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| The Reserve Club |
Although your customers won’t love
you if you give bad service, your competitors will.
- Kate Zabriskie
- Kate Zabriskie
In 2010 I posted an article explaining the content of the manual "The Winning Golf Culture" with some testimonials. In 2016 I put up Chapter 1 of that manual "The Culture" which got a lot of response. I've just come from the golf show in Orlando and had a number of readers of the manual tell me it the best thing written about the industry they have read and that it sits on the corner of their desk. Obviously this is humbling, especially when some, who have become friends at this point, volunteer that it is mandatory reading for new hires at their club. With this as mantra and at the request of some of those that made these comments I'm posting another chapter from the manual.
Hiring to the Culture
To quote Jack Mitchell,
author of “Hug Your Customer” and one of the owners of a 65 million dollar
retail clothing business in a Connecticut town of 28,000 people, hiring to the
culture is “the big secret.” Hire well; surround yourself with good people who
take ownership and everything else becomes incredibly easier. The attributes
they look for at Mitchells and Richards in prospective employees are the
following:
1.
Competence
2.
Confidence
3.
Positive attitude
4.
Passion to be the
best
5.
Integrity
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| NSW Golf Club - South Wales |
Another company known for its
service and hiring practices is Enterprise Car Rental. There are some
similarities between Enterprise offices and golf facilities in that Enterprise
keeps their management pipeline, as well as their counters, manned by hiring
college interns who are then, when deemed qualified, offered positions with the
company as seniors. Many of these offers are accepted because the Enterprise
entry on a resume says all the right things about customer care. They ask open
–ended questions at the interview that require applicants to directly relate
examples of how they have helped people in the past. They look for the
following skills:
1.
A passion for
taking care of customers.
2.
A willingness to
be flexible. (Taking care of customers isn’t about reciting policy, it requires
listening.)
3.
A work ethic
based on dedication to the company and it’s mission.
4.
An eagerness to
learn and work their way up.
5.
Self- motivation
and goal orientation.
6.
Persuasive sales
skills.
7.
Excellent
communication skills.
8.
Leadership
ability.
The attributes I feel are
most important to gauge during the hiring, interviewing process are the
following:
-
ATTITUDE,
ATTITUDE, ATTITUDE – Is it crystal clear that this candidate is bursting at the
seams to get this job? Body language is sometimes as revealing as their answer
in that everyone is trying to land the job or they wouldn’t be there. If they
are not super enthusiastic now they may be totally disinterested six months
from now. Do they look the part and seem like someone your customers will enjoy
getting to know? Most importantly, does their personality seem as though it
will mesh with and not perch itself above or fall below the culture. If the
prospective employee does not get along with the rest of the team they will
produce contention that will eventually become a priority that you as a Leader
do not need. The candidate will only improve your team by becoming an accepted
part of it.
-
ABILITY TO THINK
ON YOUR FEET – This is easy to determine if you include one or two open-ended
questions in the interview that can only be answered with a story that couldn’t
be rehearsed. When I first interviewed to be a golf rep 100 years ago I was
asked “What have you done in your life that you are most proud of.” That was
it, one question. I guess they liked my answer. I still use that question and
at times other than interviews. Another one I like is to ask the candidate to
sell me the pad I’m using to take notes.
-
EMPATHY – Empathy
is an important team value but more importantly if you believe in the maxim
that “people do business with people they like” then the genuinely empathetic
candidate is the only one to consider. Empathetic people are curious and good
listeners. They look you in the eye when speaking to you. They are creative
because it is part of their nature to put themselves in the customer’s shoes
and direct the conversation accordingly instead of reciting the script. Those
candidates who don’t convey this quality are usually doomed to shallow
relationships and are complainers and blamers rather than problem solvers. During
the interview ask them to describe the most empathetic thing they have done
lately either at the last job or with family or friends. If they don’t know the
definition of empathy help them with a synonym they understand but if, at that
point, they are still stuck for an answer – move on.
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| Vancouver Golf Club |
Any golf facility can hire a great staff with some
hard work, patience and a little luck doesn’t hurt. Set the bar high from the
first meeting not only about the service culture but what will be expected from
them as they fit themselves into the team. Educate often, evaluate those
sessions and empower when the time is right.
Reward employees for good service and for
salesmanship. Cash incentives and spiffs work well but are not the only way to
say “job well done”. Awards, time-off and recognition in a
newsletter or at staff meetings are powerful culture
builders. Treat your salesman of the month to dinner and a movie for them and a
significant other.
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| Inverness Golf Club |
In order for a culture
dedicated to customer service excellence to thrive and survive the Leader must
have a burning desire that spreads to all staff members on a daily basis.
Everyone from day one needs to understand that they
work for the customer. You cannot have a great golf facility without
having a great staff.
In Summary, hiring good people is the most important part of
creating a winning culture.
Specific
actions to improve the hiring
process:
ü
Realize that
resumes and references alone do not make all-stars and an all-star team is our
goal.
ü
Structure the interview
process to include the following:
1. More than one interview. We are not in a hurry. Think
of it more as due diligence.
2. Have sessions with key staff present as well as
yourself.
3. Ask open-ended questions that allow you to determine
the customer friendliness and team spirit of the candidate.
4. Lay the groundwork of an understanding of what will be
expected in terms of service and sales effort.
