In today’s competitive marketplace it’s not enough to simply secure clients and sell them goods or provide them with services. To be successful a business needs to build good relationships with its clients and customers. A strong client relationship can mean the difference between getting that lucrative contract and losing out to one of your competitors; between making a single sale and establishing a lifelong business partnership.

One effective method for building these vital relationships: take clients golfing.

There’s a certain stereotype of the so-called “business golfer.” Books, television shows, and movies show high-powered corporate types brokering high-powered deals while teeing off and playing through. In reality, although business decisions are sometimes made during a golf game, taking clients golfing is usually more about establishing and enhancing good relations than making significant business decisions.

“You’re on the golf course with the person for four or five hours, and maybe I talk business for five minutes,” said one local businessman.

Pete Douvis, vice president and manager of the main, Port Orchard office of Kitsap Bank, agreed.

“You don’t get down and dirty,” said Douvis of business discussions on the course. “You try and limit it to very generic discussions. Decisions are not made on the golf course, per se. It’s more about creating a relationship.”

Douvis, who takes clients golfing around once a week or once every two weeks, said golfing helps him get to know his clients better, generates positive feelings, and gives him some dedicated one-on-one time with clients that would be difficult to achieve in an office setting.

Michael Wallitner, president of Northwest Wireless of Bremerton, a Nextel authorized representative, also uses golfing to spend quality time with both current and potential clients.

“It’s a wonderful tool to get to know the potential client,” said Wallitner. “The challenge with any business is to get the guy who makes the decisions to sit down and talk to you. When you get on the golf course you’ve automatically got five hours of their time.”

Wallitner reported that he’s sealed a number of deals with clients on the course, but that’s not his primary intention. Rather, he spends his time getting to know the client, chatting about life, families, and other general, business neutral topics.

“We don’t spend a lot of time talking business,” he said. “It’s more of a relationship builder. And that’s what sales is all about – building relationships.”.