By Will Robins
Cash is king but recurring revenue rules all.
For those of you who are going towards the coaching model, you have started to understand the multiplier that coaching can bring.
Instead of a one hour lesson you can now teach six, eight, twelve people. When you do that you’re multiplying that hour by eight people instead of just one and often doubling even tripling what you make per hour.
One of the very best ways to get started is with a junior coaching program. Junior coaching programs are one of the best ways to create recurring cash flow because kids needs to be at class every Tuesday at 3:30 and are willing to commit for six months to one year and stay in your program from the age of five, maybe all the way through 18.
So what’s the best way to do retain your customers?
I would suggest for juniors creating your own junior tour.
What do you need to do to start your first Junior Tournament?
First, talk to your club, about finding an evening once a month that you can come out to the golf course and purchase green fees for the juniors (as well as food afterwards).
We’ve found that a Sunday afternoon typically works best.
Also, have the parents pay an additional $10 for the carts and you’re already starting to bring increased revenue to your club.
PRO TIP – At the end of the first tournament inform your general manager how many greens fees were sold, how much of food and beverage, and how many carts. So he realizes that you are bringing him extra revenue without him asking.
How do you get your first junior tournament started?
Well first and foremost send an email blast to your current juniors and talk to parents about how competition is a vital part of seeing improvement in their juniors.
Don’t neglect the practical concepts of posting fliers at the golf course and if at all possible sending an email to the golf course’s email list about the event.
How do I run my first junior tournament?
Simple, all the kids can tee off from the 100 yard marker who had never played in the tournament before, giving them a nice par four where they can have easy opportunity to make a four, five or a six and enjoy their round while their parents caddie for in them and see their improvement first hand.
If the kids are more advanced, put them in the 150s. For even more advanced juniors, the 200s and the kids hat have played other tournaments put them off at the junior tees.
What is the purpose?
To show kids how to score at the game of golf and show them why they are taking the junior coaching program.
The purpose for you is to give them a path to improvement, showing them how to move back through the levels from the 100, to the 150 to the 200 yard marker showing them just like a ski slope or the karate belt system how to improve.
Why does it work?
Why does the junior program work so well is the question?
Because parents love to see their kids having fun.
They love to see the improvement. They love to be out in the afternoon with their kids having a BBQ afterwards and seeing their kid maybe win a pro trophy, having their name on a scoreboard and competing in a fun environment against their friends.
Continued below:
Keys to success:
#1 – Make sure to educate the parents on the first tee. Give them breakdown of what the rules are, pace of play, and how to enjoy themselves.
#2 – Have a high school player or volunteer be on the first hole helping people to understand pace of play where to go and move the groups along.
#3 – Make sure to have double par as the maximum score so kids don’t get burnt out.
#4 – Make sure you tell the parents it’s all about fun. Let the kids just swing and hit it. Score really doesn’t matter and that is something they’ll continue to improve as they learn.
#5 – Make sure to have trophies at the end and possibly implement a hat system. (something we’ve pioneered at RGX)
#6 – Be sure to take lots of photos and post it on Facebook and send it out to all the participants and to future participants.
#7 – Invite players that aren’t in your program and show them how you differentiate yourself from the rest and possibly get signups by offering them a free session to come out to your coaching program.
#8 – Make sure to be out there on the course talking to the parents and seeing the juniors.
#9 – Have a point system. Let them feel that they can see how they are doing so they want to play the next tournament and see how they can pair up against their friends.
#10 – Make sure to have a year-end prize that the winner of each age division gets to play in a foursome with you, wonderfully special day out
So what is the key to customer retention?
The key is to make sure that these players see a path to improvement so they can see how to get better, how to have fun with their friends and want to progress through your hat system.
This means that you are showing the parents that you understand how to develop players and this will mean customer retention, keeping money in your bank and anything. And you got number two and add it from there.
Will Robins is an expert at launching and growing coaching programs. You can hear his story at the link below or learn how you can work with Will through his company Robins Golf Logistix.
Check out Will Robins entire Story at the link below:
