Your goal should be to provide what customers really want so you will generate increasingly higher levels of customer loyalty (and profits). Increased customer loyalty leads to increased profitability, so why do some golf facilities refuse to deliver?

 

Some golf facilities blame the customer for not being loyal, but in many cases the customers haven't be given any reason to be loyal. These facilities are too busy prospecting for new golfers while the present ones run out the back door.  They prefer to compete primarily on price just like their competitors. When they act as a commodity business they choose not to differentiate themselves from their competitors. They have chosen through preference, tradition or inaction to play the commodity game. Price is important, but customers want something more.

 

The only approach that will transcend this commoditization is to understand that enjoying a round of golf is not just about the golf course. Customers have clearly demonstrated, when presented with the option, they also want to purchase advice, good communication, efficient service, problem solving, comfort and professionalism.

 

Differentiation is not about your golf facility - it's about people. Those people are your customers who use it and the employees who create it (the experience). Your challenge is to find out what the people who use your course and services REALLY want so you can enhance the total experience they have in dealing with your club.

 

Focusing solely on the physical attributes of the facility is distracting because most customers can obtain a similar product from your competitors. The sole factor of differentiation (unless you want to play lowball) is the service and sales teams. An energetic and creative service and sales team is very difficult for the competition to duplicate.

You differentiate your business through your sales and service.  Both are 100% people based.  Hire, train, and mentor good people and you'll win!

 

If you have not done so already, you should immediately begin a front-line service team education program. The training must include the following: how to communicate with guests of all types, how to think in terms of growing customer relationships, how to resolve conflicts, and how to think in terms of retaining customers.

 

Think about it. The majority of compliments you and your service team receive usually deal with a team member's use of soft skills rather than their actual knowledge of a particular situation. These skills are what elevate your club above the competition. It's time to cultivate the soft skills that allow employees to deal with a difficult situation, show compassion and solve an unexpected problem. Don't let these soft skills go unchecked and neglected.

 

You should also think about the way service team members are compensated beyond how many hours they work. To build trusting relationships with your customers takes time and hard work. Consider rewarding service team members for how completely they serve your guests and create long-term relationships. In other words, how they turn routine transactions into a differential experience for the people playing your course. It's all about creating sensations.

Great brands have great people. Think Nordstrom and Ritz-Carlton.  They hire from the same resource pool as their competitors.  Why do they consistently win?  

Does your club invest as much to upgrade the skills that create a unique customer experience as you do to enhance the physical attributes of the facility?