Susan Roll, the 2011 PGA Merchandiser of the Year for Public Facilities, the 2011 Southern California PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year and three-time Section Merchandiser of the Year for Public Facilities, is the PGA owner of Carlsbad (Calif.) Golf Center.

Susan Roll on the importance of publishing short instructor bios:
For the past several years, we have published short bios on our website for all of our golf instructors and clubfitters. We started posting the bios as a way to help us reach out through the internet and create rapport with customers before they even contact us. This personal touch attracts new students for lessons and customers for clubfitting. Beginners and experienced golfers all enjoy reading about our professional experience, recognitions and teaching philosophy as well as fun facts like our hobbies, hometown, personal background and so on. Some of our team members include info like that they are surfers, triathletes and what college they attended. Many times new students will call up and request a specific instructor, all because of what they read in his or her bio. They claim that they feel that they know the instructors before they even meet them. They pick based on who they think will best match their personality and learning style, or who has similar interests or background.

Susan Roll on the business impact of publishing short instructor bios:
Since publishing our instructors’ and clubfitters’ bios on our website, we have definitely noticed a significant uptick in new students and customers requesting specific people to work with, rather than asking for whoever is available. In fact, we receive specific instructor/clubfitter requests because of our website bios every day! We give thousands of lessons and clubfittings every year, and have had customers from 49 U.S. states and 38 countries come for clubfitting since 2007. Well more than 50 percent of our students and customers have come to us via the internet and referrals. Additionally, nearly 50 percent of our clubfitting clients have never visited our facility before, which goes to show you how these bios help attract customers. Sometimes using the internet can seem like an impersonal experience, but based on the feedback and results, the bios have helped make our site a little more personal.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email susan@carlsbadgc.com