FEATURED: Delivering CLUB and Filling The Big Empty – by Gregg Patterson
Times are hard. Covid lingers. Inflation’s back. The future’s a mystery. People are lost, confused, feeling unwanted. Empty.
Good times for clubs that deliver CLUB.
Huh???
People are born Empty, alone in the world, crying for nourishment. Needing hardware—the milk. Needing software—the hug. Wanting to fill—The Big Empty.
People want to fill The Big Empty with stuff—“hardware.” Food. Booze. A golf course, tennis court, gym. They want “stuff” and stuff is an important part of The Big Empty.
But “stuff” isn’t enough.
People want to fill The Big Empty with software—“non-stuff” stuff that fills an emotional void. The smile. The hello. The handshake. The high five. The slap on the back. The wave goodbye. They want “non-stuff” to go with their “stuff” and in hard times “non-stuff” is a huge part of The Big Empty.
Lots of businesses do “stuff.” Hotels, restaurants, fast food joints, day use golf courses—they all do “stuff” and lots do it really well. Hire the right architect, interior designer, gym specialist and good “stuff” will appear. But “stuff” isn’t enough. The Big Empty is only half full—and clubs know it.
Clubs compete best when they emphasize the “non-stuff” side of The Big Empty equation. Equal their “hardware”, beat ‘em with “Software.” People contact. Relationships. Community. The love. The emotional “non-stuff” that makes the chairs and the carpeting and the furniture and the golf course and the pro shop and the locker rooms memorable, unique and special.
Software matters.
Here’s why.
The Big Wants
People have powerful emotional “wants” that are simple and unchanging, applicable whether in Miami, New York or Scottsdale. These “needs of the spirit” are the starting point for filling The Big Empty with software and “whupping” the “stuff guys” with their new spas, new irrigation systems and new tablecloths.
CLUB people know……….
People are born wanting dignity. They need to feel that they are special, worthwhile, important. “I am Me and Me is good. Take note!”
People are born wanting status. They want to feel that they’re “someone” in a world where there are lots of “someones.”
People are born wanting relationships. They want to be connected to others, to a tribe, a family, a group. “These are my friends, my bro, my buds!”
People are born wanting community. They want to commune with people who share their values and live the values they share. “This is my church, these are my teammates, these are my co-workers!”
People are born wanting to feel the joy. They want to be surrounded by others who are powerfully positive, who give them The Buzz and who make them laugh and smile whenever they’re about. “Just being near The Wild Man makes me laugh!”
People are born wanting to feel the love. They want to experience an emotional connection with people who care deeply for them passionately and openly. They want to be embraced when they arrive at the club with a blanket of warmth and emotion. “I can tell they really, really like me—in spite of the wheelchair, the oxygen bottle and my old age!”
People are born wanting to be touched. They want to affirm their connection with others with a gesture, a look, a handshake or with a scribbled note, hand written and illegible. “I can’t read his writing but there’s no mistaking that The Wild Man wrote it!”
These Software needs are universal, part of The Human Condition, common to everyone everywhere—to golfers, diners, gym rats, to old geekers and to children. Useful to know when filling The Big Empty.
The time is right to fill—The Big Empty.
Principles of “Fill”
Everyone wants to fill the Big Empty with software. CLUB people know how.
CLUB people emphasize hospitality service—“stuff” delivered with a relationship. A door opened with a smile and a name.
CLUB people deliver “stuff” with E.I.I.P.—empathy, inspiration, information and personality. Club people feel your pain, give you “the buzz”, know how to cut through the red tape when issues arise, and deliver what they promise with a warmth found nowhere else.
CLUB people live Service Ethics—they deliver happiness; they provide dignity; they anticipate needs before those who need it know it; they make sure the details are attended to; they deliver the Stuff that’s needed when it’s needed; they make sure they’re a presence, focused on the member, when delivering the Stuff; and they see shortcomings in the Stuff and Non-Stuff and do something about it.
CLUB people understand The Touch—how to “touch” people with a word, a gesture, a note or a symbolic something. They high five the kids, hug the Mammas, arm wrestle the Pappas and send hand written birthday cards to the kids.
CLUB people deliver Stuff differently than the Hardware Guys. They know that “how” it’s delivered—matters.
Cause they’re filling The Big Empty.
And clubs that deliver CLUB do it best.
But “why” isn’t enough.’
Time now for “how.”
Fill Tactics
Filling The Big Empty requires tools and tactics.
Developing “Fill Tactics” is the fun part of the “software cycle.” Get a facilitator—the marketing director, the general manager, someone who understands hardware and software, someone who has “facilitator” in their genes.
Gather people together—the service manager, the G.M., the locker room supervisor, the golf pro, the starter, the security chief, the chef, the front desk manager, the Controller—serve them some caffeine and let their creativity flow. Throw The Big Wants out for discussion.
Do some “experience mapping” to determine where and when CLUB opportunities arise. Talk lots. Ask questions. Toss around ideas. Take notes on a flip chart. Reflect on needs, wants and expectations. Discuss “the software holes” that the hardware guys missed. Facilitate the conversation. Think free. Let everyone know that “everything goes.” Laugh, talk about members, give anecdotes, reflect on service encounters at McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, the Ritz Carlton and a competitor’s club. Reject nothing. Listen to everything. Ponder.
What member segments are we dealing with? Kids? Mammas? Twenty-somethings? Empty nesters? Grandmas?
How do we welcome people when they arrive wanting The Stuff? The wave by Mr. Security when they enter the lot? The door opened by Mr. I.M. Painting Now as Mrs. GiveMeMore arrives?
How do we show people appreciation after consuming The Stuff? Does the service team wave goodbye, shout “see you soon” and say “thanks for coming” to members as they exit the dining room? Does the front desk attendant wave goodbye, shout “see you soon” and say “thanks for coming” to members who leave? Do new members get a hand written note from the Chef saying “thanks for coming” and “here’s a freebie Chef’s Special Dessert” card?
How do we make those who are consuming The Stuff experience CLUB before they arrive, when they arrive, while they’re here, when they exit, and after they’ve gone?
How can we deliver The Touch—verbal, visual, written, physical—to The Consumers of Stuff?
Endless questions. Thousands of good answers. Unlimited opportunities.
Fun stuff in tough times!!!
Time to Fill
People are needy when things are jumbled, uncertain and scary. The needy want hardware and software to fill The Big Empty.
Clubs that do CLUB love The Big Empty. Empty is opportunity.
Let the “stuff people” invest in the hardware. Let the “CLUB people” master the software. Blend the two together and people become friends, friends become community and clubhouse becomes CLUB.
And CLUB is very, very good in hard times like these.
Pour the wine. Deliver the food. Give the hug. Feel the love.
And enjoy the journey—————–
