Tennis: No-nonsense Opinion
By Rod Heckelman GM/Tennis Director at Mt. Tam Racquet Club www.mttamrc.com |
Both the teaching pro and the manager deal daily with the conflict of interest and preference of their clients. The courts are too fast, the courts are too slow; the pool is too warm, the pool is too hot; the music in the fitness area is too loud, the music is too mellow; we don’t have enough programs, the programs are taking up too much court time…the list goes on. Based on that alone, how could it be possible for the customer to always be right? If we agree with one point of view, we obviously have to disagree with the other point of view. But in our industry it goes beyond this obvious contradiction. This ongoing tug-of-war sets the very foundation of a club’s demeanor that is established by management. We walk the tightrope wanting to please everyone, but knowing full well that doing so is an impossible task. Any manager or teaching pro will tell you in private that they experience a great deal of anguish when a member’s needs are not only not being met, but are perceived as being compromised. To have to tell someone what they want to have happen is not going to take place, even after explaining how you have tried to meet the needs of the majority, never ends well. So we walk away from that conversation dealing with the emotional fact that being honest in our response, also means that we have not fulfilled the holy grail of the “the customer is always right.” It’s time to change our guidelines, not just for management, but also for the customer so that we are both on the same wave length. Let’s restart with a new slogan, “the customer always has an opinion we need to listen to and act on,” that seems to work for everyone and is an honest, broad-reaching approach. With this new mind-set, let’s tackle a couple of common hurdles we face day-to-day in this industry. First, cell phone usage. There is actually a term for people who have a fear of being without their cell phone called nomophobia. Because this issues touches the emotional state of a person, we are dealing with a problem that has become elevated to a new level. Mandating a member not to use their cell phone in the locker room makes common sense because today’s phones are both communication tools and cameras. But having them banned from areas like the tennis courts or fitness rooms directly impacts the discomfort of abandoning their emotional need. Logic states that having a phone interrupt play on the court is just outright rude. Logic also states that being exposed to someone’s private conversation while you’re focused on your workout is also an unpleasant situation. On the other hand, if someone has a job or an obligation that may require their immediate attention, they may feel entitled to having their cell phone available. As hard as this is to accept, we live in different times, and the need to have access to the outside world is not just a need that we perceive to be true, but is actually a product our new technological society demands. The fact is, we insist and expect that all inquiries must be responded to promptly. Years ago, if you had a potential family emergency, you hoped that you were near a form of communication so that you could be alerted…today, it is assumed that you will be reachable 100% of the time. The gap between access and non-access has been eliminated by technology, or so most people believe. For that reason, we need to revise our “No Cell Phone Policy” to state, “No Access Area/No Cell Phones.” When you go to watch a tennis match and are sitting in the stands, you are at a “No Access Area/No Cell Phones” that creates the rule and the circumstances that would cover the entire issue. Here’s another common dilemma; the concept of preference. As mentioned earlier, tennis players by nature have many preferences and various goals. You may have tennis members who want more social events, others who want more competitive events, or players who want more court time for juniors and adults that feel their work schedule means they should have more priority over court time. The list of preferences extends as far as the existing array of opinions. So it’s up to the manager or tennis pro to determine what is best for the membership. But there’s one more element that influences these decisions, and that is the responsibility of those in power to also determine what is best for the future of their business or their organization. As an example, creating more court time for your new 10-and-Under program may not be the most popular choice, but in the long run, may create a stronger total overall tennis program. This means that maybe when everything is evaluated, the majority’s preference may not be the right choice for the direction the club takes. Again as an example, as a coach you know full well that a student would do much better in their doubles play if they were to come to net more often. Unfortunately, their preference is to stay back and play it safe. You also know that in the long run this transition in play will eventually benefit them. You, as the coach, know what is best for them by virtue of background and knowledge. Your sense of creating a more optimum outcome carries more weight than their choice, or once again, the presumption that the customer is not always right. At this point, the only issue is how this management is performed. Mandating such rules will be poorly received, but through education and information such transitions can be introduced and put in place. It requires more time, more energy and more interaction, but it’s all worth it. On top of that, we live in a time where disseminating information is much easier and quicker. With the proper use of technology we can influence the entire membership in a matter of days. As an example, “Because league play is so important to so many serious tennis players, we feel the need to balance the use of our courts by providing designated team practices to help organize this increased interest.” Or “We are developing a focus on 10 and Under program to secure the future of the sport; today’s students will be tomorrow’s players. We know this will require more court time, but feel this is important for the future of your club.” Each of these statements could be released through Facebook, Twitter, Newsletters and Flyers or by mass E-mail, to begin the task of reprogramming the membership. Let’s not kid ourselves, this is not a process where we expect to win every battle, we just hope to be able to begin the exercise and challenge of moving from the “customer always being right,” to “the customer always having an opinion we need to listen to and act on.” As the saying goes, that’s why management is paid the big bucks, and not to overplay colloquialisms, but that is also why the buck stops at the top. |
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Rod Heckelman’s career started in 1966 the summer after his junior year in high school when he began his five-year role as a teacher at John Gardiner's Tennis Ranch in Carmel Valley, Calif. Later he opened as the resident pro for Gardiner's Tennis Ranch on Camelback in Scottsdale, Ariz. At 20 years of age, he was one of the youngest pros to be the Head Pro at what some considered one of the top tennis resorts in the world. In 1976 Rod made his way back to his home state of California, where he took over as Head Pro/Tennis Director at the Mt. Tam Racquet Club in Larkspur. He added the title and responsibilities of General Manager in 1982. Rod published an instructional manual in 1992 for tennis teachers to use with their students called “Down Your Alley,” and just came out with another instructional book designed for senior players called “Playing Into the Sunset.” His “Facility Manager’s Manual” has been excerpted in Racquet Sports Industry magazine and is now available digitally through the Tennis Industry Association for managers and clubs to use as a model for operating their businesses. More recently he added “The Tennis Pro’s Business Handbook,” to that manual, also being published by T.I.A. In 2010 he was awarded “Manager of the Year” for the USPTA NorCal division and later announced by the USPTA and the “Manager of the Year” at the World Conference. Rod travels the country lecturing to fellow pros about management skills and helping them transition into management. Rod continues to expand his knowledge on all aspects of the tennis business, and he is a frequent presenter at industry events throughout the country |
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