Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Mostly Over at WordPress

For my many Blogger Fans who are over here checking me out, I have moved most of my blogging over to WordPess.org. Why? Well it is easier to work and it has STATS that tells me what my fans are reading or not. The Blogger Beta is good, but I like stats and I have not found any here.

So, I will be back over here from time to time, but to catch what I am saying a lot about, hit this link.....

Business Golf WordPress

Mr Business Golf

Scot Duke is President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, LLC and author of How To Play Business Golf. Mr Duke uses his 30 years of business management experience to help business owners and executives develop their business to be more successful and mentor business people on how powerful of a business tool Business Golf can be towards solving many business challenges. More information on Mr Duke and Business Golf can is available at the Innovative Business Golf Solutions web-site. http://innovativebusinessgolf.com http://businessgolf.wordpress.com

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Operations Management: Is What Runs A Business

Walking through the business section of Barnes & Nobles I was not able to count all of the marketing, sales, how to improve your sales, market your business or any of the other books written on marketing and sales.  There just was too many on the shelf.

Now, Operational Management that was easy…there were five.  Now there were probably many more, but none of them had in the title anything that told me that it was about Operational Management or Business Operations Management or anything that spoke out on how to operator a business.

Could it be that those publishers read the books on marketing and sales to find out how to market their book on business operations, which was to say nothing about operations management?  Probably.  But what a mistake they have made.  And is usually the case in every sales oriented business.

There are two things that take place in a business that most owners and managers go about doing that sets the business up for failure.  The first is they want to bring in someone who is strong in sales.  Why, because the business has something they want to sell that nobody wants, or they think a lot of people want , but really they don’t.

You have seen these type of people.  They were the ‘want-a-be-seen” person, a no detail type person that probably was the person in school that when around joining every club or getting involved in every social aspect of society just so people will have to look at them.  You know them the cheerleaders and school mascots, or the Jocks and drama queens.  People who like to be up front but never had to do or complete anything, because there were always someone else who would be forced to clean up their mess or fix what they tried to start. 

So the first problem in business is that they are started by one of these people who feel that they can sell anything just because they are who they are and how they have done this type of business management all of their life and are very comfortable with, which is that Sales comes first at all costs.

Then the second type of person is the ones who are overly educated and have read every word of every book on marketing and the techniques to use to improve on sales…more of the nerd of ‘selling by the book’. 

The key character traits of these two type of business managers is that their training or personality pushes them to thinking that a business CANNOT survive unless it has a powerful sales and marketing organization. 

Now, if you go back and re-read that again, you will notice that not a word in that statement or in the definitions mentioned anything about how or what it was they are selling.  And there is a reason you did not see or read anything about how or what they are selling, and that is these type of sales oriented businesses don’t care.

Their feel is, if you don’t have a strong sales and marketing operations it doesn’t matter what it is you are selling, it is not going to sell, because they are the company or the business, not what they are selling.

I thought for many years that this kind of thinking was just held up in the corporate world or to Used Cars and Yellow Pages sales techniques, but I found out that what was being created in the corporate world was being mimicked by small businesses and taught by business colleges. 

Well, I think you are getting the point, there are way too many business set on a sales platform and not an operations platform.  And what is an Operations Platform?  A business that builds a needed product/service first and continues to improve upon the product and focus on the product and how it is manufactured is an Operations Platform business.

And just like in the description of the sales oriented businesses, in this definition of operations platform type businesses the only mentioned of anything to do with Marketing or Sales was the word “needed”.  But the big difference here is selling a product of a company that is totally focused on quality or on the image or what the product does, make selling it easy.

Of course, if the product was something that nobody wanted or needed then no mater what quality is was made of and how good of sales and marketing you do, it just is not going to sale.  But that is not the case if the business is built around a product/service that is “needed”.

Too many times businesses are started and then perpetuated by thinking they can make it on Sales Only.  How do they do it, well they figure in a high percent of non-returning customers who were sold a low quality product; a high percentage of employees not staying with the business because they get fed up with dealing with mad customers; and a high percentage of vendors not renewing supply contracts due to having to wait to long on payment of their invoices due to cash flow problems.  All of this is what I have tagged as a “disposable” customer, employee and vendor base. All of this is how a sales oriented or sales lead business has to be run to survive.  And most of the time they survive only for a few years.

An operation oriented or business, run by its COO, operations management, goes for quality standards and if they have any, they usually will only have very small percentages of non-returning customers, employees and vendors.  And in most cases has some sort of process in place that determines the reasoning for any negative aspect to their operations.  Selling for this type of business is easy and combined with a strong sales group are unstoppable.

The sales oriented business find the operation platform business a threat and usually try to discredit them by writing more books and going on lecture tours to speak out on what they see as an costly quality standards.

The operational platform business will stand tall to these allegations since it all comes down to what YOU think… do you want something you need or can use that is worth the money you spend, or a firm hand shake, a smile, a pat on the back, a bag full of brochures from a product your don’t need, want or will fall apart before you get it home?

If you want to find out why your business is not improving, look to your operations, bring in a good Chief Operations Officer, or challenge the one you have to run the company like he/she feels need it needs to be run to make it profitable.  Invest into your businesses operations.  You will see your profits will go up from that change.

And, don’t waste your time reading the five books at the books story on operations management…you just read the entire library on all you need to know about operations management…well, almost.  I could write more, but this should get you heading in the right directions.

Let me know how I can help.

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, and Host of the Mr Business Golf podcast, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

Monday, November 06, 2006

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: All Thumbs up

Now when it come to TV there are very few shows worth the time to watch.  Outside of the original series that the Sci-Fi Channel has produced like StarGate I pretty much leave the TV on the weather channel.

Now, when the hype started on the show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip I thought I would take a look since it had Matthew Perry.  I like Matt and his style and now that he is older it is good to see that he can take his style and adapt it to something as intelligent as the Studio 60 show. 

The good news is it is snappy…for the lack of a better word to describe the pace of the dialogue…if it wasn’t for my TiVo, I might be left behind on what was said.  The bad news is it is TOO DARK….I know it is a story of TV studio and it is filmed in a TV studio but does it have to be so dark…dark halls, dark boardrooms and even in rooms where there are windows the room is dark….

But over all, the cast works and the rendition of Corporate America is pretty close to being right on the mark…with the pompous CEO throwing his weight and the producers mocking everything…well it is a show loosely depicting the coverage of SNL…but this one is in LA.  

I really hate the rumors of this show being canceled.  I really enjoy it and it is the only show I take time to watch….  Give it a chance before it is criticize and let good TV shows stay on the air long enough for everyone to get settle in on the show.  I think the best thing would to put the show in a better slot and it will do better….Monday’s are not the best, but it is a good test.  Studio 60 has passed so  NBC, lock this one in and give your viewers something worth watching.

I look forward to this show going on for a while…

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, and Host of the Mr Business Golf podcast, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

 

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Making a Hole-in-One Can Get You Sued

Since I am the tournament director of a Charity Golf Tournament I can tell you, the pressure from the Sponsors can be tough, but this story on the SI.COM site that was an AP report of a player asked by a sponsor to play on his team an go for the prize of $50k for making a hole in hole did it and now the sponsor wants the money because he asked the guy to make the shot.

The story went on to say that the golfer who made the shot wanted to use the money to help start his career as a PGA professional, but the sponsor wanted the funds to go to the charity… 

Mr Business Golf feels that if the Sponsor wanted to support the charity he should pony up the sponsorship money and let the guy who had the skill enough to make the Hole-in-one go for his dream of doing that for a living…or the future PGA members let the sponsor have the money if he sponsored him on the tour…then it would have been a WIN-WIN for both and not hashed out in a courtroom where the charity looks like a bad guy…geesh.  As is, the Judge is not letting the golfer who made the hole in one use it because he felt he should give the money to the guy who invited him to play…so much for the future of sandbagged teams.

Check out the story

Golfer sues over hole-in-one prize

How To Play Business Golf

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, and Host of the Mr Business Golf podcast, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

NEW! Happy Hour with Mr Business Golf

I was out recoding the second show of the Happy Hour with Mr Business Golf… Great show talking with Rex Dixon on Energy Drinks and the MySpace sites that are drawing kids into them to provoke them to use these dangerous caffeine filled mega drinks.

Great show and is new to the Mr Business Golf podcast library.  Check it out

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, and Host of the Mr Business Golf podcast, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

 

 

Friday, October 27, 2006

Professional Workloads: What is causing it?

I have a number of close friends and relatives who are, in what the business community has described as, professionals.  These are Attorneys, Doctors, and CPA’s and the type who usually earn a decent living, but at a tremendous personal costs.

Since I have so many professionals as friends it is really hard to write about this subject without one of them thinking it is them I am writing about.  But the truth is, I am writing about the lot of them and not one individual. 

These professionals seem to take time for granted.  I mean it in the sense that they let other people manager their time.  To clarify, most professionals have clients and the clients pay them for their services and most of the time the services they provide is not part of their mainstream line of work or what they do for a living, so the clients usually feel that since I am paying them for their services they should be at my beckon calling.  Or at least that is what it seems to be.

But, it also could be that the professionals are cowing to letting the clients have their way so they can keep the business.  So, if the client calls at 6PM as if it is normal working hours the professional doesn’t think anything about it since they don’t want the client to thing they are not available for whatever or whenever they are needed.

Now, I am sure he professionals are thinking that this is extending a Professional Service and if not provided it would look badly of the professional.  So they stay up late reviewing stacks of documents and writing endless opinions, reading a library of medical books, so the client has what they need in the morning or things they need in the morning.  And then when morning comes the client has changed his mine or the need for the information that the professional spent the entire night working on is not needed or has changed completely.  Making all of that time wasted as far as anything productive on the professional’s part.  Yes, they did get paid for it, but at what cost? 

Briefly, the costs are to their personal life.  Professionals usually have not personal life because most professionals cannot be depended on to abide by a schedule or at least to a scheduled that coincides with anyone else who is not a professional.  So, outside of the professional arena, most professionals find it hard to associate or become friends with anyone who is not a professional.

The price they pay to their personal time is what I hear a lot about from professionals who want to play more golf and come to me to find out how Business Golf can help them put golf into their business where hours of shuffling papers is usually spent.

Before I could help I had to understand the problem and understand what is causing the problem.  And the problem is usually communications…or the lack of, or the misunderstood from of communications.  What cause the problem is usually related to not having control of the situation.

When a professional secures a contract for their services it is usually for an hourly rate with all kinds of stipulations written in on maximum time frames that stretch out over an extended period time.  The one thing that is never put in or when it is the client wants it taken out, and that is the specific time of day they are available. 

Most clients do not want dealing with the professionals to interfere with their work day.   So the communications on the services to be delivered have to be discussed before or after their work day.  And since most of the business people who are in need of a professional’s services usually are not able to manager their own time, they usually amplify the abuse of their lack of time management onto the professional they are hiring.   Simply put, most business people who do not know how to use time management usually are having business or health problems that a professional needs to help them get fixed.  So, if they are always running late in business, which is probably causing their business problems, they usually are holding up the professional pass their normal work hours.  This makes the work the professional needs to do to get paid left to be done at absurd times of the evening.

I searched for the book I have read to provide the title and author, but I could not find it and my research on the internet did not produce the information I needed, But there is a book out that I read in my freshman year of college on how early humans created over time a normal pattern of time which equated over time to be the time best for them to work to produce their food, hunt for their food and made tools and shelters.  And this time was during the daylight.  Night time was where there was not light to see what needed to be done or hunt or gather crops, so that is when nature built in a natural shutdown of the human body so it could rest.

Over a long period of time science found that the normal human clock provided a human to be its most productive in the daylight hours and triggers a shutdown when the sun goes down.   During this same period of time, the economy sparked a need for people who wanted to make higher monitory gain needed to provide more products and the only way to do that was to work longer hours which was past the human’s body nature clock shutdown.

The battle has been going on for centuries on people working too long hours to produce more so they can get ahead.  And this also has proven that that is when most people make mistakes that cause them to get into real trouble…thus needing a professional to get them out of trouble.

But the professionals have brought most of this on themselves by allowing the clients who hire them to change their scheduled to be the clients schedule and pushing them to work beyond the natural time frame nature has built into each and everyone of, thus resulting in the professionals also making mistakes out of exhaustion.

So, what about the business golf?  Most of the time I find that the problems that are causing professional to think they do not have time for business golf comes from their inability to handoff some of the most menial duties to someone or several people to do instead of them.  The reason is usually based on some lack of trust or need to keep their hands on something. 

In some cases they do need to keep their arms around all information, but even with that, I have found in their business processes where they could have handed off something else not so sensitive to get that out of the way so they could use the time they spent pass normal working hours working on the sensitive items back into a normal timeframe where productive is natural.

In every case, except one, I have reviewed where the professionals say they can’t get out to play golf it is because someone else did not do what they were suppose to do in the timeframe they were suppose to provide it. For example, a  prosecution Attorney’s say they can’t predict when they can play golf because the judges keep moving the court docket on them.  The Judge reports the docket got changed because some prosecution attorney did not get the information on the case filed in a timely manor.  And that prosecution attorney could not get the information due to someone who was gathering the information could not get the information.  With that person who was to gather the information they could not get it because the request came after office hours. 

And this keeps going on to where the causes was from one person, who if they had managed their time and not stayed out late at a club the night before would have gotten up the next day for work in time to not have to rush to work to keep from getting fired for the tenth tardy, resulted in them running a red light to make up some travel time and hit a car injuring a person who was suing for damages. 

So, as you can see in this example of how everything effects everyone, if more people would manage their time, the professionals would be able to manager their time.

But, it is not going to happen over night so until then, professionals need to review their process and see what is causing them to waste time, pass that off to someone else to due, concentrate on the meat of the business, communicate clearly and precisely on what specifically the work day is as a whole and when work for a client will be done and then manage it strictly. 

How would a professional use business golf if they did develop the time to play?  Well, they could broaden their personal life with friends who become the nucleus of a very large network of friends who would network potential clients to these professionals. 

There are many applications to Business Golf, and it is good for Professionals also.

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, and Host of the Mr Business Golf podcast, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Club Corp Sale Update

There still has been no update on what will take place with CCA’s properties after KSL takes over.  So far the only activity at the properties is survey flags popping up along the property lines of the golf courses which mean the sale is proceeding and the surveying companies are making a bundle.

On the course here, it is apparent that there has not been a survey done on this property for probably 50 years since some very large trees and a number of greens and tee boxes sit REAL close to the property lines.

How many of the properties will go on the market or be bulldozed to pay for this deal?  Right now everyone can only guess. Seems this though has most, if not all, property owners on CCA courses handcuffed into knowing if remodeling their homes is worth the investment or if programming their Real Estate Agent’s number into speed dial is a better option.

Again, what is the plan?  There has to be one and the longer the silence the worst the speculation is going to be leading to the greater possibility that members are going to leave or cancel their memberships in speculation that their 50 year old club will be donated to the city and become a Muni….

The feeling is to run and dig deep into your dresser drawer and find you Cup…it could be you will need it.

 

Mr Business Golf

Monday, October 23, 2006

Business Networking and Dating: A Train Wreck Waiting to Happen

The subject of finding effective online business and social networking just does not want to go away.  I am glad it is not since real Business Networking is needed, not business networking that sucks.

There is an online Business/Social/Community/Dating Networking Site, Direct Matches a.k.a., goaddr.com… (No link to this site provided or recommended since I CANNOT endorse it) that really troubles me and about a million other business people.  It promotes dating as part of the business, social and community environment along with outlandish claims of creating 10’s of thousands of contacts in a short time. 

What it also appears to be doing, from the very short time I was inside this site looking around, to be harvesting contact information. 

Take the dating factor first.  As all business people can agree, or at least better agree, finding a date and doing business does not go together.  The courts are filled with sexual harassment lawsuits where one of the parties felt the pressure from one side or the other that some sort of romance was implied as a condition of doing business.  This site promotes dating as part of what it can produce. 

Don’t get me wrong, dating sites are great, if you are just looking for a date and that is it.   But to promote the sites also produces dating is pure deceptive marketing and just a way to get people to join. 

Now, throw in the fact that becoming a member of this show also is not truly free since they REALLY just want your contacts…HUM, where else have I hear that before…isn’t that what MLM’s are looking for.

No, I think this site needs to take heart in what is going to take place within the internet in the near future where deception is not tolerated and the numbers they claim to have gather works against them.

Bottomline: Either be a Dating site or a Business/Social Site, but not both.  Marketing dating as a byproduct of business and social networking truly can only bee seen as a marketing ploy and I would be concerned to be doing business with anyone in a site using this deception.

It seems that these 3rd generation sites are really doing everything they can to drawn in their last gasp of air before the pressure of the 4th generation, Web 2.0 concept business networking sites, moves these type of sites off the internet.

I applaud the University of Arizona for stepping up the process in developing curriculum to help with creating of social and business networking system that clearly work for ecommerce and not for business networking that sucks.

Let me know how I can help.

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, and Host of the Mr Business Golf podcast, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

Sunday, October 22, 2006

4th Generation Online Social Networking Class Now at University of Arizona

4th Generation Online Social Networking Class Now at University of Arizona

 

Can you believe it!  Just a little over a week ago, Rex Dixon and Mr Business Golf predicted that the Web 2.0 would put the pressure on online Social Networking to change in order to survive.

Well, now the University of Arizona is developing curriculum to assist in creating the Online Social Networking Systems to be using in the future… Hopefully the University will contact Rex and myself to get out input since we have been in a ton of the social networking groups that SUCK.

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, and Host of the Mr Business Golf podcast, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

 

 

 

Golf: Doing Its Part for Our Disabled Vets

Great article in WorldGolf.com on the addition of the mobility-impaired golfers players coming into the market.

“Golf could add 400,000 rounds and increase revenues by as much as $60 million by further embracing the disabled golf community according to SoloRider.”

In a related story from CyberGolf.com….

 

“Hidden in the recently signed defense bill are provisions to make golf more accessible to disabled American veterans. Full story at Cybergolf.”

 

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, and Host of the Mr Business Golf podcast, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

Dilbert & Doonesbury: A Glimpse of Reality

If you have been around for a few years, 15 or more, and read the comic section of MOST newspapers, you probably know of Dilbert and Doonesbury.

Most comic strips today take on some social issues as the base of their reason for existing and most do get their message across rather well.

But Dilbert and Doonesbury really are trying to hide what they are trying to tell the world.  They are pretty much like me, in your face with the facts and then step back and let you think about the issue so you can draw your point of view based on their point of view.

And their point of view highlights social issues that are sometimes…..OH, Hell,. I am being too kind…their issues are slaps to the face of the authority or leadership of business who are not taking a logical or direct or something any direction on an issue.

Let me take Doonesbury first since it is more of a political view point.  They bring out a series, so long and some just one strip, on issues that have polarized view points and Garry Trudeau really nails the components of an issue to the wall for all to see.  

You either love Doonesbury or you hate Doonesbury.  Some papers have gone to placing Doonesbury in the Business section or in the Editorial sections since Mr Trudeau sometimes portrays a very far Left point of view to issues that upsets people who are just wanting to read something light in the comic sections and not have to be pursue in their political views…that is OK…jus also long as they have it somewhere and not ban the strip all together.

Now, Dilbert…OH, my friend Dilbert.

Scott Adams does a wonder job of describing how things really work in corporate America.  Thought Scott and I worked for the same company we never met.  I did get the opportunity to go by cubical out in San Ramon, CA where he use to sit hammering at a computer like a ‘Dilbert’ and before he made the big time. 

I can truthfully say that 99% of what Scott writes and tells the story about is TRUE…I guess that is why I read it. Each script is the only thing that brings back the memories of the good old days when I went from meeting to meeting to hear one boss after another wordsmith a presentation on a project I just did so it came out like he did it.  And there was always someone in the many groups I worked in that walked around all day with a coffee mug and did nothing, but made everyone thing he was on a major project that the boss didn’t even know what he was doing.

These two strips really are about the only reason I read the newspaper anymore.  It is a shame that media coverage has gotten so the only way to get a glimpse of reality or to get away from reality is to read comic strips… 

Oh well, there is always the Mr Business Golf Show.

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, host of the Mr Business Golf Show podcast provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Business Golf In China

Yes, I saw the news and my PGA friends have been filling me in on this situation where China is requiring all Law and Business students to learn how to play golf in an effort to prepare them for all of the business deals that take place on the golf course.    I applaud this, but what is it doing to golf?  And what is going to do to business if they are not taught how to play Business Golf?

It could be good if they are taught golf in a human way.  If the Chinese take the approach they take on other things they teach their students I am concerned that the students may make playing golf to political and take all of the fun out of it.

I am also concerned that they may make golf a highly skilled endeavor in their culture and look down on someone who has lower skill level…that would defiantly be the killer to a business deal and for golf as we know how to play it.

If the schools are now allowing the students to adjust to the physical aspects of the golf swing they could be pushing them to develop a bad attitude towards golf which would develop a golf course full of zombies …that would also not be good for golf or business.

I am watching this development in China with great interest because the Chinese are smart business people and they should put forth an effort to learn how to play Business Golf…instead of just plan ol Golf.

 I have not gotten my How to Learn to Speak Chinese book out yet, but just I case I get an email from China wanting Mr Business Golf to come teach them how to play Business Golf I am working on using my chop sticks to eat rice, one piece at a time.

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

Scot Duke

President & Business Golf Mentor

Innovative Business Golf Solutions, LLC.

 ‘My Blog’ http://businessgolf.wordpress.com

www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

Represented by ExpertsThatSpeak.com

For speaking engagements and seminars call 214.227.9916

 

 

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Junior Golf: Grandparents Getting Involved

I spoke in my Podcast this morning on Junior Golf and I mentioned how I have been noticing the Grandparents getting more involved in mentoring their grand kids into learning the game…I applaud this and want to do whatever I can to help make this grow.

Screen Door Open Charity Golf, Inc, a non-profit organization my wife and I founded in 1999 to help raise funds for junior golf programs is starting its 2007 planning and is looking into supporters a program that will provide grandparents an opportunity to learn to play golf along with their grandkids.  I’ll keep you posted on this here on the Business Golf site and there will be more details on all of the activities going on in the world of the Screen Door Open® over on the SDO blog site.

Back to what is taking place with the need to get grandparents involved; who else is qualified, has the patience and motivation to produce some great junior golfers.  Grandparents have two legs up over their children and that is that they have the experience of raising a child that their children do not have and grandparents have learned from their mistakes on what not to do with their kids, or at least should know what to do with their grand kids to motivate them into learning a game for a lifetime

I have said it, the PGA and LPGA have been saying it and the USGA have been nurturing the fact that Golf is a game for a lifetime…and how grand this game is to be the ONLY sport where the grandparents can play right along with their grandkids and create lasting memories for both. 

Join me in supporting this growing effort of grandparents who are making a difference in the lives of their family.  Get involved and let’s get the grandparents together on the golf course with their grandkids and watch the next generation of Junior Golfers grow…

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  Mr Duke is also co-founder and Prsident of Screen Door Open Charity Golf, Inc., a 501c3 tax exempt non-profit organization whose mission is to raise funds for junior golf programs.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS, Screen Door Open® or to purchase the book How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com  and www.screendooropen.org

 

Monday, October 16, 2006

Monday Golf: Usually Not A Good

There is something about playing golf on Monday that just does not seem right.  Is because most barber shops are closed and the chances of getting hooked for a loop with a hair stylist might be a little uncomfortable?  Or is it because most of the good golf courses are closed on Monday?

I think it has to do with the latter…the courses being closed.  I can’t remember the last time I played golf with my barber.

Most charity and corporate functions are held on Monday which makes it when I usually get a call wanting to know if I would fill in for someone who can’t get away from the office.

What that someone missed was a great opportunity to improve his/her business so he/she might not have to be always not being able to get away from the office. 

This is where business golf kicks in…and since I am an expert on Business Golf…I take the opportunity to treat my host with some tips on how to Play Business Golf...in return for letting me play in his group on Monday…

Really, Monday’s are not real good days for Business Golf.  More stuff happen at the first of the week in businesses so they can use the entire workweek to do whatever it is that came up on Monday…so if you are planning on taking a client out for a round of Business Golf and you want to do it on a Monday you had better plan way ahead to secure that date and then you still will have a fifty/fifty chance of the client bailing because they can’t get away from the house… unless you client is your barber…then your bet is good he will make it…

Monday Golf: Usually not a good day…

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

 

Friday, October 13, 2006

Golf Dress Codes: What is the Code?

So what is the rule for dress now for playing golf?  I use to be a collared shirt with the shirt tail tucked in for men and sleeveless shirt with a collar or collarless shirt with sleeves for women was the approved attire to be on the golf course and in the clubhouse…No Tank Tops, no cut offs, no denim what so ever.

What is wrong with that?  It is the rule and everyone in this country is taught that if you don’t follow a rule or if you have a rule infraction there is a penalty that has to be paid.  So what is the penalty and when is it going to be enforced?

Over the past five years I have seen a HUGE (or double XL as I have heard it described by the generation making the dress code infractions) decline in the enforcement of the above dress code polices which are at most golf facilities.  Espically at the private country clubs.  So why are the rules not enforced?

I ask these questions and so do the majority of Business Golfers.  If you have been checking out my Podcasts, The Mr Business Golf Show, over on ClickCaster, then you have heard my point of view on this subject.  But I still ask, is this the way people are to dress on the golf course in the future? Let’s hope not.

When using golf as a business tool there is a certain level of expectation that a professional environment is where the business golf is going to be played and is needed to accomplish your goal.  If the room you are visiting with a client or employees after a round of Business Golf is full of men and women dressed like they were at a Pearl Jam Fan Club meeting, how does that reflect on you professionally.

Well, if your client was Pearl Jam it would be pretty cool, but lets say it is not…which is probably the case.

I can tell ya, it is not going to look very good that you picked a place to conduct business where there is no respect for the dress code policy.  This is going to rub off on you in how your clients or customers or employees are going to think of you.  If there is a less than causal atmosphere where you are playing Business Golf, then you are not going to get close to accomplishing your goal which now places you as just taking a client out for a round of golf instead of playing Business Golf.

From what I can tell there are two things causing this problem.  First, the facility being held hostage by the members who say “if you want my membership dollar you are going to have to play by my rule and I will dress like I want to dress”, and secondly, the club’s management turning their heads because they do not want to take a hit on their club’s revenue by possibly losing a dues paying member.

So again I ask these clubs who are not enforcing their rules, is this the way people are going to dress to play golf in the future?   

Because if this is the case, which I know it is at least at my club, maybe they need to rethink this for a moment.  Weighing the different levels of revenue that is generated from membership dues, which is usually calculated with a standard 30% profit ratio, against the revenue generated from the food and beverage the business golfers members spend on top of the membership dues at the facility which is calculated at about 100% to 130% profit ratio, is a significant risk to take.

Now, I am not a CPA, but I am my CFO, and I can see that if I was managing a private country club with members not abiding and respecting the dress code rule that I would probably feel it worth hiring an entire staff to do nothing but enforce the rule to please the business members of the club.  This might be a good investment, because if those business members take their membership and business to another club that club who feels it needs to turn its head to enforcing a clear rule is subject to losing far more revenue than they would from losing a few members who just pay dues and smokes a cigar at the club a few times a month…

So, wouldn’t you think that there would be some common scene demonstrated on this issue and make the rule apply to all?  Let’s hope that the change back to enforcing dress codes at private country clubs is coming back, if for nothing else for the sake of the future of golf.

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

 

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Rudeness: Is It Genetic?!

Now that I have the time, I take the opportunity to watch people as they are doing stuff that should be normal...like going into a restaurant to eat or to meet with someone or both.

This evening, I was out by my self eating at my favorite sushi café and got there before the crowd so I could watch people.  It is fun, but yet sad, how some people feel they are more important that others and see no problem with not respecting authority.  And there were a couple of these fools at the café I was at.

The first one came in with his backpack slung over his shoulder looking like he just got of the plane form Seattle, and proceeded to walk right by the hostess and head to one of the only remaining booths left in the place…

The waitress seemed to be a little up set, who knows because she was speaking Japanese under her breath, but she was gathering up the menus and accessories to seat the couple this small person just pushed by to get to the booth.  The couple, being a bigger person than him literally, took a table next to the sushi bar far way from where this idiot was sitting.

What this guy did had caught the owner of the place attention, but before he could get over to the booth in comes the second gift to society with a Bluetooth earpiece on proudly looking like a Borg from Star Trek..  He too had an even bigger backpack over his shoulder and he bee lined it to the booth.

Well the owner, a good friend of mind, did what a very good manager would do and asked them if there was a problem with them checking in with the Hostess?

Well, there was, because #1 macho man felt since they were going to drop a lot of cash on some sake and sushi he need not bother waiting on her since she looked business.  Macho man #2 asked what the bid deal was, saying “we were hear first”…and they wanted to make a big scene. 

Well, my friend, and there is a good reason he is a friend, because he knows how to take care of the people who disrespect him and his people, he waved off all waiters and waitresses with a little signal he told me he does when he gets people (or out-of-towners as he calls them) who feel that their money talks louder that their respect.

So, the owner sits with me and he said “watch this show” and he ordered me another beer.

Over the next 10 minutes one by one each waiter and waitress when by and started taking one item off the table.  First it was the sugar tray and then the happy hour plaque and then the candle and the finally the flower… these guys were too busy talking on the cellphones and looking at their laptops and palm pilot to know that they were being set up for NOT GETTING ANY SERVICE that evening.

Well it was about 20 minutes before one of the guys tapped a waiter walking by (who tried to dodge the tap like playing dodge ball) to get some drinks.   His reply was, “I’ll send someone over to you to get that for you.”

10 ore minutes and these guys were heated and talking real loud.  The line wsa growing outside to get into the place and the place was packed.

About that time the owner got out his cellphone and made a phone call in Japanese (I have got to learn that language) and out from the kitchen comes Oggy…I have never seen this guy before, he looked like a sumo wrestler that got off his diet.   At that time the owner got up from my booth and said “It’s show time”.

The owner went over to the table and asked if there was a problem.  The macho guys started getting louder and louder on how crummy the service was and they were there to order a lot of food and drink and nobody seems to care.  The owner said they were “correct, because if they are not caring enough to stop and show respect to his wait staff and let them seat them where there they could service, then they are not caring if they get any service.” 

Well this pissed them off and they started the wrong thing to do and that was threatening the owner.  And my friend stood his ground and said ‘Gentlemen I am going to have to ask you to leave.”

Now, this really got tense and Oggy started getting a little restless and was positioning himself to take them out one under each arm, but the macho due packed it up and they were off, talking loud and yelling…and just before they got to the door a huge gong went off and the wait staff all come rushing out applauding the owner and then everyone in the restaurant stood up and gave him a standing ovation…  Oh if you could see the dynamic due’s face…

But this is what is going to have to take place more often all around the world to bring respect for one anther back to our culture….

I am sure you can agree….   OH. And  the sushi dinner tasted better than ever…

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Business Golf: A Change May Be In Order for ClubCorp Members

The BIG news online this morning and in the newspapers around the world, is the sell of ClubCorp to KSL Capital Partners.  There are a lot of questions KSL will need to answer quickly to keep the CCA membership from fleeing. 

The concern is, How will this effect Business Golf?  Right now, it is too early to tell, but can we trust there will not be a change?

Yes, I also am concerned.   Being a member of ClubCorp’s Brookhaven Country Club here in Dallas for nearly 11 years and one of their Signature Gold members for just as long, I have had the privilege of seeing a number of the other clubs owned by CCA. 

But can CCA members trust that this deal is going to make any improvement?  We can only hope. 

It seems my club, Brookhaven Country Club, has gotten the short end of the stick as far as any recent improvements being made to the facility to bring the clubhouse and golf shop at least into the 70’s…  After seeing the other facilities and speaking with their management it seems most of the other all got their facilities enhanced in the last three years while the flagship of CCA, Brookhaven Country Club, has received little if any improvement. 

This seems a shame, and a little disrespectful to the BCC membership, since BCC will be celebrating its 50th year next year when all of the other facilities are spending tons of money redoing golf courses, updating clubhouses and popshops.   And BBC is getting nothing.   Brookhaven County Club is where ClubCorp started and is where Mr. Robert Deadman Jr, grew-up.  Making it a travesty that he did not see the need to respect the flagship of the CCA endeavor by reward it’s members with a new facility.  Guess Bob, Jr.,  forgot how good of salespeople the members of BCC are for CCA.

Yes, BCC had a cart path or two partially repaired and the new Superintendent was god sent and has done with nothing to get the three golf courses into absolutely suburb shape.  But, as far as the clubhouse, pro-shop and dining area…well as one of my clients told me while I was trying to get him to join, ‘When will Donna Reed arrive?”…that describes the décor and the age of this facility…BCC has lost its classiness.

 The BCC members have been told for the past three years that change and improvements to the club’s facilities are coming which now is obvious was to divert their attention from the sale to KSL. The change and improvements mentioned included one of the golf courses being brought up to the standard of the other facilities owned by CCA.  And in the past year a rumor of the Clubhouse being bulldozed and replaced with a new design really got the heartbeat of the baby boomer membership racing…  But, none of that happened and after the announcement of the sale no explanation to the general membership, the average members or the people like me who are out promoting Business Golf to be played at Country Clubs, has been provided.

So what it looks like is all these plans seemingly got canned due to Mr Deadman’s wanting to get rid of his father’s empire.  As a result, senior members started scurrying out of the club by the droves and in came the new younger members who were given hopes that they could get in now and raise their kids in an updated facility. 

Well, now the entire golfing memberships here at Brookhaven and at all CCA facilities around the world, are asking, what will KSL do?  KSL admittedly has no experience in Private Clubs and from all indications have bought CCA to cut their teeth on getting that experience. 

But at whose costs?  It doesn’t take an MBA to know that the dues paying members of CCA are holding up the majority of the $1.4 Billion annual Gross revenue of CCA.

The article in The Dallas Morning News ClubCorp sells golf resorts provided Tim Wyman, a specialist in golf, hospitality and real estate consulting in the Dallas office of PKF Consulting, said the purchase was a good value for ClubCorp, but that it remains to be seen whether KSL has the expertise to run private golf clubs. "I'm not sure if KSL knows the private club business," he said.

Mr. Wyman said the purchase also is representative of a consolidation trend within the industry.

"The big guys are acquiring – that's definitely the case," he said. "There are a lot of institutional investors that are starting to view golf as a good investment again, which hadn't been the case for a few years."

But is the current management of the CCA Private Clubs up to the task and will they be able to accept change?  Will the needs of the average members of the clubs be finally recognized and will KSL improve the ‘club vs members’ relationships or leave them alone. 

There probably is some need for new and fresh management to be brought into the private clubs.  Or at least in the cases I am most familiar with, a big need bring the club management into modern age.   A change to a Management that treats women as equals and puts the needs of the Club and Members of the club first before their personal agenda of enhancing their own revenue horizons. 

Golfweek Online Magazine article, ClubCorp to sell portfolio to KSL  provided the public the first statement from KSL that may indicate the first problem the CCA members will deal with.

"ClubCorp provides a significant platform for our entry into the membership side of the leisure business," said Michael S. Shannon, KSL Capital Partners' managing director, in a statement. "We have been impressed with the management team, and we believe the investment by our firm will add value."

I am sure there is much more to come on this situation in today’s online feeds and in other articles that are going to be written today and for the next several months.  The members of CCA can only hold their breath and see how KSL will handle this situation and hopefully for the better… 

My advice to KSL is to make that statement now so the members of CCA can get out and sell this deal to the public for them, or start finding another club to be a member of…

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

CCA Finalizes Sale: Where does this put the members?

The long awaited announce has now been made on who was purchasing Club Corp of America (CCA) and it’s 170 Country Club and Resort properties.

Now that is out of the way, how will the existing members be adopted into the KSL rim of management style and what properties are going to get the over due capital investments to rebuild the aging empire of Country Club Clubhouses and Golf Courses?  Quick action should be taken to quite the over 200,000 dues paying members who have been waiting more than 6 years to get improvements made to their clubs.

Details in attached link.

ClubCorp Announces Sale to KSL Capital Partners and Dedman Family

KSL Capital’s Story

KSL Capital Partners Announces Agreement to Acquire ClubCorp

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Business Fashion: Wearing a Tie is COMING BACK!

There is something to say about someone who thinks enough of themselves to look professional.  Several months ago I wrote on how the Causal Friday is dead and it seems now that wearing looking professional and wearing a tie to work is now coming back BIG TIME.

Now there is some considerations to take when looking professional.  Lets take wearing a tie.  There is no art to it and the color and design is what makes wearing one the best part…it outlines your personal style.  Now tying a tie is another story.

There is an entire generation out there who never learned to tie a tie.  My three year old grandson wore his first tie this past weekend and he loved it.  If he loves it, then you whiny 30 year olds who still think wearing Abercrombie stuff to work is professional looking, you need to get ahead of the three year olds or…you may be asked to follow a big guy named Vinny to the door soon…so get with it and look like you care about yourself…get a tie and some real slacks…I think you will see it helps you keep a job…

Now, to keep me from reinventing the wheel, here is a link of a well written article that actually shows you visually and in analog (in writing) on how to tie the different knots for a tie.

How To Tie The Perfect Knot.

If you looked further into this link it pretty much shows you everything about business fashion, so I would bookmark it if I was you….

Have a great day and let me know how I can help..

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Why Most Network Groups Suck!

Yes, that is right, most of the business networking groups that you see at every restaurant, hotel meeting room or banquet room at the country club Suck.

But why?  Is it because there is a huge desperation for small business people to find a lot of customers quickly?  Is it because there are some business people who thrive being the center of attention in everything they do, personal and professionally?  Is it because many people have been using them and don’t know that there is anything else and they are caught up in the image thing that if I leave the group I will be looked upon as being untrustworthy?

All of the answer to these questions is YES!.

Now, if it sounds like I am being a little harsh, well thank you, because there are a lot of people out there who are starting up Networking Groups just to see how many people they can get into a room who need some tough talk from someone. So It might as well be me.

Yes, the notion with most groups is if this room will not hold us, then we will get a bigger room.  A large crowd is the motivation of a number of groups.  And what do you get out of being in a room with a lot of people?  A lot of business cards is right, but do you get a lot of business?  NO!  Why?  Because there are a lot of people in the room, DUH!.

So what would be a good way to network your business needs?  Well there are a few and none of them consist of filling a ballroom with people.  Has anyone ever thought of keeping the groups to less than 30?  I know some have because I have been to a few, but why can’t that be the norm?

I know that those business people who live off making as many leads as you can hate these groups because usually there is already one of them in the group, but true business networking is not the number of connections you make a day it is the quality of the connections you make over time.  And if all you are doing is passing and picking up business cards then the large groups will get that done for you, but no make any quality connections.  Because everyone is too busy handing out business cards.

The best business deals come from meeting people who like you as a person first…not your business card.  The sale is made from what you say and how you say it, and are not based from how good of a logo you have designed or what you put on your business card.

So, think twice when you are asked to join someone at a Business Networking group and they tell you to bring a box of business cards because you will need them.  If you need that many business cards at one gathering then you can pretty well bet you are going to be attending a business networking group that sucks.

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Golf Equipment: Knock-offs Don't Cut It!

People ask me if I just talk about business or do I ever have anything to say about golf?

Well, yes, when someone asks me something about golf I am like every other golfer, I have an opinion.  Now I am not a Professional Golfer so I am not going to tell you how to get rid of that slice, but if you want to talk about equipment and courses or other related items related to golf, I am your man.

Let me take on the issue of golf clubs one more time.  Bottomline: Go for Quality…  What is quality? Well, let me tell you what it is not.  Knock-off clubs.  Every time I see someone playing with a set of Lincolns, the knock off of Callaway’s, iron it reminds me of the Hertz Rental Car commercial when the boss asked his assistance what car he rented, ‘Is it a Hertz?’ and his replay is ‘Not Exactly’.  Well that is what a knock-off is, a golf club that is ‘Not Exactly’ made just like the major manufactures design…and that makes them hit ‘Not Exactly’ like the major manufacturer golf club.

There is a mental factor too consider when using a knock-offs that I think most golfers don’t consider and just go for lower costs when deciding on getting a set.  When I ask someone why they went with the knock-off the reply is usually related to being a cheap-skate and explain the purchase with a remark on not being able to play much golf so I don’t want to invest too much into something I don’t get to play very often. 

And then the first time they need to hit a shot a specific distance they say to themselves, ‘I wonder if I had been swinging the real manufacturer’s model if that would have gotten over that ravine?’   Sometime they say it out loud too.  That mental edge is what causes them to not enjoy the game as much as they probably would if they did not have that little bit of self doubt in their equipment.  And this is causing so many business people to quit playing the game because they refuse to invest in golf like they would for their business.

Now, playing a set of knock-offs until you get your swing down or for the first three months is a good Plan B, but starting off with a good set of Used Original Manufacturers would serve you better in getting you to feel the balance of a good manufactured golf club that is not always the case with knock-offs.

Give yourself a chance to get a good start at the game and go for a set of quality golf clubs from the very beginning.

So for my business friends,,,

And for the guys and gals who don’t want to invest in quality because they don’t get a chance of playing much, well, all I have to say is, Have you hear of Business Golf?  Business Golf will get you out more to play golf and will help your business at the same time…  Don’t discount Business Golf the way you do your golf equipment or you will get about the same out of your business as you are getting out of your golf… which is nothing.   Think quality and both your game and your business will do well.

 

Scot Duke,  President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool.  To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit  www.innovativebusinessgolf.com

 

 

Monday, October 02, 2006

Business Golf: Young Execs Raising Kids


I really enjoy talking to the next generation of junior execs and young business owners. I like their energy and their willingness to listen to experience instead of the lessons they learned while getting their MBA’s. I am very encouraged with most of them knowing that there is a bumpy road they will travel and the name of that road is ‘Raising Children’.

Yes, the number one problem amongst the next generation is the seemingly life stopping event called ‘raising a child or children’. And is one of the big reasons why Business Golf is such a great opportunity for those young men and women who are finding it hard to hit the links after work or on weekends when they need to take care of their kids.

My mission is to help business people find ways to benefit their business while enjoying their family life. And I espically want to help those young execs who feel they need to, or that their bosses require them to work 60 hours a week.

There are a large number of reasons I could go into that explains why people feel they need to work 60 to 80 hours a week…all of which are part of there being some bad management along the line, but I want go into that now.

What I want to go into is how junior execs can help their company, no matter what position they are assigned, by playing business golf during the week which frees up the time to take the kids to soccer or piano lessons after work.

The actual method of How To Play Business Golf is outlined in my book, but the bottomline is, each business should allocate the resources and make plans accordingly in their business plan for each employee to be a salesperson for that company…no mater their position. Yes, even the receptionist or the shipping and receiving departments should be included in helping the business secure its customer base. The best way to do that is to play business golf.

No, this is not a fantasy on my part. If you don’t believe that is possible then the fantasy is on your part, because it works and works in a big way. OF course, if you don’t want it to work it want, but it is not golf that is causing it not to work, it is just the decision to not use golf is what is causing Business Golf to not work.

Now, back to those youngsters and them raising their kids…It is tough with all that kids get involved with now days and all of what the school organize for a number of reasons, one of which I agree with and that is to help kids get ready for life. I support parents and hope that one of the activities they will get their kids involved with is golf. It definitely will help them in their life as well as their careers.

Parents want to and should be a part of the raising of their children and most parents make tremendous scarifies to making sure their kids get to do everything they are interested in doing while they are young. But what about the parents. There is so much they are not getting to do because the kids have to be ferried around after school and on the weekends.

When would a parent get time to play golf? Well there is a lot of time during the week where playing golf can do their business good. There are a large number of solutions available to anyone who REALLY wants to make it happen. Even non-golfers who need to take a break can benefit from these business golf solutions.

The bottomline: Business Golf is a healthy way to release stress and tap into the large market of business decision makers who play golf….

Learn How To Play Business Golf and experience how golf can improve your business. If you want to know more on what solutions golf can provide your business contact Innovative Business Golf Solutions…you will be surprised what options you have available.

Scot Duke, President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, provides over 31 years of corporate management experience to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies. As author of: How To Play Business Golf, Mr. Duke outlines the steps to sucessfully using golf as a business tool. To learn more about Mr. Duke, IBGS or to purchase How To Play Business Golf visit http://innovativebusinessgolf.com