Chairman, McMahon Group Incorporated
Q: From your experience, what would you cite as currently the top reason(s) why people now drop club memberships?
A: It is usually from changing conditions in their lives such as getting older and not using the club, changes in employment, reduced incomes, retirement, etc. It is very seldom from dissatisfaction with the club.
Q: What are the most basic things a club must do to halt/prevent attrition and ensure healthy membership levels?
A: Keep existing membership very satisfied with the club, and verify this with periodic member surveys and quality assurance programs. Also it is important to keep all facilities in top condition, and this includes the golf course and the clubhouse.
Q: What would you cite as the biggest mistakes that clubs now make in the membership retention area?
A: Allowing their facilities to run down and not knowing about member dissatisfaction until it is too late.
Q: Should a club or resort implement different retention strategies for different member demographics?
A: Yes, there should be. For retention the club should serve 3 basic membership groups of the under 46, 46 to 65 and the over 65 age groups. Each group is different enough that they each need special attention. As for marketing strategies, the club needs to focus more on the under 55 age group for new members because two thirds of all new members come from this younger age group. This usually involves having facilities such as fitness, having a nice swimming pool, having a good casual dining area including a family dinning area, having a good junior golf program, etc.
Q: Is it important for a club to employ a membership director? What qualifications should this person have?
A:Yes, it is very important for a club to have one. The qualifications should be that the person should make a good personal appearance, be attractive, be well dressed, have a selling personality and have good business skills. Most important is that the club should have a good product to sell at a fair price in its marketplace.
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