Digital Discussions
Chad Chadwell, General Manager and COO, Crestmont Country Club, West Orange, N.J., posed this question to the group:
“Member retention and recruitment are at the top of my list as a new General Manager. I was hoping some of you might share strategies that you’ve had success with in the past. Specifically, what has worked in recruiting young professionals (under 40)?”
“I like the ‘Buddy System,’ where a full-privilege member can bring a non-member on board as a member for one year. The dues for the member and buddy would be 50% of the member’s normal dues. Both parties would enjoy full member benefits for 11 months, and then the non-member has to pony up or play his/her last round of golf. This incentivizes the members to bring along that friend they have been saying they know would love to join the club, but procrastinate on making it happen. The bottom line is the club has no change in dues income using this process. It has also increased F&B sales, golf cart rentals, and other miscellaneous activity.
“It’s a nice way of thanking the member without costing the club anything. I prefer this over food credits and other gimmicks, to properly reward the members for taking the time to nurture a new prospect.”
—John T. O’Brien, Interim General Manager,
Onteora Club, Tannersville, N.Y.
“We have started to do ‘Random Acts of Kindness’ or things our members may not expect. For example, in 2012, we sent a letter to our members who are full dues-paying golf members. The letter included three rounds of golf to be used by their guests. It created a lot of goodwill within our membership and gave them a freebie to bring guests, who could be potential members and help in recruitment.
“We are getting ready to send a note on behalf of our Board of Directors to our Top Supporters of 2012. We reviewed our various departments and spending trends to identify those members who are our largest supporters—both financially and in terms of bringing non-member banquets/events and new members.”
—Erin Busch, Director of Membership & Marketing,
Morris Park Country Club, South Bend, Ind.
“The important thing is to develop a comprehensive plan that incorporates a wide spectrum of initiatives and service policies. Being proactive and adaptive needs to replace being reactive in your recruitment and retention plans. Relying solely on member referrals is turning a blind eye to society’s trends. Updated, easily navigable websites, Facebook, Twitter, and even Foursquare are ‘necessary evils,’ and having management maintain a presence and participate in groups on LinkedIn all help drive search engines to your website—so when people Google ‘country clubs’ on their laptops, iPads and iPhones, your club’s name appears at the top of the list.”
—Diana Kuenzli, Director of Membership & Marketing, The Polo Fields Golf & Country Clubs, Ann Arbor, Mich.
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