Maintaining Healthy Athletic Business Relationships

Is it possible to make a business out of sports? Absolutely. Sports complex facilities, golf courses, swimming clubs, shooting ranges, soccer clubs, volleyball clubs and gymnastics facilities are just a few types of businesses that make a living out of supplying people with their favorite activities. An active lifestyle promotes a healthy lifestyle. Athletes often enjoy practicing and training for their favorite activity and stick to stricter diets to keep their body at peak performance. It is not uncommon to find health enthusiasts also promoting their healthy living supplements and product lines at fitness centers as well. 

Large fitness related businesses often team up with other businesses to help promote products and bring brand awareness to customers. Soccer clubs are notorious for using big name brand athletic wear companies for their uniforms, socks, shoes and bags. Volleyball clubs also sport shirts and shorts that promote athletic wear companies. The tennis industry sells racquets, warmups, tennis balls and even shoes that will be best suited for the court. These popular sports are not the only ones that are promoted through sports facilities. If you are enjoying sports that are a bit less thought of such as archery, bowling, fishing or hunting you will also know certain brands that stand out from the others. Gun ranges and sharp shooting competitions may offer information on any Kel-Tec Sub-2000 9mm rifle or other guns that offer light weight feel and accurate aim. 

Teaming up with companies that help promote products that will benefit your customers is a key element when owning a sports related business. You will want to build relationships with brand representatives to get the newest products on your shelves for your clients. You also will want to reach out to supplement and healthy food businesses that will be able to steer your customers in the direction of healthier consumption and dietary supplement options. Your customers will appreciate all of the additional services and products that you are featuring in the facility and most likely refer others to your facility. 

At some point your merchandise that does not sell will become “last season” and this is not a problem either. Many sports facilities take this as an opportunity to bring in more business by offering a sales and service promotion. The sale of the older equipment draws in non-members but then the promotional membership options and free facility tours or free demonstration or lesson will keep them and intrigue them to joining your facility or club. Soccer clubs and other athletic clubs that practice out of businesses where they rent out space can still utilize these opportunities as well. In many cases the clubs that rent space from facilities can also offer free demonstrations or club information for customers who may have never heard of them otherwise. The age old saying of “it’s not what you know but who you know” definitely holds true when you are hoping to network and expand your business clientele and creating long lasting business relationships will help further your own success.