Affiliate marketing programs adds value to members and generates club revenue

Racquet club members are a coveted demographic for affiliated marketing companies. The reasoning to bring on affiliated marketing programs can be compelling for a membership director or general manager.

First, these programs bring value to members, because getting discounts on apparel, equipment and services like lessons appeals to everyone—we all like to get a deal.

Second, the racquet club can make a commission percentage off every sale, boosting the bottom line.

For example, for apparel and equipment, Tennis Express offers a 6% commission on all sales. If your members buy from Tennis Express by first going through a button on your club’s website, then the club gets the commission. Simple.

Other affiliate programs include offers from Amazon, OnCourt OffCourt and Wilson. With all of these affiliate racquet clubs are offered a commission on what they sell. In addition, there is a site called clickbank.com where you can search tennis specific companies that offer affiliate programs for their products or courses. There is a fee for this.

For tennis lessons online, one such affiliate program is Big Point Player. Mark Jeffery, the founder of Big Point Player, outlined why his program has value for racquet clubs. Here’s a link for more information about Big Point Player: https://framework.thewinningformula.tennis/diagnostic-tool

“There are four main reasons why people join a racquet club,” Jeffery explained. “First is the social aspect, including competitive recreational tennis matches and coaching. It’s still all social. Second, you have the fitness component, and third, it’s the player’s goal of improving their technique, so that can go out and reach that fourth reason: to compete and win.”

Jeffrey says club’s have a lot of expertise for reasons 1, 2 and 3, but none for competing and winning. Who wins invariably comes down to who can handle pressure the best.

“Big Point Player training is how you can train to be a big point player yourself,” Jeffrey said. “Big Point Player training provides a unique service to competitive members that they can’t get anywhere else. Racquet coaches can also go through BPP Certification to learn how to train a structured, live winning program for singles and doubles.”

For the racquet club, Big Point Player is a passive income that goes straight to the bottom line. All they have to do is sign up to receive the collateral provided by Big Point Player training. What’s unique about Big Point Player’s affiliate marketing mode is that it’s easy for the club.

“We provide a unique software diagnostic tool for players to measure themselves in the four key skills against, like Novak Djokovic,” Jeffrey said. “This gets mailed to club members. Once they know, possibly for the first time, what skills they need to train, then they have three choices.”

1. Do what they have always done, spend hours on court, hit thousands of balls and obsess about their technique. Their ‘W’ results under pressure will be the same as their past/history.
2. Big Point Player provides them with a DIY Training program. The investment is $47 which is shared with the Club on a 50/50 basis
3. Join Big Point Player’s training program with a team of experts not dissimilar to the range of experts in the backroom team of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, etc. This is a 30-day program is where Big Point Player insures against their loss. If they are open, turn up, train and implement the training and still lose against their peer group, then 100% of their training investment is refunded. That is a $450 fee, where the club gets 30% ($135).

Communication with members is crucial to finding the right affiliated marketing program for clubs. Like other brick-and-mortar businesses, clubs must also go online, offer virtual training services as well as physical offerings.

Again, the challenge is to survey their members, and find out exactly what they want and decide what the club can and cannot provide in the physical realm. Then get any chosen programs integrated with the club so they are genuinely part of the club’s day-to-day operation and not just an affiliate.

Mike Manzella, founder of Racquet-Pros.com, has experience as both an employer and a coach, and as noted currently serves as Executive Director of Racquets of South Towns Tennis Club, in Orchard Park, New York.