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Tags:business networkingHow to persuade people that golf is the ideal sport for business networking?
Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at
03:13 pm
Think about it….you’re in a confined space (golf cart) with a person for 4-6 hours….if you can’t network yourself in that time….you’re doing something wrong!
Well go to the PGA Tour website and read off the tournaments. Notice all of the corporate sponsors. Fed Ex Cup. Talk to a business professor. I’m sure they can inform you on how business is conducted on the golf course. Talk about golf scrambles and how they are good fund raisers. Look at all the commercials on TV by the PGA Tour where people are at work and are trying to get out of work to go play golf. Hope this helps.
In the right setting, a golf course can make the perfect location to conduct business. Done the right way, you would have a meal planned in your day at some point, probably dinner. You spend the first 4:30 hours of your day with a prospect just having a good time and gaining repoire with them. Dinner at the course is where you make your deals. Being a professional on the golf course can make your deal. The way that you behave yourself after you just lipped out a 4 foot putt for example. Do you toss your club as if you were with your buddies or do you just give an "Oh well, I dont plan on turning pro anytime soon anyways." Always conduct yourself in a manner that is acceptable to everyone. Imagine that your mom was on the course with you.
Versus a basketball, hockey, baseball game? All too loud and too much action.
Good luck
An interesting thing about "corporate golf"
Few, if any deals are actually made or discussed on the golf course. A round of golf will allow you and your partners to evaluate each other in a non corporate, but competitive setting. You should easily be able to decide IF you WANT to potentially work/network with the rest of your foursome.
You will see how a person acts under pressure (first tee, crappy lie, six foot straight put for eagle, etc.) you will see how they deal with adversity (did they go ballistic, blame their club, the sun, a bird’s song?) How they deal with winning, losing, their level of respect for the rules – did they improperly improve their ball’s lie, etc. How do they treat the course staff? The cart gal? In short, you will see them as a person.
Now THAT is what four or five hours on the course will do. And speaking of five hours, you will also see how patient they are.
Challenge your organization to come up with a better method.