Does anyone have any experience on protocol for club members to initiate 'sales calls' on parks dept contacts that:

a) they make
b) others make

In other words, if I have introduced myself to Mr. Park and I talk with Mr. Park about me selling him baskets, no big deal, right?

However, I meet Mr. Park and tell the club. Then, Johnny Golddigger calls Mr. Park without letting me know. :mad:

Anyone?

I'm not sure I understand. Are you losing the commission? Isn't the club still getting the sale?

Basically it goes like this. Say I go and start discussions with the County Parks & Recreation. I start with the Director and he got me going on a whole list of parks to go check out.

I find a park and so I setup a meeting with him and the Director turns me over to the Parks Project Manager (which means yes we have a go for a new disc golf course and we need to draw up a layout). Well I setup a meeting with the parks project manager and he and I go walk to land and we talk and its a go.

I then go and report this to our club and then Johnny Golddigger goes and calls the very same person and sets up an appointment about poleholes but we DON'T EVEN HAVE A COURSE LAYOUT YET NOR HAS IT EVEN BEEN APPROVED.

The person who lands the project or the person who is the conduit or liaison to the parks department is in charge, period. Everyone else must sit by and wait for instruction from that ONE person. Why, because if you want to be respected by the Parks Department then you have got to run the project like a business. The parks do not want to hit up by more and more people. They just want to deal with a person or two. They also do not want to be sold to. Don't try to sell them things, and espescially not out of order.

We haven't even begun to do a course layout and someone is trying to make a sale to the parks department and we are not even at that stage yet. When this happens we are generally shown the door and they usually ask us to not come back.

How do you prevent this?

Jeff,

I'd suggest getting a letter of approval from the Rec Director stating that they will go through only you for the course, including course design & baskets requirements. Remember that they will purchase the baskets based on low bid, but you can be creative when determining specifications. Sent me a e-mail with any questions and I'll be more than happy to assist.

Matt,

That's an excellent suggestion about a letter of approval, thank you. I wish more people around the country would weigh in here with their experiences and recommendations.

I went to about 10 parks a few years ago with such a proposal. I never had the problem you are having because:

1. They all said no.
2. No club member went over my head, there was no club.

Matt,

That's an excellent suggestion about a letter of approval, thank you. I wish more people around the country would weigh in here with their experiences and recommendations.



Right now, I am in the process of getting official approval for a course. I know if someone came in all of the sudden and tried to take over, I'd be ****** too. I've put A LOT of work into my course proposals, educating a very naive board about disc golf, meeting with them numerous times, etc... To have someone else come in and 'get credit' for all my hard work would be very disheartening. I hope a situation like this won't happen and I feel for you. But the upside is, either way, there will be a new course...and that is a great thing.

I would suggest forming a club and working together to get the disc course installed. The club could then vote for officers and based on the charter those board positions handle certain repsonsibilities such as "Contact for new courses". This could keep an invader from trying to take over, as the organization and members collective work only for the betterment of the course and disc golf.

I don't really see it as someone getting credit for it, as I do see people working together for a common goal. I think you could have more success starting "in the Parks and Rec's eyes" as an organization with multiple members anyway.

And remember for everyone person that gives you credit or props or whatever, there will be ten people that will question, and belittle you because they have a different view (don't let that discourage you).

As far as kick backs from basket sales or whatever, I would think that could go directly back to course maintanance, and let the Parks/Rec know those are your intentions.

Course sales is a pretty sticky subject. Unfortunately the hardware manufacturers don't control the distribution of their product (as you'd find in other businesses). Pretty much anyone can try to sell a course anywhere. That leads to all sorts of potential problems, including stepping on toes and suspect course design. I've often wondered why the basket manufacturers don't handle eq distribution more professionally.

I'd suggest laying the groundwork with your contact in the beginning in a way that makes it difficult for someone to come in later. Sell a package including not only the equipment, but also the design and initial course promotion. It's also possible to set up the hardware specifications early so that the park will only consider xyz equipment. At that point, if xyz manufacturer allows someone else to come in and try to sell the same customer, shame on them.

Are you/have you run into a problem? Or are you just thinking about what might happen? I've had some experience with this stuff...

I think it says something about your parks contact also if they are willing to throw your hard work out the window. I cant see our parks dept. doing that, at least not on the same project. You can bet they see who does the hard work and I'm sure it's the same in most places.