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These articles from eSoft Planner’s blog will help you manage your basketball facility with tips, stories, and the latest news.

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Sports Scheduling Has Never Been Easier: eSoft Planner Offers Low Price and High Power

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Introduction

When it comes to sports scheduling, there are many problems and few solutions. If you’re in charge of scheduling everything from tournaments to practices and games, then you know about the headaches that come with managing all those moving parts. You also probably know that finding a sports scheduling app that offers affordable pricing, ease of use and powerful features is next to impossible.

Enter eSoft Planner: your low price solution for your sports scheduling needs! eSoft offers adaptable pricing based on how much power you need. So, if you have just one league or sport, we can help with some of the lowest rates and best user experiences in the sports scheduling industry. Even better, we don’t force anyone into signing unreasonably long contracts. We know the eSoft difference is something truly special! In addition, you don’t need to worry about customer service either – since we are consistently ranked #1 in this area among all sports software providers in the country. We’ve been helping organizations across America schedule their programs since 2007. There’s no problem we won’t be willing to assist you with. 

eSoft Planner offers affordability and adaptability. With a la carte pricing, you aren’t forced into high rates; pay for what you need and want.

eSoft Planner offers affordability and adaptability. With a la carte pricing, you aren’t forced into high rates; pay for what you need and want.

You can choose the features that work best for you and get the most bang for your buck. With multiple modules to choose from, you can tailor the software to your business no matter the sport, hobby, or layout of your space.

The software is easy to use and can be customized to fit the needs of any facility or sport. It’s designed around your business, not the other way around. Then, you don’t have to pay for features you won’t use or train staff on features they won’t need.

eSoft Planner is a favorite sports scheduling app among trainers, coaches, organizations, and academies across the country.

eSoft Planner is a favorite sports scheduling app among trainers, coaches, organizations, and academies across the country. After 15 years of leading the industry, eSoft boasts a growing list of satisfied clients. As the ultimate sport scheduler software, it helps optimize, streamline, and grow sports / training businesses across the country. There are eSoft Sports Software clients in every state in the country (and many more countries around the globe), and the number is growing every day!

The eSoft Sports Software is a powerful and easy-to-use tool that allows you to manage your entire sports business. It’s the only software in the market that offers both unlimited, consultative customer service from dedicated U.S.-based experts, as well as no pricing increase for growth or expansion. We’re here for you every step of the way. 

There are a number of benefits to using eSoft as your sports scheduling app. One of the most important is that it helps you save time, money, and resources. It streamlines your business processes and reduces admin time and report creation. Also, the eSoft Sports Software allows you to create custom reports that can be exported in any format (PDF, Excel, Word, etc.) for easy sharing with your clients or other stakeholders. It’s just another key example of the power and convenience of eSoft Planner.

availability sports planner with eSoft Planner

The system is flexible, powerful and so affordable you don’t have to think twice before buying – Whether it’s swimming pools, courts, fields, or something totally unique.

eSoft Planner is flexible, powerful and so affordable you don’t have to think twice before buying –  Whether it’s swimming pools, courts, fields, or something totally unique.

Whatever your needs are, eSoft Planner can help. It schedules leagues, tournaments, and practices. Further, it can track inventory, sales, revenue, etc…

Whether you are looking for a way to track your players and their progress or just need a simple way to schedule games and practices, eSoft Planner has the tools you need.

Clients love the service they receive from their account managers and other support staff at eSoft. eSoft Planner is consistently ranked #1 in customer service.

eSoft Planner has been trusted by thousands of sports organizations. Clients love the service they receive from their account managers and other support staff. In fact, eSoft Planner is consistently ranked #1 in customer service across the entire industry.

The executive team and employees at eSoft have a personal interest in the success of their clients. It makes relationships stronger and more meaningful than any other business in the sports planning space. Further, eSoft’s staff is comprised of former trainers, athletes, and facility owners, giving us unique insights into the industry and what it takes to help our clients succeed.

If you’re a coach or owner of a sports organization, you’ll find that eSoft Planner is the perfect solution for your needs. We offer flexible options to fit any size of business and budget. Also, our software is extremely easy-to-use, yet powerful enough to meet the demands of any coach or business owner. eSoft Planner is the industry standard for sports organizations and has been trusted by thousands of clients over the last decade. Clients love the service they receive from their account managers and other support staff, which is why eSoft is consistently ranked #1 in customer service across the entire industry. The executive team and employees at eSoft have a personal interest in the success of their clients. Therefore, relationships are stronger and more meaningful than any other business in the sports planning space.

The Problem With Sports Scheduling and Our Solution.

Sports scheduling and management require a lot of time and attention to detail. The problem with sports scheduling is that it can be hard to find an affordable solution that works for everyone. Our solution solves this problem by providing an affordable, flexible, and powerful software program. It has been trusted by thousands of sports organizations nationwide. Also, it aligns with the varied, diverse landscape of needs that confronts so many coaches, owners, and trainers.

With eSoft Planner, you can easily manage clients, classes, courts, guest passes, inventory, merch, and customers without spending hours on the phone or at a computer. Then, you’ll have more time for coaching, hiring, marketing, and growing your business!

You can even utilize the software’s marketing capabilities to send email updates, point to blogs and social media, and promote client achievements. 

esoft mobile

Affordable, Flexible, and Powerful

Sports scheduling has never been easier. eSoft Planner offers a low-price, high-power system that is customizable, user-friendly, and easy to use. It works with any sport or activity and can be used by organizations of any size. Due to that, sizes range from a single team up to the biggest leagues in professional sports. If you need an affordable solution for your sports scheduling needs, then look no further than eSoft Planner!

eSoft Planner is the simplest, easiest way for sports teams and organizations to schedule their games. It’s loaded with powerful features that let you easily manage your team schedules, player availability, game results, and more. To learn more, check out some of the capabilities below: 

  • Lessons

  • Rentals

  • Camps/Clinics

  • Packages

  • Memberships

  • Retail/POS/Web Store

  • Barcode Tracking & Integration

  • Teams

  • Upsells & Value-Adds

  • Leagues

  • Swim Club

    Another key aspect to consider is that as your program grows, your subscription rates will stay the same. Perhaps even better, our software is so robust, that we can actually personally tailor it to your exact needs. One sport, multiple sports, inventory management, marketing capabilities, and more! The sky is the limit, as we’ll never engage in practices that hinder your bottom line and/or your ability to grow.

Conclusion

Countless reviewers, clients, and coaches have found that eSoft Planner is the best option for sports scheduling. Given the unique variety of needs in the sports and training industry, we find that clients’ reasons for choosing the software are as robust and wide-reaching as the software itself. Whether it’s the ease of adding new trainers or clients, the powerful field/court reservation mapping options, seamless barcode-integrated guest passes, or one of the many other proprietary capabilities that have made eSoft the authority in the industry, there is almost a certainty that eSoft Planner will help you take your team, league, group, or academy to the next level. For more information, feel free to request a demo or give us a call and speak with a dedicated expert today. 

As the sports scheduling market grows, you’ll want to lean into software that is built with you in mind, operated by companies that prioritize you. From time and time again, eSoft earns clients from under-committed competitors for this very reason. Finally, now is the time to experience the most robust, client-focused, sports scheduling and planning software in the country.

Other Helpful Resources: Sports Facility Expert
  • Best Practices in Sports Scheduling

Best Practices in Sports Scheduling Software: How to Grow Your Business Effectively

esoft planner : #1 in sports planning and athletic businesses

Best Practices in Sports Scheduling Software: How to Grow Your Business Effectively

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Introduction

Sports agencies, teams and other organizations use sports scheduling software to manage their business. It helps them automate tasks like scheduling games on fields, sending text alerts and emails, tracking player statistics, and much more.

To grow your business effectively, use eSoft Planner to automate sports scheduling, streamline business processes, eliminate admin work, create reports automatically, organize maps and reservation programs, and send marketing emails for increased player retention.

The benefits of using a sports scheduling software are numerous. For example:

  • Sports Scheduling Software Automates Sports Scheduling

  • Business Processes Streamlined Automatically

  • Admin Work Eliminated

  • Reports Created Automatically

Sports Scheduling Software Can Help You Manage All Your Games And Practices Easily!

1. Automate your scheduling process with eSoft Planner

eSoft Planner is the best online sports management software of 2023, and it’s easy to see why. It’s the most advanced, easy-to-use, and affordable sports scheduling software on the market. Also, eSoft Planner is an app for sports and facility management. It allows you to allocate resources effectively while saving time in the process!

2. Avoid scheduling conflicts, double-bookings and overbooking

eSoft Planner helps you avoid scheduling conflicts by allowing you to set a maximum number of teams that can be hosted at any given time. For example, say your facility has 20 ice sheets available for use and it’s already booked up with 17 teams on different days (and no cancellations). Then, eSoft Planner won’t allow another team to schedule a game until one of those other 17 teams cancels their game or gets moved due to weather conditions. This feature prevents double-bookings and ensures everyone gets enough ice time at your facility!

Additionally, eSoft Planner allows users to set preferences based on specific criteria such as age level (youth vs adult), gender (male vs female), or skill level (beginner vs advanced). This helps ensure that leagues are matched appropriately. So, they won’t end up playing against each other when one team may not be ready for competition yet while another might have been waiting months just for an opportunity like this one!

3. Streamline paperwork and avoid errors with standardized reporting.

Sports scheduling software can help you to organize your team’s games, track attendance, and even generate revenue. However, if you’re not using a robust system for reporting on these activities, it’s possible that you may be missing out on important opportunities for growth.

The best sports scheduling software will allow you to create reports that provide insights into how many people attended each event or game during a given period of time (e.g., season). This type of data helps managers better understand what works–and what doesn’t–when it comes to marketing their organization’s events online or offline. Also, it determines whether there are any discrepancies between actual attendance figures versus those projected by the team owners/executives beforehand, based off previous years’ experiences at similar venues/venues nearby without taking into account current conditions like weather patterns affecting travel times, etcetera…

4. Optimize sports facility usage with text and email alerts.

Text and email alerts can be a great way to stay on top of your sports scheduling. When you set up text and email alerts, you’ll receive notifications when games are scheduled and when you have to make changes. You can also use these tools to remind yourself of upcoming events, registration deadlines, payments due. It also works for anything else that’s important for your business!

5. Increase player retention and loyalty with marketing emails.

Marketing emails are a great way to keep players coming back to your facility. You can use eSoft Planner to send marketing emails automatically. Also, send text notifications to players who have signed up for text alerts.

6. Eliminate admin work with the best online sports management software of 2023

Sports scheduling software is a powerful tool that can help you save time and money. It eliminates the need for manual tasks like entering scores, tracking players, and creating schedules. However, not all solutions are created equal. Some are better than others at helping you accomplish your goals as an organizer or manager. With these six tips in mind, you’ll be able to find a program that fits your needs perfectly!

Stay organized by setting up different schedules for each season, league or time of year (e.g., high school football in the fall).

To stay organized and avoid confusion, it’s important to set up different schedules for each season, league or time of year (e.g., high school football in the fall). eSoft Planner allows you to do this by creating multiple schedules at once. You can also use eSoft Planner by multiple teams and leagues at once if they have similar scheduling needs such as baseball teams playing against each other during spring training.

Use eSoft Planner’s unique mapping feature to show where teams are located and reserve times with automatic notifications sent to administrators.

eSoft Planner’s mapping feature is an innovative, time-saving feature that allows you to show where teams are located and reserve times with automatic notifications sent to administrators.

  • View all schedules on one map

  • Easily reserve times from anywhere on the schedule by dragging and dropping your mouse over the desired location on a map. You can also click on any location in order to see associated schedules or view details about that team’s schedule.

  • Get automatic notifications when someone else attempts reservations at your favorite sports field or gymnasium.

Conclusion

eSoft Planner is the best online sports management software that helps you grow your business effectively. It’s packed full of features like automated scheduling, streamlining business processes, eliminating admin work and creating reports automatically. If you want to get started with eSoft Planner today, then request a demo here!

A Lesson Scheduling App Aids in Revenue Streams

A Lesson Scheduling App Paves Way for Revenue Stream

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Lessons are a key player in a facility’s revenue stream. Whether it be baseball/softball, swimming, tennis, soccer, cheerleading, and even music and sewing – scheduling lessons is a huge presence in everyday operations. As a result, the more lessons you offer, the more revenue you bring in. But, with that revenue comes more opportunities for calendar confusion, double booking, and more. But here’s the solution – a lesson scheduling app. 

A lesson scheduling software with a web-based app included contains all of the benefits of the software, with the added bonuses of making scheduling even more on the go. Let’s get into some specifics: 

Increase in Cash Flow 

eCommerce Payment Options 

Within the lesson scheduling app, athletes and their parents can sign up and pay for lessons when booking. Learn more about Lesson Pricing Models here, if necessary. Your clients can even save their payment information in a secure account and pay with the push of a button.

24/7 Access

With more hours in the day, athletes and parents can book more lessons. Many times parents that are responsible for scheduling and paying for lessons have a lot on their plate. Having to call to schedule during business hours is nearly impossible for some, and easily forgotten by most. An app allows them to hop on their phone at any time of day, whether it be before they wake the kids up for school or before they turn the lights out to go to bed. This means less forgetting and more booking – resulting in more revenue for your facility. 

Cancellation and Refund Policies

Refunds and cancellations are a headache for every facility owner/manager out there. With an app requiring payment at booking, facilities are guaranteed revenue. However, some facilities do want to offer the ability to cancel or reschedule. Coupled with the app, facility managers can set restrictions and rules for these situations. These can include:

  • non-refundable booking fees (partial or all of the lesson fee),
  • time restrictions (cancel 48 hours in advance to receive a refund), and
  • lastly even special circumstances like doctor’s notes, team conflicts, etc. 

All of these rules can be adjusted based on your facility preferences. 

Reduce Administrative Costs

eCommerce Payment Options

Additionally, giving athletes and parents the ability to pay online, means there is no need to pay staff to sit at the front desk. Even more, no one has to make phone calls to ensure the lessons are paid. So the instructor doesn’t need to chase after payments! This frees their time to focus on the lesson. 

24/7 Access 

Gone are the days of hiring someone to sit and wait for the phone to ring. The app lets you leave your phones unattended while the staff in the facility is running lessons or classes. 

Facility and Calendar Management

Above all, you get great facility management. You and your staff will no longer worry about:  

  • double bookings,
  • availability of space for lessons in the facility, or
  • time blocking and coordinating lessons with the instructors.

What’s more, just have the instructors put in their availability. Then you can set the hours each space is available on a given day. And finally. let the app do the day-to-day scheduling for you!

If you are on the lookout for a lesson scheduling app with a web-based app that fits all of your needs, learn more about eSoft Planner.

eSoft Planner is flexible, affordable, simple, and perfect for small businesses and organizations. Request your free demo today. See how we can help you consolidate effort, save time, and increase revenue.

Plus, Follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn to stay current on industry news and the latest from eSoft Planner.

Players Schedule through Sports Team Management

Sports Team Management Software Benefits Coaches and Players

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Managing sports teams is a full-time job. Sports team management software can help with all the coordination:

  • fields for practices, games, and tournaments,
  • collecting and tracking payments and paperwork, AND
  • sometimes handling rentals and lessons with team equipment or spaces (e.g., batting cages, nets, balls, etc).

That’s enough work to make your head spin. Not to mention, almost everyone responsible for all this has a full-time job and family to worry about. That’s why every organization, no matter how big or small, could benefit from management software. 

Here are all the things you should get to make the most out of an investment in this software: 

Custom Player Registration Forms

When a player signs up or accepts an offer after a tryout, a sports team management software does the heavy lifting. It handles setting up the player’s account and gathering all of their information through one online form (contact info, uniform sizing/number, etc). It’s also fully customizable based on the information you need. For example, for high school/recruitment-aged players, things like GPA, ACT/SAT scores, height, etc. would be important for a coach to have on file. But those things aren’t necessary, or even possible, for younger athletes. Through this form, all liability waivers, medical releases, physical forms, and team agreements can be submitted and signed. 

Team Agreement Signatures

No more file cabinets of paperwork and tracking who has and hasn’t signed. Your software will handle it all for you. It will notify each player of documents ready to sign, organize them into team folders, and let them e-sign from their devices – or straight from their registration form mentioned above. 

Payment Schedules 

Do you offer payment plans, one-time payments per season, or other options? Then sports team management software can keep track of it. Both parents and coaches can set recurring payments or even pay additional charges for lessons and clinics throughout the season, and more. 

Build a Budget

Operating a sports team is expensive. It’s essential that each team pays its dues to keep the organization up and running. Having a budget laid out that includes fundraising, player payments, and more can help organizations see which teams are paying their part, and which teams (or parents) need to do more. It is also a great option for transparency with the parents. They get to see exactly where the money is going, and the efforts they still need to make. Some software allows you to decide to show or hide the budget from the player’s accounts (or show just parts of the budget to the parents). A great software is fully customizable to your needs. 

Build a Team Schedule

A sports team management software makes the process of coordinating a team’s schedule and their player perks with all of the other teams in the organization a simple and on-the-go process. Coaches can see available times for courts, fields, cages, and more all from their phones (or PCs). They can then build out their team’s schedule without conflicting with other teams’ reservations or rentals. It can also allow players and their parents to go online and check the team schedule so that they can plan and coordinate with their day-to-day lives. 

Security

An online, protected software is the safest collection of information for the players, coaches, and parents. It offers secure payment as well as a safe storage platform for important papers such as birth certificates. 

Player Scheduling Capabilities 

A sports team management software can also open up your facilities and equipment for rental by the players for extra practice, lessons with coaches or other staff, and clinics you offer. 

If you are on the hunt for a sports team management software that fits all of your needs, learn more about eSoft Planner.eSoft Planner is flexible, affordable, simple, and perfect for small businesses and organizations. Request your free demo today. See how we can help you consolidate effort, save time, and increase revenue.

Court Reservation System Benefits

Court Reservation System Benefits and Usage

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Whether it’s basketball, volleyball, tennis, or even pickleball – courts are a hot commodity in the sports world. Many times teams and individuals booking courts in a facility pay either a membership or rental fee. But there are also park/city courts open to the general public. This is where cities can charge fees for guaranteed reservations. However, both facility courts and public courts fight the same battle, finding the proper court reservation system. 

Here are all of the features your court reservation system may need to include for you to maximize its full benefits. 

Mobile-Friendly Apps 

In today’s world, everyone is go, go, go. There is no time to sit down at a PC and book courts for their teams, children, etc. Mobile apps enhance the entire user experience. They make scheduling on the go an easier and more enjoyable process. 

Notifications from Court Reservation Systems

Whether it’s text, email, or both, your customers (and your staff) need software-automated notifications for reservations, rescheduling, and cancellations. It maintains communication between the facility/court and the user with less staffing expenses and minimal opportunity for error. It also helps customers track court info, times of their scheduled bookings, and more. 

Court Availability Tracker

Clients can coordinate their schedules with court availability and navigate other reservations at the same time. In most cases, the booked times and days either don’t show up or are marked so. Your staff no longer has to get involved or worry about two clients coming in at 2 PM for the same court. Court reservation systems make double-booking incidents a thing of the past! 

eCommerce Capabilities of Court Reservation Systems

This feature is more important than many facility managers or court staff know. The system let’s you require payment right as the reservation is made. This not only confirms the revenue from each booking, but it eliminates the responsibility of collecting payment from the staff’s plate. Don’t need payment in advance, but still want to guarantee a little revenue? You can set a smaller reservation fee, with the rest of the fee due at reservation time. It can also track memberships, pre-paid packages, refunds from cancellations, and more.  

Scheduling Restrictions

There are tons of restrictions and limitations you can set in a court reservation system. These are all based on the preferences you select. Set your facility hours to not allow reservations before or after close. Limit how far in advance or how late leading up to the reservation time that clients or patrons can book. For example, reservations are open a month in advance, or reservations must be made an hour before the reservation begins, etc.  It also allows you to set time restrictions or booking limits for specific courts. Have a busy court location in your park? You can restrict reservations to one hour so that everyone gets a chance. Have a location that needs in-person staff? Restrict the reservation times to staff hours. Your options are endless. 

Pricing Settings

Each reservation has so many different aspects that can impact its expenses on the facility or city. In that case, make the pricing change accordingly. In a court reservation system, you can set a pricing structure based on who books the court (e.g. an individual, an organization, a member, etc.). You can also set different pricing structures depending on the type or size of the court, or the time frame of the reservation. Again, this is all controlled based on your preferences.

If you are on the hunt for a court reservation system that fits all of your needs, learn more about eSoft Planner.

eSoft Planner is flexible, affordable, simple, and perfect for small businesses and organizations. Request your free demo today. See how we can help you consolidate effort, save time, and increase revenue.

Youth organization scheduling for urban community athletics programs with baseball fields, tennis courts, and parking lots.

Youth Organization Scheduling Software Benefits

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A youth organization is a machine with many moving parts. What’s more, each part needs a volunteer (or volunteers) to ensure they run properly. With volunteer priorities focused on the kids, organization and facilities management can fall short. That is why investing in a youth organization scheduling software is highly beneficial to all key players in the organization. 

Whether your youth organization includes indoor/outdoor court scheduling, indoor/outdoor field scheduling, or all of the above, the benefits are endless. So take a look at a few things to consider when choosing facility management software.

1. Save Field/Court Coordinator’s Time 

A Field/Court Coordinator’s workload can be cut in half. With online scheduling software, they no longer have to answer calls, texts, and emails on availability and scheduling. And, they don’t have to organize and update the calendar to avoid double booking. As a result, they can focus on facility maintenance.

2. Give Coaches Flexibility

In short, a coach’s first job is not coaching. Creating ease and simplicity will prevent headaches. Let coaches focus on their passion – teaching kids to play their sport. Most youth organization scheduling software options include many features for coaches to schedule. This includes games and practices, as well as adding on details such as field maintenance and light requests. Coaches won’t have to worry about these details on game day and coordinators will be aware ahead of time. 

3. Customize and Organize

A field or court scheduling software can be customized to fit any organization’s needs. For example, some youth organizations give each team a set number of field/court reservations and games per season. But they don’t have a tracking system in place to keep count. Scheduling software can handle this tracking. In addition, the software offers features like:

  • special field hours,
  • restrictions on booking in advance, and
  • rules for the amount of notice needed for cancellations.

4. E-Commerce Capabilities 

No more checks/cash exchanges and bank trips. A youth organization scheduling software allows coaches from outside organizations to reserve field or court space, and pay for it on the spot.  

A Youth Organization Scheduling App Makes It Even More Mobile

Choosing software with an app brings even more benefits into the mix. Coaches will be able to see the field schedule 24/7 and book their teams from a phone or tablet. Finally, the app offers automated communication. That is, it sends reminders to coaches on their field reservations, any updates from the organization, and more. 

Do you run a youth organization? Are you looking to make everyone’s jobs easier? Learn more about eSoft Planner and how it can help. 

eSoft Planner is flexible, affordable, simple, and perfect for small business owners. Request your free demo today. We can show you how to consolidate effort, save time, increase revenue, and grow your business.

Plus, Follow us on Facebook or LinkedIn to stay current on industry news and the latest from eSoft Planner.

Card Reader and Payment Methods

Venmo/Cash App Are Changing – Here’s How to Approach Future Payment Methods and Credit Card Fees

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There’s some big news in the world of Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and more peer-to-peer payment methods. Starting January 1, 2022, any seller of goods or services receiving more than $600 per year will receive a 1099-K and be required to report that income on their taxes. This is a game-changer for small businesses that use those platforms for all kinds of payments. 

Not only will the taxes increase on the business, according to an article covering the update, facility owner workload just increased. Owners/managers will need to print all transaction reports, sort through and distinguish each transaction from the peer-to-peer payment apps, and gather invoices and receipts as supporting documentation for the IRS. 

That is a lot of additional work, right in time for the busy season.

The Alternative – Credit Cards (But Without The Crazy Fees) 

With credit card companies forcing facility owners into 2-3 year contracts, constantly changing their rates, and requiring monthly minimums – all topped with horrible customer service that will keep you on the phone for hours – payment methods and processing seem like a hopeless case. 

But here’s our approach… 

CardConnect/CardPointe

eSoft Planner’s partner CardConnect/CardPointe is the fix that facility owners are looking for. 

Here are the benefits our team negotiated for facility owners in need of a new payment method: 

  • 2.75% Flat Rate for Visa, Mastercard, and Discover
  • No Monthly Minimums
  • No Contracts 
  • PCI Compliance Check Ins from eSoft Planner – yearly reminders for facility owners
  • Customer Support through eSoft Planner – no bouncing from person to person, we can answer your questions.

Learn more About eSoft Planner.

eSoft Planner is flexible, affordable, simple, and perfect for small business owners. Request your free demo today to see how we can help you consolidate effort, save time, increase revenue, and grow your business.

Plus, Follow us on Facebook to stay current on industry news and the latest from eSoft Planner.

Employees Discuss Sports Facility Sales

How To Do Sports Facility Sales without Selling

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How to do Sports Facility Sales without Selling

Most people working in a sports facility don’t see themselves as salespeople. After all, many of them got into sports facility ownership because they were passionate about sports and seeing others achieve their athletic goals. Not to promote classes, memberships and lessons.

There are a few reasons that the word “sales” elicits this type of response. First, your staff probably have had some negative experiences with salespeople. We’re all familiar with the stereotype of the manipulative, pushy, slimy sales rep. So the word doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation for people with no business background.

However, even if your staff has no problem with the idea of sales, they still might see it as a mysterious or innate skill that they just don’t have.

The True Meaning of Sports Facility Sales

Everyone at eSoft Planner enjoys helping athletes reach their peak potential. They are passionate about the games we play – baseball, football, softball, soccer, volleyball, basketball, and other activities. But if they were asked to describe their strengths, the word “selling” would not be included in their response.

Now, here’s the funny thing about this situation. If you’re like us, you know very well that your staff can sell. Mainly, they have the most important characteristics of any sales rep:

  • they understand our clients’ needs
  • they’re passionate and knowledgeable about what they’re selling (athletic training)
  • they’re articulate about the benefits that our services provide

To remove the sense of intimidation that inevitably pops up whenever we speak of the concept of selling classes, memberships and lessons, we encourage our sports facility clients to use more easily digestible terms like branding and promotion.

If your staff is really invested in your programs and believes that they can help people live healthier lives, these efforts will be a lot more appealing to them.

Listen: Changing a few words around isn’t going to trick your staff into suddenly rushing out the door to hand out fliers on the street. Everyone wishes they could just skip the selling part of their work. Sales is difficult. It involves getting out of your comfort zone, making yourself vulnerable and risking rejection.

Yes, it would be nice if all your clients found you via word-of-mouth. However, that will never be the most consistent part of your business. If you want your business to be more than just a side income, you have to be proactive about getting new paying clients.

Conclusion

If you’re new to the idea of thinking of yourself as a salesperson, or if you just need help getting your facility staff and volunteers to understand how they can become better at branding and promotion, we would love to talk to you. Our staff at eSoft Planner come from a wide variety of backgrounds in multiple sports industries.

Click here and fill out the form to schedule a time to talk with us.

How to Plan a Profitable Sports Complex

Profitable Sports Complex Tactics

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How to Establish a Profitable Sports Complex

If you own a big indoor sports complex, you know it has some high overhead expenses — such as uniforms, gear and your salaried staff. Add in seasonal cash flow changes, and business management becomes a complicated enterprise. So, making a profitable sports complex can be difficult.

Take for example Center St. Louis, which opened in a shuttered, bank-owned facility with eight volleyball courts, a fitness gym, and a 90-by-135-foot turf field. Such a facility would be difficult to manage with a large staff but for the three-person team of Center St. Louis, it required an almost devout level of hard and smart work to become profitable.

Here are four things they’ve done to maintain profits:

1. Get Anchor Tenants for Each Space

Center St. Louis has an impressive list of clients who call their space home.

Over time, they’ve landed contracts with a volleyball club, basketball trainers, a roller derby team, a few mixed martial arts organizations, and even a fencing coach — all of whom use the court space on a regular basis.

But they didn’t stop there. Center St. Louis worked to lease the entire fitness space to a personal training company. And, recognizing their limitations, they hired a consultant to help them start a baseball and softball academy in the turf field.

This diverse set of tenant relationships means Center St. Louis can fill their courts and turf more easily and not rely too much on any one income stream. They also work hard to keep their best clients, giving annual scheduling priority to the tenants who have rented the most space with them in the previous year.

2. Build Great Relationships with Neighbors

As they were opening, the Center St. Louis staff had conversations with neighboring businesses and residents to address any residual concerns from the previous owners of the complex. Then, they made efforts to fix those negative impressions.

Center St. Louis added 150 parking spaces to keep visitors out of neighboring business lots, built a privacy fence, and began picking up litter after large events.

When you’re a new business trying to establish your brand, these types of details make a difference. A positive name in the community only means more and better business over time.

3. Take the Slow Season Seriously

Space books up months in advance for the winter months. The summer, of course, is a different story. To boost activity in those months, the Center St. Louis staff offers camps and clinics throughout the week and bigger events, such as tournaments, on the weekends.

However, even with a full event schedule, they know that cash flow will dip during the slow season. To prepare, they save surplus cash from busy months in an interest-yielding money market account. These funds can be used to cover operating costs during the off-season.

A profitable sports complex needs to prioritize their operating cash. This means resisting the temptation to sink money into the physical infrastructure right away and waiting to spend it when you truly understand what it’s like to run the facility through all the seasons.

4. Create Multiple Uses for Each Large Space

Each space in your complex should have multiple uses.

One big change Center St. Louis made was to add six new batting cages to their turf field. The cages can be retracted when the full field is in use. This has added flexibility and revenue potential to the turf field.

Their courts also offer flexibility. In addition to being able to host standard volleyball and basketball activities, the courts can be combined to host bigger events, like roller derby games and MMA tournaments.

Center St. Louis uses eSoft Planner to manage the weekly scheduling of their turf, courts, and staff.

The staff uses the software to clock in, clock out, and easily view the complete daily schedule for the entire facility. Because eSoft Planner is web-based and updated in real-time, it also prevents any chance of double booking.

If you’d like to see how eSoft Planner works, click here and fill out the form to request a free demo.

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