Autumn/Winter Planning – Are you ready?

David Murch, Business Development Consultant – SW England and Wales, Foremost Golf offers some focus points and tips as we approach the autumn/winter season.

We may well be in the middle of the summer but before we know it the autumn season will be upon us. Investing a small amount of time now is highly recommended to give your business the best chance of extending the season as much as possible. This article will provide some focus points and tips for you to think about as we approach this time of year. When these points are introduced correctly you’ll see an upturn in: footfall, sales and customer engagement.

STUDIO UTILISATION
It’s obvious to say that studios come into their own at this time of year, but you need a plan in place to ensure you get the most from them. Just expecting people to book in on their own accord is not good enough and will leave a huge amount of potential untapped. Organise events in them like taster sessions, competitions, winter league, product testing, beat the pro, ball fitting, etc… and encourage as many different abilities/demographics as possible. These are a great chance to a) get people experiencing the technology and b) allow you to engage/look in bags and generate future lesson/equipment sales.

You should also focus your digital marketing on the studio regularly. Try doing some short videos showcasing the technology, tips, different products and the services available. Make booking an appointment as easy as possible – ideally using an online system to maximise bookings and data capture.

Coaching Packages
Winter coaching packages are a great way to generate much needed income during a quieter time of year, whilst giving you the opportunity to build long-term customer relationships. Coaching packages can come in all different formats from a lesson a week to a full game analysis on a monthly basis. Here at Foremost we have a team of Marketing Editors who can support and make suggestions that are appropriate for you and your team. We recommend that you put a limit on the number of packages available. Firstly it creates a ‘need’ to book as people won’t want to miss out. Secondly it allows you to spend adequate time with your clients during and post lessons. Finally it allows you to manage and account for other types of bookable golf services.

Winter leagues

Running a winter league series provides an additional service for the membership and will encourage members to come to the golf club when they might not otherwise. Winter leagues can be played on the golf course or within a studio environment. Many will look to run both. As we know a factor that can’t be controlled is the weather and by offering a winter league solution in a studio will allow members to see additional value in their ‘club membership’ which will only have a positive impact on member retention which is a benefit for all golf club stakeholders.

Seasonal Retail Events
Throughout the months of November (Black Friday), December (Christmas Gift Ideas) and January (Sale) you have seasonal opportunities to create retail events which will offer a cash injection to the business. Make sure you have a plan in place on how you are going to run and market these events. At Foremost, the Marketing Editor Team are able to assist EMP Professionals with a marketing plan and provide assistance with driving the maximum number of people possible to these events.

Outwear and Seasonal Displays
Offer your outerwear propositions a larger and more prominent space in-store. Identify your key selling locations and make sure you change these to reflect seasonal items. You can even do this daily. For example, move the brolly display to a prominent area on a wet day. If outerwear sales underperformed last year, change the way you offer the category this year. Make sure to introduce link sales as there are far more opportunities to add on sales in colder weather than warmer. GR