Discounts, Special Offers, Coupons etc. 
We hate discounts (especially by the golf courses we work with), but depending on your golf courses circumstances and situation, sometimes they are a necessary evil! We recently had a debate with some friends/ business colleagues about discounting, specifically what works and what doesn’t. By the way… we always believe price integrity is your best bet in business!
Percentage vs Dollar Discounts
First, you need to always consider that what works for you personally may or may not work for your business. On a personal note, we don’t get excited about a 10% off discount. It really doesn’t mean anything to us because a % is relative to the cost of the good or service in the first place. A $10 discount means more, it is tangible, and much more easy to relate to. ‘We saved $10’, sounds better to your customer than ‘we saved 10%’.
Discount Example
If you have a $79 golf shirt and offer 30% off or $25 off, which is more appealing to you? To us the $25 off has more of a ring (and sell) to it. Plus, people then don’t have to try to calculate 30% in their head. And we all know how hard that is ;). But everyone (your customers) are different. Have you tried different messages?
Value Add Instead
We much prefer a ‘value add’ scenario if you are trying to drive a specific product or service. Instead of $25 off the $79 golf shirt above why not say “Purchase any golf shirt for $79 or more and receive a $25 gift card for your next purchase.” Or how about ‘receive a shared power cart ride voucher’. In both cases the customer is required to make a 2nd purchase to take advantage of the offer. You are either moving more merchandise or encouraging a round of golf with a cart.
Experiment With Your Offers
Try both methods (and track them) to see what resinates (sells) most with your customer. Just like email marketing track send dates/ times, experiment and try something new. If you need to discount, make sure you are making your best effort to get the largest returns.
We, Jeff and Tara Ciecko of CK Golf write two blogs, one is our 19th Hole Blog where we share personal experiences and the other an Industry Blog where we comment on general business and internet marketing best practices, sales strategies and give golf industry related opinions. We have owned CK Golf for 10 years and provide business services to the golf and other industries. As of August 2016 our life and our business is ‘location independent’. Our 19th Hole Blog is about the places we visit and the things we do. If you have any questions or comments, or happen to be in the same location as us please reach out and contact us anytime.
This post has 1 Comment