Pickleball is widely reported to be the fastest growing sport in the United States. One of the key drivers of this growth is that almost anyone, regardless of age and athletic ability, can learn how to play and improve their skill level with a bit of work.
The quickest and most successful way for players of all levels to improve is to work with a coach. But it has historically been difficult for coaches and students to find each other and coordinate lessons. Texting back and forth to organize time and place is unfortunately the status quo for many, and a painful experience for clubs, customers and coaches alike. Clubs that use technology to solve the coordination problem for customers and coaches will put more players on the path of continuous improvement and find that these engaged individuals are some of their most valuable customers.
The Coaching Multiplier
Customers who receive coaching are of much higher value to a venue than the average customer. At one representative club, customers who receive coaching have generated, on average, 17 times more revenue than customers who have not received coaching.
Average Revenue per Customer
How much of this effect is correlation versus causation? Are these numbers inflated because customers who receive coaching are already more engaged, or does getting coaching actively affect customer engagement?
Data from the same club shows that getting coaching leads to increased engagement. Customers who received coaching have generated 5x more revenue after their first coaching session than they did before.
Revenue From Coached Customers
The numbers tell a clear story: coaching helps venues unlock high value customers and set those customers on a path to even more engagement.
The Coaching Flywheel
A coaching technology platform integrated with the core reservation system for a club is a win-win-win scenario for customers, coaches, and venues. When a coach with existing students onboards to the venue’s coaching platform, that coach is gaining a new space to conduct business. By joining the venue coaching platform, the coach gains exposure to the venue’s customer base and gains new customers for his or her coaching business. Customers are introduced to a high-quality venue, usually near where they live or work. Those new coaching customers see their game improve and increase their engagement. Venues gain new high-engagement, high-value customers, and see engagement levels of existing customers increase.
For venues that are just starting out, empowering local coaches to join their platform is a powerful tool to activate their community and take their venue to the next level.
Ben Borton, Co-Founder, PodPlay Technologies
