from both a spectator's and participant's point of view It can be played socially and competitively with equal fervor In short, it has everything . It's a marketer's dream . Yet, the tennis profession as a whole has done a very poor job. We have an outstanding product, and the sooner we realize this , the sooner more people will be enjoying the game of tennis. Marketing is the umbrella for all activities that will ultimately advance your business and its reputation . It ranges from the press release you send out on new programs, to the ads promoting your great activities, to the service you ultimately provide once the customer is inside your door Special consideration should be given to ensure that your repeat business is high, whether it is in your purchases or in your pro shop, lessons or renewal of member ships Good marketing is also listening closely to the customer and filtering out what is an unjustified complaint or a super fic ial compliment. Listen to the customer who has left or who no longer patronizes you on a regular basis. Hopefully we all learn a lot from the mi·llions of people who now say 'I used to play tennis. " We lost them because we did not market to (satisfy) their needs and wants. You can have the greatest marketing' program in your area, but if you don 't deliver the product with the best possible service , you are ust sel ng out of an empty wagon Communications When people talk about communication ski Is, we almost always think of verbal communication . When you are a teacher verbal communications are just part of being able tQ. :convey the message . Think about
your favorite teachers in school. What special communication skills did they have? If you think about it, they probably had exceptional body language as well. The same goes for tennis pros. You have seen the pro who sets his shopping cart up at mid court along with his drink, towel, sun visor and sun screen, and settles in for a day of lessons . He feeds ball after ball , telling his students to move, while he is riveted to that one area. This very same pro has been found a few years later in another profession saying , 'I stopped teaching tennis because it was boring." No wonder he communicated boredom with his body language Teaching anything -can be a great experience , but you have to communicate the enthusiasm with every muscle in your body Communication is listening. Listen to your customers, your employees , your owners and your mentors. Be a sponge , and try very hard to learn and implement what is communicated to you Develop good writing skills. If it isn 't natural , practice. Avoid hiding behind the phrase, " It isn 't easy for me to write ." Take the challenge, because if you don 't learn to express yourself in writing , you will be severely imited as a leader Get in the habit of taking notes. Almost all of the very successful people in life are consummate note-takers. If you are walking around the facility carry a note pad in your pocket. If someone tells you about a malfunctioning shower head, or a center strap missing, you can write it down and deal with it accordingly Communication is the foundation to har mony That harmony always starts with the leaders. In our turbulent fast-paced society the spirit of recreation needs to be com municated at all levels.
Public Relations Some companies and some individuals believe that if you have an outstanding public relations department and a subsequent campaign , then you will have a solid bottom line It is essential that you not confuse public relations with reputation . Reputation is what you earn . Public relations in its basic form is simply your relations with the public. Good public relations is first of all having the opportunity to tell people about your activities, your facility your staff and your customers. Secondly it is delivering what you promise , and thirdly it is telling people about it in a subtle, informative manner People ike to know what is happening and what is going on They like to be informed, Build on that understanding. More people need to practice crisis pubic relations . This is when something goes wrong, and the world wants to know about it. It could be a fire , a very important business man having a heart attack while playing, a robbery etc. Though it may never happen to us, we must be ready to act and respond . There are a lot of books written on this area, and many ideas and suggestions, but let's keep it very simple and basic. Rule number one is to designate a single spokesperson (that may be you) . The press loves getting conflicting stories and no matter how hard you try to get the story accurate, two people reporting the same story always tell it differently Secondly from the moment you have a handle on the crisis, dwell on the positive. Tell people how well you have handled the situation and all that is being done to rectify it, or further help out. In summation, work hard on your public relations, but even harder on your reputation.
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NT R 0 D U C IN
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The Cortland Retriever®
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The retrieval system is simply a PVC/Polyester screen and gutter attached to the back fence. Balls hitting its surface will ride up the screen, lose energy and slide down the 70° incline to the rigid PVC gutter Balls are then transported from either side by two flexible helixes which rotate with a spiral motion and feed tennis balls to the center where they are blown up a tube to a ball machine or basket • Maintenance free • Adjustable to any ball machine or basket • Quiet operation low electrical consumption • Easy Installation • Slides back easily for normal play • Pocket-sized wireless control available for any ball machine • System requires relatively few balls for hitting practice • Fully warranteed for two years
CORTLAND COMPANY 610 PUTNAM AVENUE, GREENVILLE, Rl 02828
Patent Pending
~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1-800-635-0568~~~~~~~~~~~~
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