On the relationship of marketing and empathy in the golf industry

It has always caught my attention when I hear directors and managers talk about the way they approach the analysis of commercial profiles for their properties. The generic feeling is that of hiring a profile with “People skills” and cordial with the clientele, but do you think that is enough to occupy a position in the commercial department of a golf course or golf resort?
Throughout my professional career, I have met many profiles, colleagues with very different characteristics with respect to the function they were performing. Very capable people derived from the world of operations, and others, however, very commercial, derived from the hotel world. The golf industry continues to become more professional, just like the tourism industry, we see more and more master’s degrees or specific master’s degrees for the management of golf complexes and resorts, which undoubtedly categorize this sector and place it among the regulated professions in the world of work. Is the training enough? Do you remember the genotype and phenotype? Next we are going to try to dissect the different profiles that we can find in this industry, and we are going to see if training is really necessary, or if, on the contrary, other qualities are needed: The aggressive profile:

It’s analytical
Use empathy for mere commercial and results purposes
Categorizes your clientele based on the production carried out
He is direct and his vision of the relationship is based on the short term

The passive profile:

It is not analytical
It is limited to responding to the requests of its clients
He does not categorize his clientele, he measures everyone equally
Does not have a short and long term vision of the commercial relationship

The commercial-consultant profile:

Has a global analysis of the business to be addressed
Although they analyze their clientele, they provide each client with what they seek to obtain.
Practice active listening
Has a vision of medium-long term business development

Among these 3 profiles we can find not only differences, but the evolution that society and the market demand of this type of professionals. In the same way that psychology and marketing are associated through neuroscience, basing their advertising campaigns on “feelings”, in the subject of marketing there is a tendency to adopt emotional actions and techniques to achieve what is desired today. fashion they call “engagement”, which is nothing more than achieving the “fan” effect on the product or service you are marketing.

Why do we talk about engagement in this professional matter?

Because we are making a mistake if the profiles we have in our companies are dedicated to selling services or products. In many of the actions in which I have agreed with business colleagues, I have seen very diverse attitudes, and from my point of view erroneous. Something as simple as handing over the business card at the same time as the first contact with the client, formality or engagement? Our client perfectly sees our sales intentions, we are showing them our most unpleasant letters, which are our production goals.

The 90-10 rule.

I have a very clear rule from the moment I start a business relationship with a client, until I transform it into a “professional-personal” relationship. The 90-10 rule in my conversational content. 90% of the conversation I have with most of my clients is based on banal, cultural and job aspects, the remaining 10% we talk about business.

How to achieve the necessary empathy?

Of course there is no fixed rule to achieve this objective, being empathetic is an exercise that everyone who is dedicated to providing service should practice, and this applies not only to operational and commercial positions, but to management as well. We have to keep in mind that we interact with people, they have senses and perfectly detect any attitude we show, whether they are natural or, on the contrary, forced and sweetened. From my point of view, we all have a line of conversation that we are passionate about, the moment we start a conversation with someone, we perfectly detect their “likes” and “dislikes”, it is something as simple as identifying the line of conversation that excites us. our client and apply the 90-10 rule. This topic really deserves a more professional and detailed development, explaining it in this way portrays the intention of simplifying the definition of a profession that can never lose its sensory, sentimental and human character. And what do you think? Do you apply the 90-10 rules?