Between all the noise from COVID and the elections and the deterioration both have created to normalcy, its sometimes difficult to focus on anything other than day to day survival. Yet, focus we must! From most industry estimates, clubs have done reasonably well thus far in weathering the shutdowns and restrictions but will that last? Read More »
Leadership
The Good, Bad & Ugly
As we look back on 2020, COVID stood out as the greatest challenge in most of our lifetimes. Yet, it was also a testimony to the resilience of our industry and the creativity of our peers. Club management and staff stepped up big time to send the message that the Club was still that home Read More »
The True Value of Retention – Part 1
One of the most important elements of financial stability and sustainability is membership. Within membership there are four fundamentals: growth, retention, member usage and member satisfaction. Much of the industry has evolved from “by invitation only” to creating more aggressive means of attracting new members in a more competitive world. There have been two typical Read More »
Membership Success: Balancing Growth & Retention
By Rick Coyne & Gary Eversole Amazing feedback from last week’s case study on the Dunes Golf and Beach Club and their continued success a decade after the membership process was introduced. Several general managers wanted to know how the Club managed to retain nearly 93% of the new members over ten years later. MembershipRx Read More »
Membership Success – A Case Study
Over the years of emerging membership challenges, the solutions have varied greatly. However, as most any institutional training programs and experts on the subject will agree, solving a membership (marketing) issue requires a process. In membership, there are basically two components that describe success, growth and retention. Hidden inside each of these components are the Read More »
Maybe It’s Time for Change
As we near a turning point in Covid 19’s stranglehold on our economy, there is room for both optimism for the future of our clubs and membership stability. Many clubs experienced significant increases in membership even during the darkest days of the pandemic. Examination of these clubs reveals a clear pattern of enhanced member experiences, Read More »
What Lies Ahead?
Well, it seems many that read my recent blog about crystal balls would like to have one of their very own. LOL! Fact is, we all have them at our disposal. We just need to figure out how to use them. Throughout the Covid crisis we continue to provide complimentary club surveys to better understand Read More »
TIME: Going… going… gone!
Last week I posted a piece on “listening” and have received quite a few questions and comments, generally very positive but underscoring the challenges of these trying times. Some responses indicated members were communicating in greater numbers than ever before. One GM commented that his voice mail box had 53 messages over the weekend, perhaps Read More »
So You Think You’re Listening…
Many years ago, as a young and aggressive club manager I felt my personal value to the club was determined by knowing what the members thought. I’d practice that value proposition by walking through the dining room or driving a cart around the golf course talking to members listening to what they had to say. Read More »
Risk Management – How Far Ahead Can You See?
In his book “How the Mighty Fall”, Jim Collins provides a sobering example of the staged process that industries often suffer when there is no strategic vision or risk management process. Stage 1: Hubris Born of Success Stage 2: Undisciplined Pursuit of More Stage 3: Denial of Risk and Peril Stage 4: Grasping for Salvation Stage Read More »