Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes (great Paul Simon song). It is also a reminder to look under your own feet for opportunities. While designed for Tour Operators, this little-used feature in POS Express can help you mine for additional income.

     You know that Hotel or Bed & Breakfast you drive past on the way to the club every day? How about the Eagles, Elks, YMCA or VFW? Standalone driving range? Retail Golf Store? Swim Club, Ice Rink (hockey players make good golfers), Rod and Gun Club? Church, Restaurant, Bar, etc.? Everyone is looking for additional sources of income. Here is what you do. Call the hotel, club, store, etc., find out who is in charge (if you don't already know) and invite them to your course for lunch to discuss how they can make money by simply reselling your tee times; while at the same time offering additional services to their customers, members, etc.

     The concept is that the Tour Operator (Hotel, Social Club, Driving Range, etc.) pays a wholesale price to you for the tee time (something less than the rack rate - target your slow times) and charges a higher rate to the Tourist (at or below the published rack rate, which the player will compare when he is at the course). The Tourist pays the Operator directly -- usually as part of a package deal. When they get to the course to play, their tee time is already taken care of by the Tour Operator. They Check-In on the Tee Sheet and the Greens Fee is printed on the receipt at $0. You, in turn, submit an invoice to the Tour Operator for the Tee Time sold. Naturally, you need to consider the trust factor with your Tour Operator.

     Here is how to set it up:

     Add a new Customer Type for Tour Packager. From the Tools > Options Screen:

1. Click on Reference Tables
2. Click on Customer Type
3. Click on Add

1. Enter a Type Code (e.g., TP).
2. Enter a Type Description (e.g., Tour Packager).
3. Click the Is Tour Packager checkbox.
4. Click Save.

     Note: If you don't already have a Customer Class that will apply, you may want to set up one or several new Customer Classes as well (multiples if you are going to give different wholesale pricing to different resellers). I added one called Tour Operator - think tiered pricing.

     Hint: Make sure you set up the tier prices for the class you're using for your Tour Packager for each product in the Package.

     Now, set up the Tour Operator as a customer. For this illustration, I will use the famous Bob's Chinese Food and Driving Range, where you can get a free egg roll or bucket of balls for booking a Tee Time at my course from Bob's location.

     Add a new customer for Bob's place and be sure to set the Customer Type and Class for the Tour Operator.

     Next, we want to set up a Package for referrals from Bob's Chinese. Let's say the offer is for 18 holes of golf with cart and a hot dog.

    From the StarterHut Tee Sheet:

1. Click on Admin.
2. Click on Pricing.
3. Click on Package.
4. Click on Add

1. Enter a Package Code.
2. Enter a Package Name.
3. Enter a Package Description.
4. If you want to restrict the time of day to sell the package, check the Use Period Time and set the times.
5. Click Add Product to select the items you are selling in the Package.
6. Select the Product Type.
7. Select the Product.

     Next, we need to define Bob as a Referral Agent:

1. From the StarterHut Admin Screen.
2. Click on Pricing.
3. Click on Referral.
4. Click on Add.

1. Enter the Referral Name (the rest of the address information is optional).
2. Click the box for Use Member Account.
3. Start entering the Name you added in the New Member Setup and select the account from the dropdown.
4. Click the Add Package button.

1. Enter the Package for Bob's.
2. Click Save button.

     That completes the setup. Now, when one of the referrals from Bob's famous Chinese Food and Driving Range books a tee time, you do the following:

     When you check in Tom's group here, notice what happens:

     The Sold To is automatically changed to Bobs Chinese account. The discounted prices are shown on the screen for the cashier but the receipt will have $0 for the package items. Finalize the sale.

     The wholesale charges are debited to Bob's account who you will bill at the next billing cycle.

     You get some new referrals and Bob keeps the difference between the wholesale price and whatever he charges his customers. Now, all things being equal (or not if the price is right), who is that Bed & Breakfast going to recommend to their guests who inquire about golf - your course or your competitor? Make the deal!

Until next time,

Enjoy :)