Socializing has long been known to be a successful way to attract new clients and cultivate business relationships. In the past, people used cigars and martini lunches as their tools. The most important schmoozing skill today is golf, to the point where many executive positions are won solely on the basis of golf ability. In fact, a business career may suffer if you don’t play golf. Due to golfing colleagues being promoted above them, many non-golfers are experiencing professional stagnation.
Women are using 18-hole business strategies as well, aiming to break into the old-boys’ network. Women are enrolling in classes and joining clubs in an effort to address the historical networking imbalances that were predominately influenced by men. Golf and business industry experts advise women to go so far as to hang golf-related pictures in their workspaces as a way to advertise their interest in the sport. Another well-known sign of interest in golf is bringing a putter and some balls to work.
Bill Storer, an expert on mixing golf and business, recommends that in order to increase your chances of success, you classify clients in one of four personality categories:
· Realtors – team players who value relationships
· Socialisers – emotional people who love an audience
· Thinkers – organised and detailed
· Directors – decisive, goal orientated, and stylish
You can modify your tactics to fit your client’s personality once you’ve determined what type they are.
Learning proper golf etiquette is essential for the golf schmooze. Talk quietly when someone is about to make a shot, avoid walking in the way of a putt, and always show respect for the course. This implies that you swap out divots and rake bunkers as needed. Your actions following a poor shot or a string of poor shots are equally important. Your client isn’t going to have a very positive impression of you if you lose your temper and start swinging your clubs around. Disregarding these procedures gives off an air of arrogance and carelessness. The client will, at best, no longer respect you. You may, at worst, cost your business a valuable contract.
Jumping right into business conversation and trying to get into the nitty gritty of a deal is regarded as bad manners. While some clients prefer to keep it strictly social, others don’t mind conducting business while on the course. Bill advises delaying business conversation until the fifth hole and refraining from further discussion after the fifteenth. This provides you and your client with enough time to get comfortable with your games and focus on your closing strategy. It’s critical to keep in mind that the goal is to strengthen your relationship with the client. You should take every step possible to get to know your client better on a personal level in order to accomplish this. A secondary concern is getting the deal done.
The big question is, do you play to win or do you play to let your client win? Possibly, depending on your client’s personality and how important winning at all costs is to them. In general, you should try to play at the top of your game. You run the risk of making your client feel humiliated and insulted if it is clear that you are losing on purpose. To embarrass them in the other direction with a loud drubbing, however, would be pointless.
Going out for a round of golf with potential business contacts seems to be a networking strategy with almost certain success. It helps level the playing field for promotions because it is a resource that both men and women can abuse. While it’s considered bad form to play the sycophant and lose on purpose, it’s perhaps wise to remember the old saying, “I’ll show you a person who is playing with his boss if you show me a good loser.”
Recommended sites:
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/02_46/b3808623.htm
[http://www.businessgolfstrategies.com/HTML/reprint.htm]
[http://jscms.jrn.columbia.edu/cns/2005-11-01/torney-golf]