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Judy
Anderson "Business Coach" will
be here exclusively every month to share with you
on "How to use Golf to gain a
Competitive Edge in Business".
"IMPROVE YOUR
GAME & YOUR BUSINESS!"
DECEMBER, 2000
Reading
People on the Golf Course
The one
question I'm asked more than any other is when is
it appropriate to talk business on the golf
course. Unfortunately, there's no easy answer.
You can lose by talking business too soon. But
opportunities are also lost by not reading the
clues and failing to talk business when the
client is receptive to it. So you'll want to know
how to read people on the golf course before you
head out to play with a prospect, client, or the
boss.
The first
thing to determine is how serious the person is
about the game of golf itself. Hyatt Hotels and
Resorts did a study on Golf and the Business
Executive and found there are four basic profiles
or archetypes among business golfers. Knowing
these archetypes and the clues to look for to
identify them can really help you decide when and
if to talk business.
Gunslingers
...are risk takers, often not very organized, and
consider themselves "careless golfers."
They look for any edge they can get and often
will have special equipment, such as large head
clubs, to give them an edge. They enjoy gambling,
both on the outcome of the game and with their
shots. This is also the type of golfer who is
most likely to cheat. About 12% of the executives
surveyed in the Hyatt study were Gunslingers; 87%
were male.
Non-Competitors
...think golf is fun. They play to relax, prefer
less challenging courses and use traditional
equipment. They are calm golfers who avoid risky
shots and physical exertion. These players
display very little anger on the course because
they're not hooked into the challenge and believe
golf is "just a game." Non-Competitors
are less likely to track their handicap than the
other groups. Although 32% of the executives were
in this category, the majority of women were
Non-Competitors.
Escapists
...are very competitive golfers who play to
win and often lose their temper on the course.
They love the game; playing golf on vacation is
more important to them than to any other group.
They are very organized and the most likely to
take lessons from a pro. They prefer to focus on
the game and would rather not talk business.
Escapists accounted for 12% of the sample.
Power
Players
...strongly associate golf with business, look
for a challenge in both, and expect to talk
business on the course. They prefer to play under
difficult conditions and also believe gambling
makes the game more enjoyable and makes them play
better. Almost half of the males in the study
were in this group. The women with the lowest
handicaps and the highest incomes were Power
Players.
A basic
understanding of the archetypes will help you
determine someone's attitude toward golf. It will
also help you decide how to approach the game and
what your business golf strategy should be, based
on who you're playing with. For example, a
Non-Competitor will want to take the game more
seriously when playing with an Escapist. And an
Escapist will want to focus more on the
relationship and less on the game when playing
with a Non-Competitor. A Power Player who would
probably enjoy talking business on the course may
want to avoid it when playing with an Escapist.
Even if you
don't talk business during the round, being
flexible and modifying your style to adapt to the
people in your foursome will help you develop
relationships much more quickly. To become really
proficient at reading people, you'll want to be
familiar with a behavioral or social styles model
as well as the Hyatt model. This will help you
not only look at how people relate to golf, but
also how they relate to each other. You'll then
have a head start getting along with everyone, in
golf and in business. And you'll also be better
prepared to put together really effective
business golf foursomes. The end result? You'll
get you to the $green$ a lot faster!
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Do you want to Improve your
Golf & Business?
Ask Judy for FREE advice and she will e-mail you
an answer.
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Judy
Anderson is the founder of Business Golf
Unlimited and the author of "Teeing
Off to the Green" & "Using
Golf as a Business Tool". Through
her speaking and coaching, she has helped
countless executives improve their golf
game and gain a competitive edge in business.
Her programs have been featured at
the Greater New York Golf Show, the Northville
Long Island Classic and First of America Classic
Senior PGA Tour events, and at the PGA's Quad
City Classic. Clients have included, Merrill
Lynch, the National Alliance of Sales and
Marketing Executives, United Cerebral Palsy, the
National Association of Female Executives, and
the World Sponsors Forum.
Judy and Business Golf Unlimited
have been featured in the New York Times,
National Business Employment Weekly, Selling
Power, Executive Female and Golf Digest
magazines. She has been a guest on numerous tv
and radio shows, including CNBC Money Talk, The
Business News Network, and Smart Money with the
Dolans.
Her 20 years experience in post
secondary education, human resources, sales and
consulting, plus undergraduate degree in
business, graduate degrees in counseling
psychology and certification in GolfPsych ® give
her the saavy to use golf to help you identify
and address the challenges facing you in today's
workplace.
Business
Golf Unlimited is a
company dedicated to developing individuals and
organizations through golf. We offer a variety of
speaking and coaching
services. Judy Anderson and Brian
McMahon are committed to helping you
reach your true potential, in golf and, through
golf, in business.
How
to contact:
Business Golf
Unlimited
42253 Parkside Circle Suite 105
Sterling Heights, MI 48314
Phone 810-739-8506
Fax 810-739-9012
e-mail:Judy@BizGolf.com
Visit
Business Golf Unlimited
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