Are you always struggling for time in your business?

Charlie Hartley, Foremost Golf Business Development Consultant for the North and Midlands, offers four key areas to monitor, using proven strategies that allow you to save time in your business.

It can be challenging to find the time required to fully achieve a pro shop’s potential, which can lead to frustration. In this article, we will delve into various services and strategies that can significantly enhance efficiency and elevate the overall experience for your customers, giving you more time for your business.

Bookkeeping and managing orders

UK golf retailers endure a complicated purchasing process that involves ordering stock from multiple suppliers, several months in advance. Each supplier has different commitment levels and discounts, resulting in multiple delivery drops and various payment periods. Managing the sheer volume of invoices can be overwhelming.

However, Foremost Golf has developed a unique Central Invoicing & Payment System that reduces stress, saves time and offers greater control over finances. Foremost Central streamlines business transactions by providing a centralised and consolidated invoicing system. This system significantly reduces the number of invoices to 24 a year, with only six VAT invoices per quarter, freeing up more time for other important tasks. The Finance Support Team at Foremost head office offers excellent service and support to ensure consistently smooth business operations.

EPOS system and payments

An easy-to-use, in-depth reporting, and cost-effective Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) system is crucial for any pro shop. The new Foremost Golf POS system is designed to handle payments, manage customer accounts and provide detailed reports. It uniquely integrates with Foremost’s exclusive Central Invoicing & Payment System, making inventory management a breeze and saving member retailers – and their staff – hours of time every week, while at the same time improving margin and increasing sales reporting accuracy.

Using Foremost’s EPOS system, you can book-in products instantly, automatically match orders to your Foremost invoices and manage stock faster. Selling products is quick and easy with Foremost POS, allowing for fast addition of popular products, scan-to-basket simplicity and streamlined customer sales. Card payments are fast and seamless, thanks to the Dojo integration within the system. The EPOS system also ensures that customer balances are securely managed through Customer Account Management, allowing for easy email receipts and statements, pro shop balance management and simple access to previous transactions.

Marketing

Effectively keeping your customers informed about your business activities can help when building and nurturing strong relationships. It’s crucial to emphasise to your audience the advantages of choosing your professional shop as their primary purchasing destination and why your offering is superior in comparison to your competition. Our EMP Premium solution provides a marketing service that encompasses a wide range of digital and in-store touchpoints, including weekly newsletters, websites, special mailings, in-store monitors, entrance hotspots and A-frames, as well as free point-of-sale materials. Additionally, the system incorporates advanced digital support to uphold robust engagement with members and customers, delivering tailored communications at each phase. This service is meticulously crafted to seamlessly lead customers through every stage of the marketing journey.

Online booking systems

In the modern era of digital advancements, it is imperative for pro shops to offer their services through an online booking platform. Expanding your customer base can present challenges, but it is essential to create an environment that enables customers to book your services swiftly and easily at any time, day or night. Embracing online booking not only helps attract new customers, but also optimises your scheduling process by minimising the need for existing clients to reach out to reschedule appointments.

By utilising Foremost Golf’s comprehensive online booking services, golfers will have the convenience of seamlessly scheduling a wide range of activities including lessons, fittings, demo day sessions, swing room practice, as well as personalised packages tailored to their specific needs and preferences. This streamlined approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also contributes to the efficient management of your pro shop operations.

For further information on how Foremost Golf can assist you and your business in 2024 simply email membership@foremostgolf.com or call 01753 218890