Improving user experience in your physical environment can help to increase sales.
Reimagining the guest / welcome card for increased sales:
When building a website, we talk about designing with User Experiences (or UX) in mind. It’s also important to look at your prospects’ and members’ internal UX. What is their daily journey through your club like?
In thinking of ideas on how we could increase tennis sales, I looked at all of the external marketing we were doing. I decided to look inward and asked myself, was the current process working? We had always used a guest card that was improved over time for the athletic club, but never specifically for the tennis club. The tennis desk staff mentioned that people didn’t want to fill out the guest card when they walked in and that’s when I realized — it was the card itself!
The card had questions about the athletic club, asking about group fitness classes, basketball, etc. Of course, it still had space for their name and contact information, but tennis members are looking for leagues, socials and lessons. Additionally, we want to know their level of play, where they have played before and when they will be looking for courts.
By simply asking more relevant questions to potential tennis members, we will enhance the sales team’s needs analysis and improve the sales process. We updated the card with more relevant tennis questions and it has increased our lead capture rate.
Empowering the staff through signage:
Most clubs have business offices or an area with offices, but our front line staff works at the welcome desk. Often, if a member has a problem, they go into the sales/business office assuming that was where the managers would be, but in fact the manager on duty was at the welcome desk. This would often interrupt the sales person’s work. By simply adding a manager on duty sign at the welcome desk, with our staff person’s name on it, members realized they could speak to the front line staff. The impact of the sign helped to empower the desk staff and it helped free the sales person, especially if they were working alone or with a prospect at the time.
Take a look at your physical space, sit in the chairs around your club, review your guest cards and ask yourself: What little things can lead to increased sales?
Tiffany Levine is the director of marketing and public relations at Greenwood Athletic and Tennis Club.
