inside of a year?
The consequence is declining sales, low customer loyalty, headcount reductions, investment reductions, and TaylorMade becomes a commodity again. And that isn’t where they want to be. The new M1 shows a return to “results” but what are the steps this brand is taking to become a Lovemark.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Using the story of Ping to highlight the power and strength of being loved by a smaller audience than being a fad to a large audience. The position in the top right (Love and Respect) ensures a sustainable business.
Show how what Ping believed resonated with some golfers. That was their audience. Their mid-west farmer.
Discussion Ideas
What Ping believed “all golfers should be fitted, not just Professionals” and their design appeal was almost deliberately functional. They were looking to connect with those who valued result over form. Honesty over Hype. Integrity over Miss-information.
They have a very, very strong core. Never the best looking irons. Engineering for your result. Look at their web site. Again it’s all about the engineering and not the visual form. This is a consistent presentation across the piece.
Ping became ‘loved’ by their target audience for their difference, for their belief in each golfer being as important as a Tour Professional. They have a strong, sustainable business with a very, very loyal customer base.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Borrow the views of one of their leaders through a story to provide a 2nd point of reference that the top right is the desired location.
Discussion Ideas
Take the audience through the Cary Cozby story. Cary stopped the sales person talking about rounds and revenue. Cary wanted a solution to help him create deeper emotional connections with more of his golfers. Everything else would flow from that.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This is the wrap of the Emotional Connections. We are trying to make sure that everyone in the room is carried forward with a belief that we need to connect with the golfer emotionally around ‘why’ they play golf.
Discussion Ideas
Start the summary with how some in the golf industry knew this. Cary Cozby at SHCC, Ping. They have been very successful understanding the need to focus on emotional connections around the ‘why’.
They are borrowing from the greats of other industries who have exploited a structure around a ‘why’ that appeals to their target audience. The how, with limited worry if any, about the ‘what’ accompanies their communication.
Their success (Cary / Ping) shows us that we need to focus on more than the cold, hard fact of the why. We need to see how we can create an Emotional Connection.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets
Goal of Slide
This is the wrap of the section on why. We are trying to make sure that everyone in the room is carried forward with a belief that we need to connect with the golfer emotionally around ‘why’ they play golf.
We are trying to create a lead in to investigate the motivations of the golfer in the next section.
Discussion Ideas
Your Proposition is very, very important
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This is the anchor of Section 3
Goal 1: get the Professional to think about the customer at a global level.
Goal 2: We are trying to move a person who may well see themselves as “waiting to serve” to a more proactive person who is going think about what they should do to appeal to the customer.
Discussion Ideas
This is a very, very significant shift.
Expected Time
Total Section: ~60 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We want to get the PGA Professionals to ‘imagine’ what is important to their customers, the golfers, rather than themselves.
Ideally, we want the Professionals themselves to realize that what happens beyond the 1st tee is critical.
Discussion Ideas
Ask the room what they would expect to be the #1 priority and #2 priority for a golfer who plays every Saturday as part of a group.
Have them then think how that changes if first you consider the occasional golfer who might play 5 rounds a year and then the committed golfer who plays as many times as possible and enters club and regional competitions.
Ask the room what they think might be important for the regular Lady golfer and then the occasional golfer?
Ask the room to reflect on what’s important to someone who has finished a Get Golf Ready program.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This should re-enforce the discussion from the previous slide.
Discussion Ideas
Highlight how many golfers contributed.
Make the point that the women were reversed but all wanted to have a great experience beyond the 1st tee.
The highest priority BEFORE THE ROUND is that they enjoy themselves playing their golf with others.
It doesn’t mean that the other factors aren’t important. This is the point to educate the audience that most of these are hygiene factors. Having them right will improve the experience. And they’re certainly expected if you’re paying a whopping membership. They are part of the MINIMUM levels of service.
But they don’t make a great golf day.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Lighthearted example of surveying the what and not the why.
Discussion Ideas
A Marriott survey of its hotel is often almost meaningless to the events that cause you t use hotels.
If you’re on a romantic journey away to dinner, really what do you think makes the evening? The hotel porter greeting you or the enjoyment of the evening.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
To make the point that the hygiene factors become a significant nuisance if the round was a poor round. We want the Professional to grasp that the golfer is trying to buy fun and enjoyment without telling them.
Discussion Ideas
Most surveys are completed after the round. Hope has gone. What we’re now asking was ‘how did it go’ after they’ve had a bad round, lost balls in the water, thrashed around in the rough, and dug out several bunkers.
What we’re getting is a ‘customer satisfaction survey’ not a ‘demand survey’ to measure their motivations. It’s very valuable of course, but we need to get the core requirements from the customer.
Try setting up the course at its most easy and then measure your average survey readings vs when the course is at its most difficult. Why do you think you’d get better readings?
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This is a fundamental that effects the whole golf industry. We are trying to ensure that our first thought should always be “what is the customer trying to buy”; and that is what we should deliver against.
Integrate with the previous module on why
Discussion Ideas
Most surveys are the perfect example of measuring “what” the experience is about, rather than the “why”. What we’re selling is a round of golf on a well maintained golf course. That’s what we survey. What they’re trying to buy is a great time hitting better than expected golf shots.
How many surveys do you say with too many questions like:
‘Did you hit more good shots than you expected today?’
‘Did you hit more greens than you were expecting?’
‘Did you spend more time in the Fairway than you’d expected?’
This is re-enforcing that we are not selling what the customer wants to buy.
Fun and Enjoyment are the “WHY” while a Tee-Time is the “WHAT”. We have to sell to the the WHY. ?
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We are summarizing the learning from the survey and trying to ensure comfort in the audience.
Discussion Ideas
This slide is to re-enforce this is what this survey tells us the golfer is trying to buy.
We might not have brought along the room at this point. Ask if everyone is comfortable. You can then ask: “Do you think that as an industry we embrace that’s what we have t deliver?”
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Appealing to their self-interest. The logic of the argument isn’t only compelling. It is self-serving. If they want to stay as ‘customer-service’ agents then they are not required as ‘PGA’ representatives.
Discussion Ideas
Explain that this is a very broadly accepted philosophy. Introduce Maslow. Explain the pyramid of needs as they exist in human beings. So you can’t exist without food and shelter, and so a club needs a course and facilities, and up the pyramid.
Explain how many golf clubs don’t have a PGA Professional and indeed in parts of the world they have been cutting costs and removing Professionals.
Tell the story of Grasslands (in Florida). Poor financial performance. Cut Professionals. Poorer financial performance. Cut more Professional staff (down to 1). Even poorer financial performance. The remaining Professional (to save his job) showed how he could generate revenue if he spent more time with golfers … and did. So they employed more Professionals.
If you want to add more golfers and then improve their experience beyond the 1st tee you need PGA Professionals.
Customers are telling us their #1 priority is what happens beyond the 1st Tee.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Ask the audience to complete this exercise using the signs on the wall & sticky notes
Goal of Slide
We are going to now bring the ‘theory’ back to their facility. We want the audience to reflect on whether they are including all golfers. This is a ‘self discovery’ moment.
Discussion Ideas
Show the class the Continuum they can use themselves at their club.
Give each class member 4 round stickers and ask them to put a percentage in each sticker and place it at a point on the Continuum. So they are showing us where they think their golfers are gathered at what points.
We are hoping that they will themselves highlight that the vast majority of golfers have a very recreational interest.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
There may be some who don’t have enough weight to the recreational. We need to move them to the left with a real example.
We want to encourage them to want to go back and run this at their facility.
NB we don’t want a female example because it is critical that they don’t write off their women as recreational and men as avid.
Discussion Ideas
Here is a pretty representative analysis of what a golf club says.
Golfers are not only interested in performance and social fun, but the performance side is very recreational. Performance as a measure is less important than the ‘feeling’ of pleasure.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
“…here’s an example of what happened to a previous Workshop participant when he completed this at his club back home…”
Slide Instructions
Reveal four photos with each subsequent click
Goal of Slide
Show a practical result that has generated revenue from this concept. This is a story-telling opportunity.
We are trying to close this sub-section with proof that will be accepted.
Discussion Ideas
Walk through the Mark Serak story from Continuum to his action and activity, and finally the end result.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
____
Email 1
Mike,
I hope all is well. I just wanted to let you know I utilized the "Why do you play Golf" graph from your presentation last night in the Opening Cocktail Party of our new ladies program. I may have touched base on this program with you when we talked on the phone a while back. We put together this program called 3-6-9 Wednesday ladies geared towards brand new golfers, lapsed golfers, and working women who can't play golf on Tuesdays. The program is strictly about fun, social, no scorecard, no scoreboard environment. They can sign up to play 3, 6 , or 9 holes each week. I heavily advertised this to every woman in the club for a month and a half to get them to attend. To my surprise, we had over 30 women sign up for this Cocktail Party and met 5 women members I have never met before. There were also a couple of ladies there that I have known since I got to Barrington (8 years ago) that have never touched a club during that time and they're ready to start playing. Just a quick thanks for the idea of the graph and that picture is attached along with many of the new ladies who attended. Thanks again
Mark Sierak, PGA
Head Golf Professional
Barrington Golf Club
350 N Aurora Rd
Aurora, OH 44202
330-995-0667 - O
315-725-8773 – C
____
Email 2
Guys,
I wanted to send you an update on the first night of Barrington's 3-6-9 Wednesday Ladies Program I previously talked about. The turnout for the first night was absolutely beyond what I imagined. We had 34 ladies that showed up for golf tonight and 20 of them were either beginners or lapsed golfers that haven't played in 4 - 15 years. Those 20 women participated in a half hour clinic prior to them going out to play 3 or 6 holes. After the clinic was done we gave the 3 holers an option to go out and played (supervised) or partake in a etiquette clinic with myself and my assistant Katie while they hit shots here and there. The night went as perfect as it could. The entire front side of the golf course was filled with women (it's weird to be excited about that) and they all finished at a similar time to fill the restaurant and have their $3 drinks, $6 appetizers, and $9 dinners.
Mike Aldrich- I used the "It's Okay" list in my pre-game speech starting out with saying a few words and unveiling a sign that read "It's OK" I gave every lady that sheet of paper you sent me and I went through them all. I think that was the point where they became super comfortable and had zero intimidation.
I stuck around to have some drinks and mingle with the ladies after golf. The feedback from these ladies was bar none the best feedback we received from anything we have ever done at the club in my 8 years there. I had 3 people (that have been at the club since it opened) say it was the best thing that has ever been done. 2 of these 3 people were lapsed golfers, one hasn't stepped on the course in 4 years and the other 13 years. The 3rd person was the lapsed golfer's husband who was a previous President of the club.
Attached is a photo of the 20 person putting clinic. I wish I had a pic of the "It's OK" sign but I don't.
WE created a monster but a good monster.
Talk to you guys soon and thanks for the help and confidence in this program.
Mark Sierak, PGA
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We are now moving to a section where we are trying to convey that the environment the customer lives in is changing and changing them. We are also trying to show that the ice flow of the ‘way it was’ is shrinking and shrinking fast.
In this slide we do want to blow up the theory that the internet meant less cost, spend less.
Discussion Ideas
Don’t miss understand the internet’s impact on consumer behavior.
There are those who believed that it would lead to the cheapest products but in fact it has led to a far more value conscious consumer.
That consumer has been prepared to pay far more for a product that they respect and love. They have also spent far more on certain categories even where unit prices have declined.
They (consumer) need to understand and appreciate the value they’re receiving.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Introduce the importance of Time to most of the current golfers.
Also this is a change they will clearly witness but likely have done nothing.
Discussion Ideas
For the male in their 30’s time has become squeezed beyond the additional expectations of the work environment. The male is now expected to play a full role in parenting.
The days of arriving home Friday after a few drinks and saying “see you Sunday” have gone.
Ask the audience whether, in the face of declining available time, we’ve made the game any quicker? In fact the trend has been to make the game longer.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Re-enforce the size of the barrier we are competing with.
Discussion Ideas
Work boundaries have disappeared. Now required to be available 24 / 7.
If we’re going to do something it needs to be flexible enough to allow me to break away OR be so compelling that work can wait.
Reference that cycling is a sport that has grown while golf has struggled.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We want to remove the academic and confusion and give the Professional a very simple model they can easily understand and use when planning events and activities. Just 4 demand performance and social vs time and money.
Discussion Ideas
Explain that many companies make execution too complicated. Simplicity and focus are good. We can take all the data and simplify it into a single demand model.
If the customer is considering going to play golf they are reflecting on how many good shots giving them great experiences they’ll have along with the value of the social experience; and they’ll set that against the punishment on the course (off-set performance), and the time and money it will take, with an emphasis on time.
This is a stop point to ensure that everyone understands that.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We want to visit the really big implication of what we understand about golfers and the demand model and that we need to be much more concerned with the golfer’s experience beyond the 1st tee.
Discussion Ideas
The uncomfortable conclusion is that we need to embrace responsibility for the amount of “fun” that the golfer is having.
We need to be concerned with how their round is measuring up to their expectations beyond the 1st tee. We want them to experience that great good shot feeling more often, and to experience misery less often.
We also need to strengthen our interest in the social integration of the golfer, and grow our understanding of what is impacting on their ability to give time to the game.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This thinking impacts upon all aspects of the game. Think about the golfer and scale of challenge.
Discussion Ideas
This is an example of an initiative that absolutely goes to the fundamental of the Demand Model.
Not only is it more fun, but you finish a round quicker with more golf balls in the bag.
You don’t need to officially create a ‘Tee if Forward’ event, but remember, the easier the course setup for events the more likely the golfer is to have a great experience and come back.
The Congressional has re-painted all its RED tees as Silver and removed the concept of Ladies tees. They have also created 11 new tees that are even closer than the current Ladies tees.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Highlight that there are a hundred examples of the same concept as Tee it Forward.
Discussion Ideas
Explain the Partner a Tour Pro event where you don’t tee off (on Par 4’s and 5’s) but play your second shot from where the marker says that your Professional has driven to.
Explain that the beauty of this event is that golfers are playing much shorter approaches on almost all the holes on the course.
Explain that this is the perfect event to show that the Professionals are playing a different game and that we should concentrate on our customers and what provides them most enjoyment along with a challenge they have a chance of meeting.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Demonstrate that different consumers have different values (duh)
Those values can be based on a variety of factors, one of which is generation (others are gender, economic status, etc.)
Discussion Ideas
It’s important to define who your audience – or target audience – is and understand what is important to them
This should be reflected in not only your messaging, but also in your actual programming
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
There is a generational shift underway
Discussion Ideas
Your customer is changing and they have a different set of values than your previous customer base
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Summarize the key learning points
Discussion Ideas
Yes we need to make sure all of the basics are in place but we now understand that our golfers:
a) Want fun and enjoyment in a social environment beyond the 1st tee
b) Face increased competition for their time
c) It’s our role to create engagement that overcomes the barriers and appeals to the motivations.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets
Goal of Slide
This is the summary slide of “Understanding the Consumer”
Recap the key items
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This is the anchor of Section 4
Goal 1: get the Professional to understand their role managing a consumer onto and up the pathway
Discussion Ideas
We want the PGA Professional to embrace that they should be responsible for the status of each individual golfer.
We want the PGA Professional to embrace that they should be accountable for the creation of golfers, the retention of golfers, and for the activation of golfers.
They need to organize their life around not waiting for golfers to come to them but rather proactively managing golfers.
Expected Time
Total Section: ~45 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We are going to introduce Player Development and the Pathway to the audience and lead them to the conclusion that this is their role.
Discussion Ideas
Describe how good Tony is and his 2013 achievement with GGR.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Make the point that a Professional has to do more than create coaching revenues. Needs to convert their students into fee paying golfers.
Discussion Ideas
As a ‘Rainmaker’ Tony is falling short.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Demonstrate what the golfer wanted.
Discussion Ideas
Left to their own Tony’s graduates could not see their way to a social environment at a golf club (they had not been integrated to the point where they had overcome the intimidation).
They had also not graduated to a point where they could see potential enjoyment standing 300 yards away from a green with all the hazards in between.
They were so interested however in his graduation event – 6 holes with no hole longer than 40 yards – that they would be prepared to come on another GGR program just to experience the enjoyment, satisfaction and social fun that event offered.
So Tony decided to email all of his ex-students and invite them to a special event – 9 holes, with no hole longer than 40 yards. He filled the event. In addition it was a sensational social success.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This event appealed to all of the demand model.
Discussion Ideas
This event now runs regularly at Tony’s facility. An every time he runs it, the field is full. The city is thrilled with the results as measured by fees and food and beverage sales (f&b).
But probably the most important take-away is that the women are having fun. Golf is a great experience. It meets their requirements.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Make sure we move the traditionalists in the room to appreciate that these are valuable golfers even though it’s only 40 yards.
Discussion Ideas
Incidentally Rick Bayliss, the GM at Lost Tree CC, a very prestigious country club in Florida, took this concept and gave it a great marketing profile – Chip & Sip. It is a regular social event through-out the season at their club. It is also full each time.
Rick describes it as a sort of “book club on steroids”. But more significantly he asked this question of us: “is a woman who plays in 12 chip and sip events a year, and no other golf event, a regular golfer?”
By Rick’s definition they are, and he has come to appreciate just how valuable these competitors are.
Incidentally another of the observations he had was the nature of the competitors. He expected it to attract just the learners and wannabe golfers. In fact, right from the get go it also attracted his best lady golfers who didn’t want to miss out on the fun. Then he found regular golfing husbands coming along (and visiting grand-children).
This event (unless they run a closed event) has now become a social attraction.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We are extending the thinking beyond Maslows hierarchy to one of responsibility and therefore accountability. We are transitioning to the Pathway.
Discussion Ideas
Discuss where the PGA Professionals responsibility to the golfer lies - we believe the PGA Professional should be responsible for the ‘creation and maintenance of golfers’.
It must therefore be up to the Professional to find prospects and then to convert them into golfers.
As golfers the PGA Professional should be looking to retain those golfers by ensuring that they’re enjoying their golf game.
The ‘fun and enjoyment’ of each golfer is critical to the financial well being of the golf club and certainly the equipment and retail vendors.
Discuss with the audience where the responsibility for golfers lies at their golf club or facility. Discuss what level of connection between their activity and the rounds and revenue exists? Discuss how they report against those activities.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Introduce the Pathway.
Discussion Ideas
Explain that there’s a pathway along which golfers will journey.
They start out as beginners and migrate up the pathway to a place where they are comfortable.
To date that has been a self-service journey. The PGA Professional is available if required to assist. But that’s not good enough.
Left to themselves we lose large numbers who have been recently introduced. We lose golfers who slip from ‘engaged’ back to ‘recreational’ and then out of the game. We lose a large number of golfers almost literally off a cliff when they reach mid-twenties.
Even though the rewards of moving a recreational golfer to committed are great when measured in dollars we don’t think enough about how to move golfers up the pathway to committed.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Highlight and re-enforce how we are moving the golfer UP the pathway of commitment to the game.
Discussion Ideas
We should see each level almost as a separate product. The Introduction is an entry level. They may not leap into being regular golfers or investing in full equipment or premium golf balls or multiple outfits. They may not even be comfortable playing 18 holes of golf.
As Apple are looking to extend their relationship from Music into communication, we need to think about how we graduate those we’ve introduced into becoming comfortable golfers able to play 18 holes occasionally. As recreational golfers they ought to be more regular in their playing and more likely to spend more time and money at the club.
From there we need to see how we can get them to make our game and club much more central to their life and entertainment. Finally we need to seek those who will allow golf to dominate their universe.
We don’t want golfers leaving our pathway, just as Apple don’t want users migrating to alternatives. We need to be investing in engagement to retain them.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Educate that we need to see our role with each golfer at this level. Where are they on the pathway and what step are they in the process.
Discussion Ideas
It’s not enough to put golfers through coaching programs. We need to know where an individual golfer is on the pathway.
But even more we need to know the state of their relationship with the game. Are they a recreational golfer playing very infrequently with no social integration and a likelihood that they might leave? In which case what can we do to RETAIN them at this point?
Or are they enjoying their game and improving. What can we do to NURTURE that golfer and to start to INSPIRE them to take the game more seriously. To become a regular golfer engaged now in the club and with the game.
What ENGAGEMENTS can we create for this golfer that would tip them over, or CONVERT them to the next level in the journey?
That’s the steps in the journey we need to be able to manage.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Three clicks to illustrate Tony Martinez’ programming/story on the pathway
Goal of Slide
This is a key learning point Tony Martinez had graduated from golf coach or program manager to PLAYER DEVELOPMENT MANAGER.
Also re-enforce that this is also an example of an event being used as a means to an end.
Discussion Ideas
What Tony Martinez could have done was carry on taking the revenue from 300+ women going through GGR programs. But Tony thought like a PD Manager. He wondered why he wasn’t retaining more golfers. He investigated the reason.
Having found the reason he created a ‘Play Activity’ that allowed the golfer in the INTRODUCTION phase to come and play, each week or month, in an event that would provide them enjoyment (a performance they could accommodate with social interaction).
This is RETAIN in action. The revenue from 300 women playing regular 40-yard golf is retained in the industry.
Now Tony could nurture those players, seeking those out whose aptitude allowed them to go further. He could then INPIRE those golfers to have more ambition and to ENGAGE with a golf coach in a more advanced coaching program. The purpose being to CONVERT them from the introductory phase to the recreational phase.
Ask the audience for their examples.
Expected Time
7 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Three clicks to illustrate Tony Martinez’ programming/story on the pathway (cont)
Goal of Slide
This is a key learning point Tony Martinez had graduated from golf coach or program manager to PLAYER DEVELOPMENT MANAGER.
Also re-enforce that this is also an example of an event being used as a means to an end.
Discussion Ideas
What Tony Martinez could have done was carry on taking the revenue from 300+ women going through GGR programs. But Tony thought like a PD Manager. He wondered why he wasn’t retaining more golfers. He investigated the reason.
Having found the reason he created a ‘Play Activity’ that allowed the golfer in the INTRODUCTION phase to come and play, each week or month, in an event that would provide them enjoyment (a performance they could accommodate with social interaction).
This is RETAIN in action. The revenue from 300 women playing regular 40-yard golf is retained in the industry.
Now Tony could nurture those players, seeking those out whose aptitude allowed them to go further. He could then INPIRE those golfers to have more ambition and to ENGAGE with a golf coach in a more advanced coaching program. The purpose being to CONVERT them from the introductory phase to the recreational phase.
Ask the audience for their examples.
Expected Time
7 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Set up a series of slides that reflect the financial impact of a Golf Professional on the industry
Discussion Ideas
What we have discussed in the previous slides is the proactive role the PGA Professional should play in developing golfers up the pathway – in respect to their social integration; to their commitment to the game / facility; and to their ability.
We have mentioned a couple of times the fact that we should see our engagement with a golfer through events, activities and coaching as a means to an end.
Here is some sensational research into the impact a golf coach specifically can make on the revenue spend at a golf club OUTSIDE the introduction of new golfers.
We took 5 clubs in South Texas and 3 clubs in the North East where the coach is set revenue targets and examined the impact on revenue they achieved.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
The impact of a Professional on f&b if they encourage it
Discussion Ideas
A golfer engaged in a coaching program will spend 65% more on F&B while in the program.
Does that statistic surprise you though? A golfer in a coaching program will make more visits to the property for the lessons, clinics and practice.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Highlight an active impact on f&b
Discussion Ideas
Ian Hayes, a PGA Professional at Zwartkop CC in South Africa was asked to think of ways to increase spend on breakfast / brunch. His answer was 3 mornings a week he holds a Supervized practice session for an hour with up to 12 golfers at a time.
The session is advertised as ‘Practice and Breakfast with the Pro’. Ian is lining his own pocket but he’s adding 36 breakfast covers a week. He’s also learning about the golfers, putting himself in a position to influence everything. Coaching, Equipment, Retail, Rounds etc etc.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
The impact of a Professional on rounds if they encourage it
Discussion Ideas
Possibly less obvious, and delivered from the same analysis, is the fact that a golfer who completes a coaching program, as opposed to a single lesson, will play on average at least 20% more golf in the 12 months after the program, than they did in the 12 months before the program.
Again, this may seem like an obvious response to golfer getting better but the coach can influence this. During the program they can actively seek to get the golfer to play more often and to ensure higher levels of social integration.
At public facilities the impact can be even greater. The loyalty that can be EARNED (rather than bought by discount) if you invest in a golfers game at the facility, or even better their children is significant.
But don’t assume this will happen. You have to make the case
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
The impact of a Professional on retail, especially equipment, if they encourage it.
Discussion Ideas
Less surprising I fancy is the fact that this analysis also revealed that someone engaged in a coaching program will increase their retail spend by 79% in that year.
The Professional in the engagement not only has the opportunity to improve the golf swing, they have the opportunity to convert equipment sales as well as other high ticket sales like ‘footwear’.
In fact shouldn’t a free bag assessment be a part of the program design for any coaching program?
It is also safe to assume that the Professional is in a position to create a more loyal customer which, even if there’s no sale now, a relationship has been created that could lead to future sales
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
The impact of a Professional on retention.
Discussion Ideas
And while there may be a chicken and egg question about it; at the 5 test clubs researched, every golfer in a coaching program in 2013 renewed their membership in 2014. And while this may seem so obvious, as to be inconsequential, I would ask this question:
“If your GM asked you to ensure that everyone you coached renewed at the end of the year, how confident would you be in delivering that?”
In fact, as the segment shows you should be confident of moving golfers up the pathway to becoming more actively engaged with the game. That is a lead measure that creates the result we all want
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Hammer home the motivation to move golfers up the Pathway.
Discussion Ideas
At its simplest level we know that a single committed golfer is worth 20 golfers in the introduction phase. We know that an engaged golfer playing in most Saturday events is worth 5 or 6 times a recreational golfer.
The reason we are trying to retain them on the pathway is really obvious. The reason we are trying to move them up the pathway becomes self evident. The impact on everyone’s business of a golfer moved along that pathway is significant.
We are trying to raise the value of each of the golfers who participates in the game.
When we say it’s about Rounds and Revenue. That’s what we mean.
Ask the group if they ever categorize members at their club by rounds or spend. If anyone does who is responsible for either securing the spend or moving a golfer from one category to the next.
Ask the group to consider if our business is less about the management of a facility and more about the management of 600 wallets shouldn’t we be concerned with each wallet? Does the group think that is possible?
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Simplify the understanding of the role as we see it from a Player Development perspective.
Discussion Ideas
Therefore it becomes easy for everyone to understand our role and to therefore value it well beyond that of being all about service.
The role of a PGA Professional is to know and understand their golfers and their place on this pathway. To know what makes each individual golfer vulnerable and / or to know the opportunity with that golfer.
The role of the PGA Professional is to exploit that knowledge and to use their unique expertise to secure each golfer on that pathway and where possible to help them take their journey up the pathway
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets
Goal of Slide
Recap the role of the PGA Professional as customer management up the pathway.
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Section Goal is to introduce the Marketing Lifecycle and have the professionals begin to think about how they apply it
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
Section Time: 45 minutes
Slide Time: 1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Setup that even great products need marketing and that there’s a standard process
Discussion Ideas
Here are two great products. Leaders in their own fields. Huge investment has gone into r&d to provide product leadership.
But actually you can very well debate whether they are product leaders.
Expected Time
1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
It’s what your target customer thinks about your product that counts.
Discussion Ideas
How have Apple become so popular in the market? Their product is actually not the best technically. Their operating system is more closed than others restricting choice. It’s twice as expensive as technically superior products – and yet, has an outsize market share.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Is there really more leading German technology in an Audi?
You need to identify very clearly what your product offers the customer.
Discussion Ideas
Both Mercedes and BMW are German. They both have brand leadership positions. Mercedes for comfort. BMW for style. There’s another German brand – VW – that had a position as the ‘family, functional’ car.
Audi had to find a space that would appeal to a certain customer segment. They chose “technical leadership that translated into performance and reliability”
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
However good your product is, you need to advertise it. The purpose of advertising is to make a “connection” with your audience. To INSPIRE them to some sort of action.
Discussion Ideas
Even the world’s best companies, and in the car category we obviously include BMW and Mercedes, have to advertise to their customers.
The advertising of these two companies is very inspirational. It has a real focus on an emotional feeling. “How would you like to teach a child to spell”. For a parent, especially a mother, is there anything that more inspirational than something nurturing for the child.
Apple extend their customer reach through adverts that target other results: learn a new language, etc. And in every advert they also have incredible simplicity of use. Vey smartly they’re offering the world with one drag of the finger.
Audi’s adverts get across technical precision and leadership. A simple and very repetitive strap. But, to gain widespread acceptance to the performance and reliability leadership position, they secured placement in the Transporter. In the face of a great challenge if you need to quickly get from a to b with a precious package you would choose an Audi.
Apple also did this by ensuring that every news anchor or field operator was using an iPad and having them refer to “their iPad”.
As well as advertising their ‘position’ they are trying to INSPIRE an action.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
The brand is trying to move someone along a pathway to engagement and that for most brands this is a critical phase.
Discussion Ideas
Who buys a car, however good the advertising WITHOUT a test drive?
Interesting how for a technology company how Apple have improved and redefined physical retailing.
They have a ‘genius’ who is meant to remove fear, miss understanding, barriers to the purchase. They are there to offer a better understanding of the value by showing both the scope of what is available and the simplicity of use.
Technology often isn’t easy. For many people “its actually more difficult than hitting a fairway wood off a bare lie.” So Apple recognized that, and invested in helping people to make technology easy.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Tell the best buy story, one click for each stage (4 clicks total)
Goal of Slide
Re-enforce the power of good engagement to the audience.
Discussion Ideas
Tell the Best Buy story from almost bankrupt to now no longer the cheapest (doesn’t bother about Amazon) but does offer ever improving service and technology knowledge.
That engagement leads to more sales.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We are trying to convert into a sale. The sale happens BECAUSE of the engagement.
Discussion Ideas
Best Buy learned that self service engagement where the customer just picked up the product themselves wasn’t effective in a “difficult” product (high cost, difficult to use). They caught up with the car companies and Apple and cell phone shops in learning that a person was required to increase the amount of engagements that were converted into sales.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Even the online world has learned that people to people engagement drives conversion.
Discussion Ideas
The online retailers have discovered that cheapest isn’t everything, especially where price can’t be the competitive position.
They are now working to translate every time someone lands on a product web page into a sales discussion with a real person.
Expected Time
1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
The relationship doesn’t end at the sale.
Discussion Ideas
Once the best companies have a customer they work so very hard to retain them. They want the repeat business. They want the rest of the family to buy Apple products or Audi vehicles. They don’t want you tempted by alternatives offering the latest and greatest.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This is a tried and tested model used by almost every company in the world.
Discussion Ideas
There are four really key points they must embrace:
Inspiration is about appealing to something emotional in the consumer – a need or a joy or something that says this is what I believe
Engagement isn’t about “can I help you sir” or knowing a name. It is about engaging to move someone closer to a sale by increasing the perception of value and reducing barriers to purchase
Converting a sale is the result of engagement – it isn’t an accident
Retention is critical and requires engagement with the consumer – it needs specific strategies
You’ve seen how Apple and Audi do this. Even low price fast moving consumables do this. Pampers uses advertising to appeal to the mother’s desire for care for their child and convenience.
Brands like these and Gerber have therefore moved to make their advertising much more about the whole environment for the baby / mother. Education, tips and support.
Spend time to discuss this model and ask for people’s own observations.
Expected Time
7 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Golf doesn’t have a marketing model.
Discussion Ideas
Golf has probably been a mixed model where elitism is the attraction which means we have to make it difficult to participate. By the way an acceptable strategy used by many businesses especially when resources are scarce.
Trouble is that resources are not scarce. Lots of golf courses, lots of professionals, lots of manufacturers.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Ensure that the audience has embraced the key points and can now relate them back to golf observing:
Identify that golf doesn’t do much inspiring at the facility level (TV is our inspiration)
The level of engagement is very low
Too few retention strategies.
Discussion Ideas
This is open discussion to create interaction.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Highlight that golf is very much a self service game with a start (introduction) and then it seems unknown or undefined.
Discussion Ideas
Ask yourself how someone who doesn’t play the game sees it as an entrance and then development. Are they sure how they develop? Does it look like a difficult game that requires a one on one coach?
In fact think about your recreational 20 handicap golfer. Does he have any idea how to get from 20 to 9 if those are the levels you’re using? Is there an incentive to invest in improvement of handicap when that only makes the game tougher?
Ask the question: what percentage of members who know how to play the game to a 24 or better handicap will have a coaching program for fundamental improvement this year?
Ask why the audience thinks that is low.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This is a summary moment for the section. We want the audience to buy into this model as something that needs to be implemented. We also want to remind the audience of the motivators and barriers.
Discussion Ideas
So why should golf be any different to the world’s leading consumer electronics company. Their products are complex, are game is difficult. Their consumer lives in a world where money is tighter for the middle class and they want value. Ditto. They live in a highly competitive world where other brands offer similar products. We are competing against any number of other past-times and pressures for time. In fact you could argue that we are competing in a tougher world where parenting demands a growing part of a person’s life. We are actually competing for the scarcest of resources today – time.
We not only need to use this model but we need to be better than Apple. Better than Audi.
That stats with us understanding, as well as Audi and Apple do, our customers and what makes them tick. Our appeal needs to be to their desire for a performance experience they enjoy in a friendly social environment mindful of the constraints they have.
If we’ve established it’s our job to move golfers up the pathway, then it’s our job to inspire them. Its our job to engage with them. Its our job to convert them. And its our job to retain them. We need to have those skills.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets
Goal of Slide
Recap the marketing lifecycle and how it applies to golf
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
“we’re now going to take a deep dive into each stage of the lifecycle”
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Section Goal is to introduce the importance of inspiration and a few inspiration tactics/events
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
Section Time: 30 minutes
Slide Time: 1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Make the Professional aware that they can’t make their case once. They need to perpetually advertise and promote, repeating a message.
Start the process of educating them that they need to find space in the noise by marketing with meaning.
Discussion Ideas
The average working adult today receives over 2,000 adverts a day and its increasing.
Start their day with Facebook, there are 4 adverts down the side, suggested posts. Follow a link to the 10 wealthiest golfers and they’ll run through a gallery and be exposed to 30 – 40 adverts.
Move on to their favourite online newspaper and there’ll be another set. And guess how free online newspapers are funded? Go to their soccer site and catch up with the golf news and there’s more. Open email and several will get through the firewall, especially those like airlines or companies you have relationships with.
Into the car and onto work and we get the drive time bombardment accompanied by trucks and vans with adverts, bill boards with adverts.
Before you get home and switch on the TV to watch whatever and consume those adverts you will have reached 2,000. So what do we do? Yes, we tune them out.
That’s why you see the same advert over and over again. Experts believe you have to see a name 25 times in this environment before it enters your conscious mind. That’s a name, never mind a proposition.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This is a classic example of low signal, high noise. Lots going on, very little of value getting through.
Discussion Ideas
Getting advertising into a newspaper or magazine or on a radio is almost a total waste of time unless you’re prepared to commit to repeat the message again and again.
It is a very, very high noise marketplace and you will struggle to be heard even with the simplest message. In fact if you’re in this space you’re message cannot be complex. It has to be very, very striking and simple. Like, “you might die, but we can save you. Take our pill”.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
While Facebook is a simple and easy place to advertise, its still noisy.
Discussion Ideas
We’d recommend that you use Facebook and Twitter and Instagram and new emerging social spaces but remember those are also very, very noisy.
You can still have a relatively low bandwidth but the noise is still high.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
The power of face to face, one on one marketing. Every contact with a golfer is an opportunity to inspire them. Introduce the concept of ‘conversation’.
Discussion Ideas
This is without doubt the place where you are most able to both INSPIRE a golfer to want to take on a new challenge or aspiration; or a place where you can convert them to a new stage.
It is frustrating that often golf professionals see any INVESTMENT in this sort of engagement – an example would be 4 hours of free 15 minute assessments – as wasted time they have had to give up. It is exactly that: an investment.
Now you have their dedicated attention in a very tactile space where they can be influenced through sound, sight, touch, feel, smell and experience.
Here you have very high-bandwidth and very low noise. It’s the perfect opportunity. You can have an exclusive conversation.
Of course 4 hours of free 15 minute assessments means you’ve reached 16 golfers in 4 hours.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This is a high signal, low noise environment. AND IT IS VERY, VERY VALUABLE.
Discussion Ideas
This is without doubt the place where you are most able to both INSPIRE a golfer to want to take on a new challenge or aspiration; or a place where you can convert them to a new stage.
It is frustrating that often golf professionals see any INVESTMENT in this sort of engagement – an example would be 4 hours of free 15 minute assessments – as wasted time they have had to give up. It is exactly that: an investment.
Now you have their dedicated attention in a very tactile space where they can be influenced through sound, sight, touch, feel, smell and experience.
Here you have very high-bandwidth and very low noise. It’s the perfect opportunity. You can have an exclusive conversation.
Of course 4 hours of free 15 minute assessments means you’ve reached 16 golfers in 4 hours.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
But as a golf professional, you have an even more lucrative opportunity.
The power and productivity of face to face, one on group marketing. You have the greatest advantage over Audis and Apples and Pampers and Gerbers and Callaway and Titleist and Golfsmith.
Establish that all the competitors for the relationship with YOUR GOLFER are looking to have conversations.
This is a point to deal with get out front don’t wait. Proactive vs Reactive
Discussion Ideas
If you want to reach more than 16 golfers in 4 hours, then 4x 45 minute clinics with 8 people per clinic allows you to reach 32 golfers in that 4 hours.
It also allows you to exploit the social opportunity. A suggestion to a single golfer that they should play in the next club event will face a potential social hurdle – “I don’t know anyone” or a thought that they “have to find someone to play with”. In a social group the potential partners are right there.
Apple and Audi would kill for this opportunity. The chance to engage with multiple consumers at once, with their attention on you because they need your expertise to improve their experience of the product. It’s why Apple tries to get consumers into “education” but struggles. If they can inspire people to attend a class, they will likely be retained but it creates an engagement that offers the opportunity for up-sell.
Clinics are much, much more than a Revenue opportunity. You are inspiring someone to attend a clinic so that you can engage with them. That is an opportunity to do more than just deepen your emotional connection. It is an opportunity to move them much further along a pathway to more golf. This is a single effort that creates multiple conversations in a very low noise environment.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This one-to-many, face-to-face conversation is a VERY PRODUCTIVE, HIGH SIGNAL, low noise environment
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Your own web site – if it has interesting well presented content – is a low noise environment.
Setting up the relevance of the next sub-section and it’s “what you say”
Discussion Ideas
If a consumer goes to a web page then that’s a space where there is no other noise. It offers a space where you can use video, sound, image and text to give a relatively rich experience without other diversions.
Remember the structure of communication though. Why and How being far more important than What. However this now gives the opportunity for those who ‘buy into’ the why and how to interrogate the what in more detail.
Don’t forget “conversation”. You are talking in the online space to people you ‘know’. Just because you use the online world, doesn’t mean that it becomes all about you.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Re-enforce the power of the expert from the earlier graphic that showed how much more important the Pro was than the brand.
Discussion Ideas
In a community, where you are known, e-mail or ‘message’ marketing remains the most effective online medium to drive contact.
You’re their expert-friend. There is a much, much greater interest in opening your email than one from an airline or travel company.
As long as your emails remain easy to read and interesting to the reader then you will have open rates 3 times industry averages and you should have click through rates to web pages that are again 3 times industry averages.
But again remember:
It must interest the reader
It should be trying to create deeper, emotional connections with more golfers
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Understand that the best way to advertise is to engage in conversation around their interest. Understanding that the Professional has an incredible advantage.
Discussion Ideas
In a space where there’s 2,000 adverts a day, every brand is now trying to create conversations around an affinity.
They are trying to create Marketing with Meaning.
If the Boomer / Gen-X / Millennial consumer is going to engage they want to engage in a conversation that offers them value.
You have an incredible advantage over all other parties including those in administration / general management of the golf facility. Their communication by its nature must frequently be about what the member / golfer can’t do.
Your communication can go the golfers meaning – remember the 2 most important requirements – performance (help me) and social (introduce me).
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Make the Professionals aware that they need to take charge of the relationship with the golfer
Discussion Ideas
Look at how the golf brands are now starting to engage in conversation with the customer.
This isn’t a phase. It’s a new paradigm. You SHARE the customer now. You are actually competing for the valuable position of EXPERT.
But the weakness of the brands is that they don’t actually know the golfer. Expect the level of requirement for that emotion to diminish and expect the brands to get better at segmentation.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Provide the Professional with confidence that despite the attempts of the brand they will always have a more dominant position
Discussion Ideas
The fact is that in research the consumer will take testimony from a friend and guidance from an expert – in fact they’re 4x more likely to listen to the expert.
Well consider this. The Professional has the opportunity to become the “expert-friend” to the golfer.
That makes the golfer 6x more likely to respond to the Professional.
They want our inspiration. They want to engage with us.
What we say and how say it is important. We need to learn the lessons from the WHY and HOW and the need to make this more about the golfers requirements than our product
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Customers are collecting in different locations and require different communication strategies
Discussion Ideas
Different mediums are better for different audiences
Know your customer, know your medium
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
This ad specifically tries to inspire by the “what”...
Discussion Ideas
Ask your audience what they see as wrong?
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Have the group re-do the previous ad and discuss
Goal of Slide
Reinforce prior learning about inspiration and communication preferences
Discussion Ideas
Take the hand-out and change what photo would appear there and rewrite the post in less than 50 words.
Looking to ensure that the group understand that they need to start with the why and how.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Reinforce prior learning about inspiration and communication preferences
Discussion Ideas
Notice how the why is presented as a great immediate improvement story and then the how. The what, the fitting, is not referred to.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
A question can be just as powerful in inspiring someone to engage
Show interesting facts content that supports the message
Discussion Ideas
You don’t always have to tell someone that Fitting is best for them. You can provide them with the education or raise an awareness that allows them to come to the decision themselves.
This is inspiring through informing.
This allows the customer to discover there are over 1000 variations. They can make the conclusion.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Show how simple it is to influence a golfer. This isn’t about ‘telling’ – its about allowing the golfer to work this out themselves.
Discussion Ideas
The power of this little question is that the alternative is to write an article telling a golfer that they are better off coming for a fitting before they buy irons. The reader stops reading because you’re telling a prejudiced story.
Over 80% of the people who read this will internalize the answer ‘Fitting’. You’ve achieved your result in 5 seconds and inspired another golfer to come to you for a fitting before buying irons.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Most Golf Professionals present coaching in this manner. We need them to start to think in this section about different ways to present their coaching.
Discussion Ideas
If a golfer is already inspired themselves to improve their game and has decided to take lessons then this delivers against their needs.
But the trouble is that just 2% of existing golfers make that decision.
You need to INSPIRE them.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Convey the power of storytelling and encourage the room to look for stories
Discussion Ideas
You have an incredible opportunity at golf clubs to tell so many stories in so many ways of improvement. Even better they’re golfers who have connections with so many other golfers in your community.
It is simple. You tell the story of the great feelings of better golf. The how is worthwhile adding, but do you need to show the specific technical improvements.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
The inspiration to engage with you can come from a better understanding of their skill level.
You also don’t have to always be present for that engagement, you can inspire someone on their own by issuing a challenge
Discussion Ideas
You can influence a golfer even when you’re not there. There are any number of skills challenges you can have a golfer take without you being present.
How many flat 10 foot putts can you sink? What’s your Par 18 score? How many 40 foot pitch shots do you put within 12 feet (out of 10).
Set a target. Offer to help.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
You can INSPIRE more golf just by showing golfers they might know enjoying themselves. This is simple.
Discussion Ideas
If you want more golfers teeing off at your 7am tee time, then don’t just tell golfers its available. Take a photograph, with a blue sky background, of a fresh and happy 4ball about to tee off. Make sure these golfers “look” like the golfers you’re targeting.
If you’re trying to get your retirees out early and into a brunch, then show other retirees and not a 4ball of Juniors.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal inspiration tactics
Goal of Slide
Re-enforcement by mimicking the Apple / Audi slides, and applying our inspiration tactics to the lifecycle
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets
Goal of Slide
Recap the Inspiring Golfers section with key takeaways
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Section Goal is to discuss how to engage with golfers, including tactics, and what the end goal of your engagements should be
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
Section Time: 30 minutes
Slide Time: 1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Establish where we are at in the lifecycle
Re-enforcement by mimicking the Apple / Audi slides
Discussion Ideas
We have been talking about inspiring golfers – but the mistake many make is to see the only route to be – inspire (through promotion) – golfer rings up and books a lesson (conversion) – with the engagement being “hello, yes I can do that time”.
We need to create engagements that don’t demand a sale but offer a sale.
How many engagements does an Apple Genius have in store for each sale? What if I told you it was over 15 to 1. But, the Genius staff know that they should then go and make the 15 engagements and stand around and wait.
To help along Porsche and Jaguar both schedule test drive events, test track events
What events could we schedule that create engagement offering the potential for a sale
Have the team make a list. Plant ideas
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Lead discussion and ask for initial thoughts on how this translates to golf
Goal of Slide
Engagement isn’t rocket science, it too has a standard model
Engagements (multiple, often not just one) lead to a conversion
Educate on the approach to a sale
Discussion Ideas
Very rarely will you simply inspire someone to convert into a customer
At best you can hope that your inspiration leads to a customer wanting to find out more about you, whereby you engage that customer
Your time spent engaging with the customer will help you better identify the customers needs/wants, and allow you to position yourself/your product accordingly
Typically after a series of engagements (and not just one) you will be able to “ask for the sale” or convert the customer
Ask the audience how this might work in golf
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Demonstrate how this engagement model can also be applied to golf
Discussion Ideas
Once you’ve inspired someone to engage, there are a many ways you can convert them to a customer.
For example, inspire a customer to attend a 10-foot challenge where you will be able to engage with them and gather information that will position you to assist.
Once the engagement is complete, offer another engagement whereby you spend a small amount of time assessing their putting stroke and putting equipment. Here you will be able to begin to communicate the why and value proposition you offer.
Finally, you could convert the customer into a short-game coaching offering.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
“… let’s look at a few examples”
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Tell the bill Abrams Story
Engagement to create Assessments rather than what he really wanted, which were Sales; Sales came from it as a natural by-product
Discussion Ideas
Bill Abrams engaged his customers in a pitch and win, whereby he checked his players equipment and provided them with fresh grooves for a comparison. He also used the opportunity to check golf ball equipment and technique.
The result of the engagement was that Bill sold more a considerable amount more wedges on that one weekend then he did the entire previous year (20%?)
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click once to reveal better engagement
SHINGLES VIDEO WILL AUTO-PLAY ON YOUR NEXT CLICK
Goal of Slide
A demo day is another opportunity for engagement… but not in the traditional sense that we’ve held them
Highlight that your engagement is qualified by your offer
Discussion Ideas
What’s wrong with this offer? What engagement is it likely to create?
Too often it’s no engagement with the professional, it’s with a rep
Too often the customer is left to just have a bash
We are hoping for an end to this means, which is that you want golfers coming to you to see if you can:
Make wedge play easier/Driver more accurate, longer
Improve their short-game/improve their tee game
The second graphic is a much more effective engagement where you are targeting a result for the consumer
There’s a very important reason when you’re engaging with golf equipment that you want to focus on a result:
It’s easier to sell a result at a higher margin
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
“these are a few golf engagements that show you the value being overed, but there’s another way – let’s look to the pharmaceutical industry for another example…”
Slide Instructions
The shingles video will auto-play (~2 minutes)
Ask for audience feedback
Goal of Slide
Setup a discussion about the sales gap
Discussion Ideas
Ask the audience to pick out some things they noticed from this advert. We want them to notice that the advert changes the viewers comfort with the status quo. This might not be as good a current position as I think.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Explain the theory that there’s a need to establish the gap that can be filled by a solution
Sales gap can be created from an egagement that:
Shows an opportunity/improvement
Reveals a threat/risk that has to be addressed
Discussion Ideas
An engagement that shows the potential improvement, allows them to buy a result.
Find activities you can run with golf equipment, or examine technique, that exposes golfers actual performance
Your conversion rate when the golfer can see the value will always be much higher
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
There are an infinite number of engagements for different segments of customers
Discussion Ideas
There are definitely challenges / performance events that will appeal to different golfers more. A recreational golfer will almost certainly lack the skill or equipment for a Flop Shot Championship. They’ll probably lack the interest in committing the time to come and work out their short-game handicap. But a 40-yard chip for charity appeals to them in so many ways: contribution, scale of challenge, limited time, very social.
The flop shot championship is an engagement that interests the skilled and committed. It also opens up more opportunity to convert this engagement into a sale of some sort.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
When we engage with customers we are likely to convert them to customers, creating a financial impact
All engagement – and NOT just coaching - help make the case for the link between creating/retaining golfers on the pathway (value) and moving golfers up the pathway (more value)
Discussion Ideas
Part of the discussion between Bill Abrams and every person who participated in the 40 yard challenge ought to have been related to their overall golf and commitment to the club.
These engagements are the opportunity to gain intelligence to take immediate action or create later action with the GM.
We are trying to create golfers, recover golfers, activate golfers, retain golfers. And that has a significant financial value
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Engagement creates loyalty and that’s good for job tenure and career.
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal engagement tactics
Goal of Slide
Re-enforcement by mimicking the Apple / Audi slides, and applying our engagement tactics to the lifecycle
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets
Goal of Slide
Recap the Engaging Golfers section with key takeaways
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Section Goal is to discuss how to convert golfers; if engagement was the means to an end – converting the golfer is one of the ends.
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
Section Time: 45 minutes
Slide Time: 1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Establish where we are at in the lifecycle
Re-enforcement by mimicking the Apple / Audi slides
Discussion Ideas
Remind them that engagement is a means to an end; converting them is the first end.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Remind that engagement was the means to the end, converting is the end.
Thus the importance of “Asking for the sale”
Discussion Ideas
Having setup the engagement, make sure you always know what your sale opportunities are
Always, always ask for the sale
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Unveil the end (and the benefits) we’ve been leading to.
Discussion Ideas
Converting a golfer means a variety of things, but they all move a customer either onto or up the consumer pathway and they all have an increase on various aspects of financial performance.
There are five ways to convert golfers identified on this slide:
Retain – meaning keeping existing at-risk golfers playing
Rais – meaning getting occasional golfers to play more regularly
Recruit – meaning adding new players
Reward – meaning sustaining avid players level of play
Recover – meaning regaining players who had previously played
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Golfers can be plotted on your pathway, whereby you are able to engage/convert them into the appropriate event/program
Discussion Ideas
Earlier we discussed chip and sip and 40-yd play events.
If Chip & Sip is a great golf event out on the golf course because it allow the golfer to play a game they can enjoy, in a very social environment, we want you to design a play event out on the golf course that would work for this event.
What type of event might you want to target our hypothetical golfer “Oli” with
Expected Time
1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Complete the worksheet & discuss results.
Goal of Slide
Explain the exercise and have them work on it in groups .
Discussion Ideas
As a group we would like you to complete the attached form. You will notice a title for the event. We have filled in the objective. “To encourage your occasional golfers to play golf more frequently and to become more engaged with you and the club”.
Describe very briefly the event that you would run. If there are any special requirements to support on-course experience, then list what they are or what facilities and resources you need. Finally list the activities you would add before, during or after the event to help you CONVERT the customer to your particular sales objective.
Give them 10 minutes to complete this activity. Then ask for volunteers or pick groups to provide a result to the audience. Discuss each one. .
Expected Time
20 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Provide a good example.
Discussion Ideas
Walk them through the Saticoy objectives and the steps to achieve their objective
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Explain that the Saticoy event is actually achieving two conversions: yes its intended to get occasional golfers to play more, but it also protects the club from losses.
Discussion Ideas
Many of the occasional golfers might actually be close to NOT renewing their membership. This gives the club the chance to create a fun event that they might enjoy. Each time they join with a social group it makes them much more connected and likely to stay at the club. The more proactive strategy is of course to get these golfers to play golf more often.
If no examples have been put forward, then highlight the fact that for some “family pressure” constrains time, so finding events that can engage the parents and children is highly desirable.
One of the generational lessons is that for a young boomer or gen x parent, what you can do for their children is often much more important that what you can do for them.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
You can also convert golfers up the pathway by providing a series of level-based coaching programs
The Professional can create a pathway to a skill level that exploits the desire for results / value..
Discussion Ideas
Some Professionals have tried creating ‘level-based’ programs where the student pays for a RESULT. There are many who are very skeptical of this approach. They have succeeded previously in selling time to the elite. However, the world is changing. A survey of 30,000 recreational and engaged golfers indicated that less than 2% intended taking any coaching in the next 12 months. To tap into that market we do need to re-think how we go to them.
In this example aimed at golfers who are currently playing – the Professional after an assessment of their skill level – recommends a program – one of Graduate, Master and Wizard that targets reaching a higher level of skill with their short-game.
What is NOT being sold is TIME. Many of your current members value time far less than the result. Think back to the example of who wants to buy a Driver or a Lesson. What is being sold is a result. It is the WHY if we go back to the front of this workshop.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Complete the level-based worksheet & discuss suggestions
Goal of Slide
Get the team comfortable developing their own program.
Discussion Ideas
Take the work sheet and define an overview of a golf skill you are going to create 3 competency levels with.
Then for each level define the skill level going in – the results you want to achieve coming out – what would be involved as a list – what would be included in otherwords – in your program.
Then describe how this program would be used by the coach to promote increased revenue for the facility.
Expected Time
15 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
PGA Junior League Golf can be just one program that you try to convert customers into.
Uniquely, re-enforce the parent as a customer and the importance of their why. Also re-enforce that you should be using the junior event as a ‘MEANS’ to an ‘END’ for the parent (ie: engaging with them to play golf as well)
Discussion Ideas
Drive, Chip & Putt, and even more so, PGA Junior League, are great examples of programs that while they authentically appeal to the junior, have a very clear proposition to the parent: your child will be on the team in a play environment where play and social experience is as important as performance.
By the way, there’s nothing more important to these parents, than their child receiving some recognition even just for participation.
Making sure that post event you’re publishing results and photographs INTERNALLY (some will have social network concerns) is important. Hearing you praise their child and making sure they know how valued they are is important.
While it is true that most juniors will have a parent or parents that play golf, do not miss the opportunity to see the parent as a potential golfer. You will be creating deep emotional ties with the junior’s parents. They will be tremendously receptive to offering them a personal and group opportunity to get into the game themselves, or to join in on one of your programs
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Tell the John Perna story (or another one which clearly converts golfers into coaching programs with a “why” value proposition)
Highlight the extra-ordinary lengths that these parents will go to.
Discussion Ideas
John Perna started out as a golf coach beating out private one-on-one lessons, after attempting to make it to the tour. After a year and $ 64,000 of earnings before tax, he realized he had to change something or he’d never make a real living.
So he created a program that targeted parents. The proposition was “I can turn your child into a ‘player’ and give them the best shot at a golf scholarship”. He charged $ 10,000 a year post an assessment. Year 2 he made $ 125,000 and Year 3 $ 240,000.
The programs were very result based – ‘player’ and ‘golf scholarship’ – with no explanation of the what. There was no commitment to one on one coaching at all in fact.
These are also very results orientated programs. They certainly appeal to the current parent’s desire to both reduce the cost of their children’s college. They are also a group who are very motivated by VALUE. “What am I getting for my money”.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
While a lot of golfer conversion focuses on recruiting new players, raising current players and retaining at-risk players, we often over look the need to recover players who previously played.
Gain some support for a potential area of focus that is neglected.
Discussion Ideas
Depending on the geography there are between 2 and 3.4 ex-golfers for every golfer. That means that if we have 25 million golfers, then there are 50 million ex golfers.
Some find that an incredibly difficult figure to embrace, but if we look at golf club membership, the loss rate at a club will be between 6 and 14% per annum. If we extend that rate across all golfers, then we are losing between 1.2 and 3.6 million golfers per annum.
NGF figures for 2002 to 2012 show a net loss of over 5 million golfers thru that period. The actual golfers lost according to their research is over 30 million through that period. If we allow for double counting – golfers stating, falling out, starting again and falling out again – we can move that figure closer to 20 million lost in 10 years.
Given that analysis it makes it quire reasonable that there are 50 million lapsed golfers
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Highlight that no-one is focusing on this golfer.
Discussion Ideas
Here is a profile of golfer. It is probably quite common but we don’t have the facts to determine how common.
The golfer is an active junior and young adult player. Eventually despite their best intentions, career demands and relationships diminish the time they can commit to the game.
Family, and their perception of golf as an unwelcoming to families pastime and time expensive game, means they drop out.
The questions we have to ask ourselves is:
Do we think these golfers could become productive customers again; and
What can we do about it
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Complete the Lapsed Conversion Worksheet; Discuss Answers
Goal of Slide
Setup an assignment.
Discussion Ideas
As a group we would like you to complete the attached form. You will notice a title for the event. We have filled in the objective. “recover lapsed golfers”.
Describe very briefly an activity that you would run or perform that included some form of engagement with the golfer. If there are any special requirements to support on-course experience, then list what they are or what facilities and resources you need. Finally list the actions you would add before, during or after the activity to help you achieve your objective. If there are results you want to directly achieve from the activity then please list them.
Give them 10 minutes to complete this activity. Then ask for volunteers or pick groups to provide a result to the audience. Discuss each one
Expected Time
10 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We all think we know the power of referral but do we – put a number to it
Viral networking isn’t just a Youtube or Twitter phenomina
Discussion Ideas
Explain how in a community referral is even more important than the rest of the business world.
People will talk to each other far more (as you know) about what they like and what they don’t like.
We need to understand then that a golfer who is in the club will be an advocate to golfers within the club and golfers outside the club who are also linked to other golfers.
Walk this through with the audience to lead into two stories of Professionals engaging connections that brought more connections.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Creating connections with golfers can lead, and should be encouraged to lead to, further golfers
Tell the Peter Myers story (or one of large-scale success in a short time period based on referrals)
Discussion Ideas
Tell the Peter Myers story of engagements that he made open and then for all external golfers who attended he included a tour and an introduction to key club management with an estimated value of Peter Myers.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Creating connections with parents should be encouraged.
Tell the Bill Harvey advocate story (or a story where a customer became a huge proponent/marketer on behalf of the Professional)
Discussion Ideas
Tell the Bill Harvey and Ms Spence story from New Mexico. How she produced his materials and reached out to mothers at locations where there were mothers who had children – starting at the club swimming pool on weekends! Moving on to local schools.
Big message is that Mrs. Spence went and found all the sub-community ambassadors and opinion leaders and brought them to an open hour with their children. They have become they advocates within their respective communities.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
To show that this is simple and the Facebook opportunity should not be missed
A lot of these communities already exist online
Use Dee Forsberg story to illustrate (or another story whereby virtual communities are creating real-life opportunities for Professionals)
Discussion Ideas
Tell the Dee Forsberg story from 2015 and her “linksters”.
2015 has been so good to dee forserbeg, that it’s changed her life. Esacping minnesota’s winter is now an option.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal conversion tactics
Goal of Slide
Re-enforcement by mimicking the Apple / Audi slides, and applying our conversion events to the lifecycle
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets
Goal of Slide
Recap the Converting Golfers section with key takeaways
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Once you’ve converted a customer, you have to KEEP them as a customer – this is a whole lot easier than losing them and trying to win them back! It’s important!
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
Section Time: 20 minutes
Slide Time: 1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Establish where we are at in the lifecycle
Re-enforcement by mimicking the Apple / Audi slides
Discussion Ideas
Remind them that once you’ve converted a golfer, you need to keep them as a golfer.
This is critically important: retaining a golfer and helping them move along the path way is far easier than losing a golfer and trying to get them back on your pathway
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Remind the audience that retention is one of the 5 critical revenue generation strategies
Discussion Ideas
Once you have a customer, you have to keep them.
This is much easier than creating a customer, losing them and then trying to win them back.
This TAKES WORK! You must actively invite your customers back to keep playing or take the next step along your pathway.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Complete worksheet; Discuss Answers
Goal of Slide
Setup an assignment.
Discussion Ideas
As a group we would like you to complete the attached form. You will notice a title for the event. We have filled in the objective. “To reduce losses at the golf club”.
Describe very briefly an activity that you would run or perform that included some form of engagement with the golfer. If there are any special requirements to support on-course experience, then list what they are or what facilities and resources you need. Finally list the actions you would add before, during or after the activity to help you achieve your objective. If there are results you want to directly achieve from the activity then please list them.
Give them 10 minutes to complete this activity. Then ask for volunteers or pick groups to provide a result to the audience. Discuss each one
Expected Time
10 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
A retention event doesn’t explicitly have to be retention, it can also be an engagement for other prospective players.
Remind the audience that 40-Yard golf was a Retention strategy and that the Par 3 Challenge had elements of Retention in it (although it wasn’t the focus)).
Discussion Ideas
We talked about how 40-yard golf is a great retention strategy especially for your women and juniors out of GGR.
The Saticoy Par 3 accomplished both RETENTION improvement and motivating the occasional to play more.
Are there other Retention activities?
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets (retention results)
Goal of Slide
Provide a good example
Show the fact that accompanied play had a set of ends. It was the means.
Discussion Ideas
Introduce the Desert Horizons story with Jurgen Gross and Rick Rupert. General Manager agreed to let Rick Rupert play 18 holes with each golfer more frequently.
But it was a means to an end, and the end was to improve retention.
GM gave Rick a list each month of golfers he was worried would not renew.
The end result of accompanied play was:
75% booked into their next round of golf
50% booked into the next formal club event
25% booked into a coaching program or an assessment
Describe the thinking behind the results targets.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal retention tactics
Goal of Slide
Establish where we are at in the lifecycle
Re-enforcement by mimicking the Apple / Audi slides
Discussion Ideas
Summarize the process looking back to inspire and through retain
How does this compare to the initial discussion/early thoughts on golf’s approach to the marketing lifecycle?
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets
Goal of Slide
Recap the Retaining Golfers section with key takeaways
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Programming Strategy wants to take all the different stages of the marketing lifecycle and consumer pathway, and tie them together into a pragmatic system of programs/events that PGA Members can implement to create customers at their facility.
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
Section Time: 30 minutes
Slide Time: 2 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We are going to show how we are trying to deliver strategies that support the golf club.
Discussion Ideas
We have discussed in this seminar how we should segment golfers by their position on the pathway from Introductory to Committed.
We have reviewed how this is not directly related to skill level. Golfers will have different levels of commitment in a lifecycle.
We have examined different ways to INSPIRE and ENGAGE with golfers to CONVERT them onto and along or upwards on the path.
We have also looked at how important it is to RETAIN golfers on that pathway.
What that has done is given us an insight into how we should look at each individual golfer, and our responsibility as a RAINMAKER or CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGER or BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER to that individual.
Each golf club may, in fact will have different priorities, for their business though. Newport Beach Country Club would like to find a way to retain the membership number but reduce the rounds played. Wentworth Golf Club in the UK wants to reduce its membership from 3,000 people, largely local, to 600 from around the world.
If you’re going to support the business of the club, it is important to understand these goals and align your time investment in marketing and engagement with the golf clubs
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Educate the Professional on a mechanism to communicate and organize the plan for the golf club.
Discussion Ideas
This strategic planning model provides a very useful context for discussions with the golf club.
For starters it acknowledges and recognizes that there is a core and avid group who are currently contributing significantly to the financial stability of the golf club. There needs to a set of activities that are planned to REWARD this group of golfers for their support and loyalty.
We have already looked at activities that will assist with the ACTIVATION of the occasional and introductory and their RETENTION.
There are a number of programs available to support you wrt RECRUITMENT but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t further discussion required around that strategic focus.
And finally there is RECOVERY – gaining back golfers who were previously part of the industry who left.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Explain that they should think through what they believe will be most important tactics to achieve the required results.
Discussion Ideas
There is little doubt that these are the big 5 strategies for a golf club. Your first job is to understand the business imperatives of your facility. Which of the 5 result areas are their priority and what is the scale of achievement that is required?
It really helps if you can get a clear metric on these goals. For instance we’d like see our membership grow by 25 this year. You can agree goals that might sound something like: “then we should plan to increase recruitment from 30 to 40, while reducing losses from 25 to 10”.
Remember that it is eminently possible to come across an objective that would be “hold the membership at its current number but reduce the rounds played by members by 10%”.
For a public or p&p facility
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Ensure that the Calendar for 2016 is inclusive.
Discussion Ideas
An important step that shouldn’t be overlooked is to make non traditional golf as important as regular or scheduled events on the calendar. The calendar for April should include the standard events and competitions, but just as equally it ought to include the Chip & Sip, the Par 3 Championship, the Short-Game Championship, Chip for Charity etc.
In fact actually highlight these in the calendar. Your staple products (the 18 hole medal etc) will be found by the engaged and committed golfer as diligently as the shopper finds the sugar.
You need to bring to golfers attention the special events that you have.
An important step that shouldn’t be overlooked is to make non traditional golf as important as regular or scheduled events on the calendar. The calendar for April should include the standard events and competitions, but just as equally it ought to include the Chip & Sip, the Par 3 Championship, the Short-Game Championship, Chip for Charity etc.
In fact actually highlight these in the calendar. Your staple products (the 18 hole medal etc) will be found by the engaged and committed golfer as diligently as the shopper finds the sugar.
You need to bring to golfers attention the special events that you have.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Ensure that the Calendar for 2016 is inclusive of all activities
Discussion Ideas
This is a plan to create a result.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Ask the audience to complete the campaign worksheet
Goal of Slide
Put all lessons learned into practice
Discussion Ideas
The goal should be creating events/campaign that encourages players to come out to the facility at the beginning of the season
With that goal in mind, what type of campaign is relevant? And what are it’s critical success factors?
We also recommend mocking up a calendar so that we can see these campaigns in action
Expected Time
7 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Lead discussion on previous exercise; use this as an example
Goal of Slide
n/a
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Move the Pro to a point where they want to create a plan
Discussion Ideas
While this might seem too detailed, it’s the best way to succeed. Create by month for next year the commercial objectives you want to achieve each month.
For April (in the north) it’s a great month to have an event that opens the season for as many golfers as possible (Par 3 Championship). It’s also a great month to re-establish relationships. So a 10-Yard Challenge – golfers book in and you show them how you can add at least 10 yards to their tee shots in 15 minutes – will quickly establish your value with each section within the club.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets
Goal of Slide
Recap the Programming Strategy section with key takeaways
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Goal of Section: Player Development has a tangible financial impact on facilities; we need to measure and communicate this value to our management
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
Section Time: 20 minutes
Slide Time: 1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
We need to improve the way that the Professional reports to the management
Lead measures will help you know in advance if you are impacting your lag measures
Discussion Ideas
We clearly all want to influence the results on the right. Each club might have different priorities but the commercial results will be definable.
During this presentation we have been reviewing the way to influence the number of golfers and the amount they play.
Play events, engagement activities, coaching all allow us to influence the passage of golfers onto and up the pathway. We know that will generate more spend.
Expected Time
5 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Engagement is the most important lead measure
Discussion Ideas
I hope that over the course of this presentation you have embraced that we should look to expand the number of golfers we reach out to and engage with.
There are many ways a PGA Professional and their team can do that. This is a list that you may well add to.
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Remind the group that the activity isn’t the end; you must convert them into something
Discussion Ideas
Remember though, to become a real revenue generator you’re going to use the engagements as a means to an end you have planned and prepared for.
Reducing churn requires you to identify the ‘at risk’ and then to personally invite them to play golf with you and others, and then during that engagement, for you to seek to get that golfer back to playing golf more regularly by finding what it is that will inspire them to play or what are the barriers that have to be overcome.
If you’re trying to increase the number of women playing then it’s not enough to put them through a GGR program. What is the plan to retain them at the facility and to provide them with a level of enjoyment and social interaction that will keep them at the club.
Of course you need to make sure that you’re management are aware of the plan and what you’re trying to do.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Inspire them to produce a monthly engagement report and share with management/section staff/pdrm
Discussion Ideas
Produce a monthly report of engagement with the numbers next to each activity. These are the Lead Measures that, if competed will provide you with the best chance of achieving the end result.
Provide this report to your management each month. Identify areas where you’ve done a good job and areas where you might have fallen short.
Make this report part of the key report pack for the management along with your financial reporting.
If you’re looking to reach out and get your ‘at risk’ golfers into accompanied play or other activities then list those golfers and detail for each your level of comfort in them renewing. If you’re still worried about a golfer then agree a plan with the club.
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Walk through the numbers with the audience
Goal of Slide
If the engagement report is the lead measure, the financial impact is the lag measure
Discussion Ideas
Communicate how quickly this can add up to a very large number
Note the difference for a public facility is that rounds is the primary driver, not members; specifically avg. spend per round (consiting of):
Avg. Green Fee
Avg. Cart Fee
Avg. F&B Spend
Avg. Range Spend
Avg. Retail Spend
Multiplied by the Average Number of Rounds Played per Customer to get to total customer value
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Walk through the numbers with the audience
Goal of Slide
Retention has a quantifiable effect too, essentially multiplying the difference in your loss rate vs. the value of your membership
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Encourage Professionals to use the scorecard.
Discussion Ideas
Of course what you want to be able to do is at the end of the year detail what your lag measures were. What was your impact on Recruitment and Retention, and if possible Activation. What was the estimated financial consequence?
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
Click to reveal bullets
Goal of Slide
Recap the Measuring Success section with key takeaways
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
3 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Section Goal is to recap main thoughts of the day
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
1 minute
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Start with Why
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Focus on the Consumer
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Become a Lovemark
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Engage Up the Pathway
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Engagement is a Means to an End
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Measure & Communicate Success
Discussion Ideas
n/a
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
Slide Instructions
n/a
Goal of Slide
Thank the audience
Provide Resources
Discussion Ideas
Survey to be distributed
MSRs to be assigned by section staff
Contact your Player Development Regional Manager
Ask them for the sale (ie: “meet with me, meet with your pdrm, etc.”)
Expected Time
2 minutes
Transition
n/a
