Some people scoff at the idea of golf as a legitimate networking tool. 

"Just an excuse to play," they'll say.  "Just a way to get the company to pay for your golf," they'll say.

But it most certainly can be done.  In fact, I believe I just saw a company make many, many thousands of dollars on the golf course today.  How's that for return on investment?

What follows are some tips to make sure you convert golf outings into leads and revenue.  (A more complete piece, perhaps with an infographic, will follow as soon as time permits.)

1. It's about mindset.  If you go to a charity or community outing committed to starting, renewing or reinforcing business relationships, you will.  It will infuse your conversations.  You won't even have to think that much about it.

2. To go along with your mindset, go armed with business cards.  Keep some in your bag at all times.  I have gained new business on the golf course on multiple occasions, and it always helps to put your card in someone's hands.

3. Target. What past or present contacts do you need to see? Who do you need to be introduced to? ROI is how you can justify golf (and more golf and more golf), so make sure you get something out of each event. A big part of that is determining what you want to accomplish. Golf can be a great ice breaker with new acquaintances but only if you seek them out.

4. Give. Just like your interactions on social media (for business purposes), be a giver first. Don't be a taker, looking for what's good for you as your main goal. Don't be selling and promoting and hustling. People went to the event expecting to network but not to feel sold. Just make contact, have a brief two-way conversation, and agree to talk further later.

5. Follow up.  Don't expect the card and the short conversation to do all the work.  This is a start, not a finish -- unless they signed agreements and cut you a check right there on the tee box.  Don't wait for the other party to follow up with you; be proactive and lead the conversation.

I was playing with a couple bankers today.  First I made sure they met a hospital CEO, with whom they gained agreement to meet for lunch to discuss new construction loans that they never would have known about otherwise.  At the turn, one of them chatted up the snack shop worker who had plenty of gripes about their credit card machine and agreed to check out a proposal for switching that service to them (which happens to be one of their specialties).

Was this just a day on the links for that bank?  No, it was a very profitable day of networking that only golf could provide.  Tee it high and watch sales fly!

Labels: bank, branding, credit union, customer centered, customers, differentiation, employees, management, marketing, messaging, planning, salesmanship, strategy