Sometimes your club has to feel like the Cleveland Cavaliers. You’re not losing horribly, but for some reason you’re just falling short. Maybe, your members feel like Cav’s fans — shunned by one bad apple in the whole scheme of things.
I know you’re asking, what does all this mean?
Clubs are a lot like the Cleveland Cavaliers. One year you’re on top of the world. You’ve got a fresh new amenity (Lebron James), and all your members love you. Next thing you know, your new amenity breaks down (leaving for the Heat). Your members don’t understand that business has its ups and downs. They don’t understand why things break and why they take so long to get fixed — they just want everything to be peachy.
Here is the big question: How do you keep things peachy, or make them appear to be?
Your club doesn’t want to be a Cleveland Cavalier. Your club wants to be a Green Bay Packer. Sitting on top of the world with more money than you know what to do with. You’d probably even settle for a Packer like Tim Masthay, the rookie punter.
Masthay had a rough ride throughout the early part of the season, but he took the time to learn the NFL game (your market), and finished the season with a little chatter from ESPN (this is where we would write about your club).
You may say, Tyler, I want to be a Packer, I want to be a Tim Masthay — but, how?
It’s not easy. It takes a lot of work to be a professional athlete. But, if you understood the previous analogy, you understand that Masthay really took a lot of time to learn the game. Take time to learn your new game.
Spend time talking with people in your market. Visit community centers, high schools and businesses to learn what potential members want. Don’t go spending all your money on a high profile amenity (James) hoping it will continually attract new members. Be a Masthay — learn how to be consistent and continually make your members happy with the things you do best, not just a quickly fading spark in your member’s eye.
Tyler Montgomery is the Editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com
