The 11 AM Strategy That Changed Everything (And the Revenue Hidden in Plain Sight)

It was a regular Wednesday when Miguel invited me to his office to show me his "big problem."

"Francisco, look at this," he said while pointing out the window at 6 completely empty courts at 11:30 AM. "This is killing me."

Suddenly it clicked for him: "Why am I not making money with this?"

Those courts that were dead 8 hours a day could be generating money. Serious money.

That revelation led us to create the "11 AM Strategy" that transformed his revenue.

The Eureka Moment Every Manager Needs

Here's the brutal math that blew my mind:

Courts are full: 7 PM - 10 PM = 3 hours Courts are dead: 8 AM - 7 PM = 11 hours

We're literally leaving money on the table 78% of the time.

I did quick calculations on the back of a napkin:

• 6 courts × 8 empty hours × €25/hour × 300 days = €360,000 in lost potential revenue

Obviously not all those slots would fill. But not even 20% was getting filled.

That's €72,000 annually evaporating while Miguel complained that "business was tough".

The Harsh Reality You're Ignoring

Let me be direct: your club is also bleeding money between 10 AM and 6 PM.

I've visited over 40 clubs in the last 3 years. The pattern is always the same:

What they tell me: "Francisco, daytime business doesn't work. People are working."

What really happens: they never seriously tried to convert dead hours into real revenue.

They expect members to change their schedules instead of creating value for available time slots.

Big mistake.

The 3 Strategies That Actually Work (Real Data)

Strategy #1: The Magic Price

Here's what works: don't sell "cheap padel". Sell "premium padel at smart pricing".

What Miguel did before: Court at €25 in dead hours = 0 reservations What he does now: Court at €18 + included coffee + free parking = 60% occupancy

The mindset shift: You're not giving discounts. You're creating value packages.

A club in Granada I advised increased their off-peak revenue from €800/month to €4,200/month in 6 months. Same courts, better packaging.

Strategy #2: The Invisible Segments (My Favorite Discovery)

After months of observation, I realized Miguel was ignoring 3 massive groups of potential customers:

1. The Golden Retirees Elena, 67, former executive. Wants to play but feels intimidated by the evening crowd. I sold her a morning membership (10 AM - 3 PM) for €45/month.

Result: Elena brought 8 friends. They generate €4,500/year in memberships + €3,200 in additional products.

2. The Stressed Freelancers Carlos, independent designer. Works from home, needs exercise to stay healthy. Bought 10 daytime hours for €180 (vs €250 in normal hours).

Result: Carlos comes 2-3 times/week, brings clients for networking sessions. Extra €2,800/year.

3. The Power Moms Group of 12 mothers who play while kids are in school. Special group membership: €35/person/month for unlimited play between 9 AM - 3 PM.

Result: €5,040 annually + high retention rate + constant referrals.

Strategy #3: Smart Programming

Stop waiting for people to book spontaneously. Create reasons for them to come.

Beginner Tuesdays (11 AM): Clinic for beginners + social coffee after Power Thursdays (2 PM): Express league for independent professionals
Mom Fridays (10 AM): Tournament + included childcare

Results after 8 months:

• Off-peak revenue: +€47,000 annually
• Daytime occupancy rate: rose from 12% to 58%
• Overall club satisfaction: increased because there's more "life" all day

The Mistakes That Almost Cost Everything

Mistake #1: Prices too cheap I thought €10/hour would fill the courts. Wrong. People thought something was wrong with the courts or service.

Mistake #2: Generic marketing "Come play daytime padel" didn't motivate anyone. When I changed to "Escape work stress with midday padel" reservations multiplied.

Mistake #3: Not creating community Individual bookings don't sustain themselves. Groups and specialized memberships do.

The 30-Day Implementation

Don't change everything at once. Here's my step-by-step:

Week 1: Analyze your numbers. How many empty slots do you really have?

Week 2: Identify ONE segment to target first (I recommend retirees - they're loyal and pay cash)

Week 3: Design 1 specific program/membership + test it with 5-10 people

Week 4: Refine based on feedback + plan expansion

Don't try to be everything to everyone. Pick one segment, dominate it, then expand.

Your €50,000 Opportunity

I'm not exaggerating. Most clubs like yours are leaving €40-70K annually on the table.

Want to know exactly how much you're losing?

Take your number of courts × 7 empty hours × €20 average × 250 days. That's your gross potential. 15-25% of that is realistic to capture in 12 months.

Miguel's club now generates €47,000 extra annually from slots that were completely dead before.

Same infrastructure. Same staff. Different strategy.

Want me to tell you exactly how I helped him implement this? Let's have a 20-minute call to review your specific situation.

No pitch, no forced sale. Just real numbers and strategy that works.