Getting someone to play golf with you is sometimes easy to do, but if you don’t understand how to communicate with others or if everything has to be about You, it may be very hard to get someone to play golf with you again.

I am sure everyone has experienced a round of golf with someone you just do not get a long with.  In competitive golf that is kind of expected.  However, in business golf getting that second round of golf with someone could make a difference in the level of networking you will receive or the sale you would make with them.  In that case, it sometimes good to be able to get another round of golf with that person.

To do this you need to be prepared for everything and be able to stay pleasant at the minimum during the first round of business golf you have with someone.  Here are a few pointers to remember.

Turn the Sale Off

One of the first problems many sales people have when playing golf is knowing how to ‘Turn The Sale Off’.  Its understandable that selling something pays the bills but there is a time to sell and time to find out who it is you are selling to.  The number one rule of business golf is to not talk business on the golf course.  At the end of the day when the round is over the business part comes natural.  Keep the business – business and golf – golf.

Listen More

Many times a Host of a round of business golf will feel like they need to keep the air filled with talk.  This sometimes is needed, however, the best thing a host should do is ask his guest questions..let him/her do the talking.   Ask only questions on current events in business news or questions (here is a novel idea) about golf.   This takes the edge off any feelings someone may have towards being set up for a six hour sales pitch.

Mirror Personality

Personality conflicts top the list of why someone may not want to play golf with you again.  Knowing from body language or tones of voice what type of personality someone is comfortable with comes from personality profile training or years of experience.  Not understanding the other person’s personality traits, and even worst, not wanting to understanding their traits, usually is what gets someone to not like someone.  That makes it real hard to get those people to want to play golf with you again.  Best thing to do is learn how to mirror other personalities that are not comfortable for you.

Be Pleasant

Not everyone can be ‘Mr Funny’ or ‘Ms Charming’..those characteristics of a person’s personality sometimes come from how the person was brought up.  If they were in a social environment as a child then being sociable comes natural.

To some, being personable is difficult.  However, to get someone to want to play golf with you a second time there has to be some enjoyable experience encountered during the first round.  Being pleasant is the absolute default to behavior for the first round of golf you have someone.

Look Important

People like people who know how to dress for the occasion.  A person could have the best personality but if they dress too casual the people around them get uncomfortable and that turns them to not want to be around that person.  Some people take lightly what they wear to play golf and see no problem in it.  However, that portrays an image of ‘Its All About Me’ which is the killer personality trait for any business relationship.  The best thing to remember is to dress UP, not down for business golf.

Business golf is one of the best ways to go about fighting off a slow economy.  Learn how to business golf and it can make life and business a little more fun while also being profitable.  Let me know how I can help.