Why Your Golf Club Needs a CRM System with a Sales Pipeline!

A sales pipeline should be on your ‘to do list’ this winter if don’t already have one implemented.

If you’re a golf club who doesn’t use a sales pipeline or CRM system then this article is for you. These are just some of the many questions I’ve asked clients in the past.

• Does your business have a water-tight sales process to follow up with prospects? 
• What happens when somebody enquires through your website or at site?
• Are contact details kept in a spreadsheet on your computer or on scrap paper?
• How do you track the conversations?
• When do you know to follow up again??

 However, the main question I would ask, “If we generated 50 leads for your business, would your sales current sales process really maximise the opportunity?”

What is a CRM system?

CRM stands for customer relationship management. It’s a platform / technology which manages your company’s relationships and interactions with customers. 

There are many different parts to a CRM system: marketing, sales, customer service and support.

What companies provide CRM systems?

There are many companies out there who offer CRM platforms. Some of the market leaders are: Salesforce, Hubspot, Active Campaign and Pipedrive.

Without going into too much detail and speaking very generically. A lot of these CRM systems have very similar features and integrate with other platforms. 

What is very important though, is the usability of the platform. If you / your staff can’t use it, then you won’t get the best out of it. The CRM system is only as good as the information put into it.

How will a sales pipeline help your golf club?

A sales pipeline is an organised way of tracking your potential customers through the different stages before they come to purchase.

In your golf club, it’s rare (although it does happen) that somebody just walks in and just takes up membership or books a society day there and then. 

For each of these purchases, the customer goes through a different process. Should you leave them to make their own decision or should you gently work them through your sales process and make follow ups?

Plus, how are you supposed to remember the stage that each of your prospects is at?

Furthermore, what happens if somebody enquires and you / your salesperson aren’t working. How do you get the memo to follow up? A scrap piece of paper? What happens if the windows open and the wind blows or the cleaner comes into your office and tidies up? 

A sales pipeline is a necessity. You can track the progress, set reminders, future follow ups and make notes. In addition to this, you can report on the following areas using actual data:

• How long it takes from enquiry to purchase
• How many enquiries you need to be able convert into business
• What potential revenue is going to be converted

Connect your online enquiries to a sales pipeline

It’s important all of your enquiries made online (website, social media and PPC) and in person are logged in the sales pipeline.

For your online enquiries and leads generated online, you can connect this to your sales pipeline automatically through software. Through having it automated, it will save you time, ensure all leads are logged and thus resulting in (hopefully) converting more business.

For in-person / telephone leads, these will have to be manually uploaded to your sales pipeline if using pen and paper. Alternatively, if you have an iPad or Tablet, you can have an online form which you fill out. This will then sync with your sales pipeline and result in you not using paper!

Understand what marketing is converting into sales

In addition to adding people into your sales pipeline, you can also track the source of lead. Wouldn’t you love to know what marketing activities are working for your business? Whether it’s a website enquiry, social media campaign or something else, you can add the source to each ‘deal’.

If your golf club runs social media campaigns, imagine if the leads generated could all automatically sync into one sales pipeline and not a spreadsheet. What if we could set up automatic reminders too and give you an easy overview of what leads have been followed up with?

Save time and make more money with a CRM system

If your golf club is looking to streamline its sales process and convert more business then a CRM system is for you. Additionally, you will spend less time doing admin and give you more opportunity for sales or building stronger relationships. For more information about implementing a CRM system, please get in touch.