Last week we talked about controlling the pace of a fitting and regulating how many balls a player hits. This week, let’s fine tune what we actually give the player to hit.

Imagine this scenario – A member or a customer comes to you and says he wants you to fit him for a driver. GREAT!! You proceed to the fitting bay and you’re off to the races. How do you decide WHAT clubs to put in his hands??

I ask this question of fitters all the time, and I always get the same answers. “I look and see how he hits his own driver, and I make a list from there.” Or “I look at the data and see what can help him.” There may be some variation of this, but the general idea is mostly the same. In essence, YOU decide for the player. After all, YOU are the professional, right?

Not so fast. Yes, you are, but at the end of the process, the player is the one deciding if he is writing a check or not. Not only do you have to fit him and demonstrate that it is the best combination for him, but you also have to sell him on it. The two, as you’ll see, are not one in the same.

So, let’s back up. If you decide you need a new Dishwasher (I put “want” in there, but no one wants a new dishwasher, you need one because yours doesn’t work). So, you need one and you know you need a KitchenAid because all the rest of your appliances are made by KitchenAid, and they all have to match (according to my wife). And, yes, this happened to me. What’s the first thing you do when faced with this situation? Go on the internet and look around to see what’s available, right?

When I walk into the dishwasher store, I already have a pretty good idea of what I want. However, I haven’t seen any of these yet, so I want to touch and feel them. I walk inside the store, and I’m greeted with “Can I help you?” Don’t get me started with this one – this is a Retail 101 grade of F. NEVER ask a customer a Yes or No question UNLESS you want to get lied to and get the customer to stop talking. Try “Good morning. Thanks for coming to our store. What brings you in today?” As a consumer, you can’t say no to that question. “Good morning to you too. Well, we need a dishwasher.” “Oh no. What happened?” Be concerned for their situation and get them talking. Listen to the story and say “That stinks. The good news is we have dishwashers. I have a couple questions for you. How urgent is this for you? Are you OK if we have to order the perfect one, or do you need something ASAP? And, do you have a specific brand in mind?” The person is asking do I need to go through the whole catalog, or just what we have here. The customer is telling him what to do and what he wants. No mention of price. He’s trying to fill a need. The conversation continues… No, sadly, this was not how our dishwasher buying process played out. I digress.

The bottom line is that I want the consumer to tell me what he wants to buy – or what he thinks he wants to buy. From there it’s up to me to guide him along a path that either ends up there, or somewhere else that fills this need better.

Club fitting is an instrument in the sales process. It’s part of it. It’s not it. You have to fit to the right piece AND sell it.

We’re talking about drivers. If you’re at a retail shop, you can tailor that conversation to suit yourself. Challenge yourself to get the player talking and tell you what he wants. Challenge yourself to only ask yes or no questions IF you have a follow up question that requires some talking. If it’s a member at your club, the scenario can be slightly different, and we can modify this greeting.

Try this conversational greeting:

“Good morning. Thanks for coming to our store today. What brings you in today?”

“I need a new driver.”

“Oh no!! You’re not Steve that is our 9:30 driver fitting appointment, are you?”

“Haha. Yes. That’s me.”

“Nice to meet you Steve. I’m Jim. Is the current one broken or just mis-behaving?” (do you need something today, or can we custom order for you).

“I just can’t hit it straight any more.

“Haha. I get that. It happens to the best of us. Do you have your driver with you? What is it doing for you?” (a yes or no question followed up with one that makes him talk).

“I do. It’s out in the car. Want me to go get it?”

“Yes please. That will help me steer you in the right direction.”

He brings the driver in. It’s an old Taylor Made Driver. Here’s where you set the table.

“I remember these. What is it doing for you?”

“It doesn’t go anywhere, and it just goes to the right.”

“We can help you with both of those things. Any ideas on what you’re looking to replace this with? Do you want to stay with the same brand, or did you have a specific brand in mind?”

“I heard great things about the Callaway line, but I’m open to anything that helps me hit it better.”

“Yes, the new Callaway lineup is great for this year. We can start there for sure. Let’s hit a few shots. When you were researching Callaway drivers, was there a specific model you wanted to try?” Customers don’t know what they need very often, BUT… If they have something in mind, you HAVE to put it in their hands. It adds closure to them crossing it off their list (or keeping it on yours).

“I did have my eye on the Elyte Triple Diamond. The reviews are awesome for that club.”

“They sure are!! I’ll make sure we add that one into the rotation.” Now go make it happen!!

Steve comes over the top with a wide open face. Triple Diamond is a fade biased driver. YOU know it’s not going to work for him, but HE doesn’t. You need to say “All right, let’s try that Triple Diamond. It’s a fade biased head, so I’m not sure it’s going to work for you, but we gotta try it, right?” It helps the customer rule out what won’t work. This is every bit as important as ruling in what will work.

This exchange is critical to the success of the fitting:

Any ideas on what you’re looking to replace this with? Do you want to stay with the same brand, or did you have a specific brand in mind?”

“I heard great things about the Callaway line, but I’m open to anything that helps me hit it better.”

“Yes, the new Callaway lineup is great for this year. We can start there for sure. Let’s hit a few shots. When you were researching Callaway drivers, was there a specific model you wanted to try?”

Why? Club fitting is every bit as much sales/ convincing as it is fitting. It could be the best fitting in the history of fitting, but if it doesn’t end up in a sale, you just spent an unproductive hour on the range bonding with a customer. If you can’t convince a player that the club you’re fitting him for is the BEST one for him, there is no deal at the end of the process. Part of this convincing is getting the right one in his hands. Part of this convincing is getting the wrong one OUT of his hands. You have to do BOTH parts.

This means you WILL have to put clubs or combinations of clubs in the players hands that will NOT work so you can hammer home what WILL work. HOW do you know what ones to put in his hands? ASK. He’ll tell you

Happy Fitting!!!

Jim Yeager, PGA