Crony Rut

I had a conversation with Susan who is the VP of Marketing for an architecture firm.  She made a great point in the fact that firms still need to market and be involved in the community by purchasing tables at galas and playing in golf tournaments but firms also need to be accountable. So with that being said, I asked her how they can improve:

-Invite early, don’t wait until the last minute

-Create a list of clients and prospects and another list of folks that can help them and invite from there.

-Stop inviting the same old folks. Stay out of the Crony Rut

-Be a professional and fun host- Make sure you show up and are pleasant and fun to be around.

This is common sense stuff but every firm can improve ROI with a little focus.

Sweeten the Pot- By David Collins

I had a conversation with one of my clients yesterday and Tony made a very good observation that I thought I would share. He was in the mortgage banking industry and would get invited by title companies and other suppliers to play golf. He would pass on the opportunity because it did not make sense for him because he could make more money being in his office and I totally agree. But I asked him if the suppliers allowed him to bring a couple of referral sources or clients to fill out the foursome would he of played? His answer was of course, ”I could justify being out of the office and I could make money.” The point of this blog is, take a look at who you are inviting and see if you could “sweeten the pot”

Golf Now More Than Ever

By David Collins PGA Golf Professional

We all know that business is tough and when the phone rings the person on the other end is looking for a deal so how do we overcome less demand and price objections? 

One method is to give in and the other method is to build a better relationship so that you can have a meaningful conversation to show the client your value statement. I realize this is not easy but I would suggest the following to assist you in keeping time with your clients to overcome the objections

-Host a Golf Clinic 

-Play Nine Holes after Hours

-Send Your Clients a Tip of the Week

These are three ideas where you can use golf to get in front of your clients and build a relationship so that you don’t have to worry about price. Plus, they will give you referrals.

Good luck and if you have any other ideas or thoughts, I would love to hear from you.