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Marketing is a double-edged sword. It’s the mission-critical element that builds your business’s bottom line; it also can be a nine-letter curse word when you’re trying to find the dollars to fund it. Though 10 percent of your budget should be allocated for marketing activities, each one need not cost a pretty penny. There are several low- or no-cost strategies you can easily implement that will not only promote your facility but also make you more money in the process.
Upselling
Increase your dollars per transaction by asking each customer to buy more. Research shows that 60 percent of people will say yes when asked to buy something extra at the point of sale. Think of McDonald’s famous line, “Would you like fries with that?” By upselling—helping patrons decide to buy something extra or to upgrade their purchase—you can generate incremental sales from current customers, which is a less expensive proposition than attracting new sales.
The best part about upselling is that it’s practically effortless. But you need to train staff in this subtle sales technique. Cashiers, especially those of high school age, may be afraid to ask for the extra order. Sales coaching can help alleviate this anxiety. Creating deals with real benefits to customers will also make staff feel good about promoting them. Here are two strategies cashiers can use to sell customers on the value of your offers.
Sell the benefit. Begin the upsell by telling customers about the benefit to them. To avoid sounding pushy, ask for customers’ permission to describe the special. For example, “To keep you cool while practicing (the benefit), we’re offering several summer quencher deals today. Would you like to hear about our most popular ones?” Or, to the golfer buying a medium bucket of balls, “For just $1 more, would you like a large bucket and a 32-ounce soda?”
Provide value. Cross-promote your amenities and offer them as an upsell at a package price. When a family of four comes to play a round of miniature golf, show them a package deal that also includes batting cage tokens. Though the package is slightly more expensive than four miniature golf passes, it costs less than what they would pay separately for miniature golf and batting cage use. And, extending the time customers spend at the facility means they’re more likely to buy food and drinks.
Ensure upselling success internally by tracking cashiers’ sales, posting the results and rewarding the winning staffer (i.e., that which gets measured gets attention). Externally, you should make customers aware of special offers by posting signs at the sales counter that promote your daily deals (your upsells) and show their value/savings. That way, you’re not relying solely on the cashier to make the sale. You can take this a step further and presell customers before they walk in the door by occasionally sending them special offers via e-mail.
E-newsletters
By eliminating the postage, paper and printing costs that account for 60 percent of direct mail’s expense, e-mail has quickly gained popularity as a cost-effective marketing vehicle. Golf Quest Family Sports Center, with facilities in Brookfield and Southington, Conn., started sending its weekly e-newsletter to 200 customers three years ago. At a cost of just pennies per subscriber, more than 2,400 customers now hear from Golf Quest every week. The e-newsletter includes brief information on current activities and special events happening at the facilities, as well as a golf tip, joke and trivia question. Golf Quest rarely includes coupons, and for good reason. The Internet was created as an information-sharing platform, so e-mails pushing products are perceived negatively by recipients. After the second commercial e-mail, also known as spam, your customers will ignore you, which can be disastrous to a retail business dependent on customer loyalty for incremental sales.
Some other things to keep in mind when using e-mail:
Ask permission. Educate staff on the importance of your e-mail marketing strategy and train them to ask customers for their e-mail addresses. Unlike direct mail, customer opt-in is extremely important when using e-mail as a marketing tool. You can also print the most recent issue of your e-newsletter (or a sample copy if you’re just getting started) and post it in the clubhouse or pro shop with a sign-up sheet, or include a subscription option on your facility’s web site. Also, let customers know why you want their e-mail addresses, what kind of information you’ll be sending them and how often they’ll hear from you.
Opt out. Just as important, always include an opt-out feature in each e-mail. Some states require this by law (the National Conference of State Legislatures offers online links to state statutes).
Formatting. To ensure that customers can read your e-mail, format it as text only. Though HTML-coded messages look more like a printed publication with graphics, photos and multiple fonts, they can take too long to download, not everyone can read them, some mail servers block them and they’re time-consuming to create. Keeping the newsletter low-tech means reaching more customers with your message.
Numerous companies and software packages are available to help you take advantage of e-mail marketing opportunities and to manage your customer database. For additional information on e-mail marketing capabilities and e-newsletters, visit Ad Resource’s E-Mail Marketing Reference Guide at http://adres.internet.com/feature/article/0,,8961_481311,00.html.
Special Events
Use events, such as fund-raisers, golf clinics and demo days, to stir public interest in your facility.
For example, allow nonprofit groups, such as the local chapter of Big Brothers-Big Sisters of America, to use your facility for free (the incremental cost to you is very low). Post a sign at the entrance that says “Welcome Big Brothers-Big Sisters” to make your paying customers aware of your community involvement. After several events, the good will you’ve built will translate into future sales (consumers like to support businesses that give back to the community). Also, letting people use the range or miniature golf course for free almost ensures that they’ll come back as paying customers.
Contact your local newspaper’s sports department to determine advance deadlines for getting your events (clinics, demo days, etc.) listed in the paper’s sports calendar. This free service provides exposure that is worth hundreds of dollars (the cost to place a small ad with the same position and hitting the same audience). Take time to send news releases about some of your bigger events to the local media (TV, radio and print). Fund-raisers for charity or community causes (like parks development) often merit media coverage. Plus, an article or broadcast about you or your business can be used in future marketing. It’s an independent endorsement of what a great business you have.
You can also generate publicity by sponsoring school events or providing freebies (miniature golf passes, batting cage tokens, etc.) for contest giveaways. The same is true for local athletic events: Host Little League registration nights and give coaches free passes that they can distribute to players on the team. Such tactics not only introduce your facility to children but also to their parents who will drive them there.
As you gear up for the spring season, look for creative ways to promote your driving range and other amenities. Marketing doesn’t have to be an expensive proposition. With a little ingenuity, you can boost business at little or no cost to your facility.
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