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Kevin W. Thistle
Kevin is VP of Business Development at Windmill Golf. He has been a golf professional since 1984 and is currently the Alberta representative on the National
Board of the PGA of Canada. Contact Kevin at 403-239-1455 or kevin@windmillgolf.com.
Hire Away!
Affordable Strategies for Hiring a Salesperson at your Facility
The age old question is, “Can my facility afford a full-time salesperson, or in some situations, a part-time salesperson?” Given the current realities facing the golf industry, I think the question should be, “Can our facility afford not to hire a dedicated salesperson?”
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX
A full-time salesperson at a golf facility can be a huge asset, but it must be looked at from a macro perspective. Imagine yourself travelling in a big city and a street vender in a long trench coat approaches you.
Instead of watches and trinkets on one side of the inside of that trench coat, he has tournaments and pass programs for sale. You politely decline. Seamlessly, he opens the other side of his jacket and instead of tickets and horse carriage rides he offers banquet facilities, weddings and event opportunities.
In this day and age, a sales- person should not be relegated to one aspect of the business. They need to look at your golf operation as a whole. They can drive sales by filling tee times, booking tourna- ments and small events, and promoting pass programs.
Salespeople can move from one opportunity to the next without being hindered by day to day operations. We are in the business of golf and entertainment. Whether it is memberships, tournaments, corp- orate sales or weddings, there is always an opportunity to fill a tee time, banquet hall or driving range.
40 Golf Business Canada