More Fitness Club Member Service & Retention Articles
Secrets to ‘Spectacular’ Customer Service
From September 2008 Club Business International Magazine
Doing the BBB One Better
From June 2008 Club Business International Magazine
U.S. Clubs See Growth in Membership, Revenues
From May 2008 Club Business for Entrepreneurs Magazine
How to Go from Waning to Waxing: Characteristics of High-Retention Clubs
From March 2008 Club Business International Magazine
How to Turn Attrition Around
From March 2008 Club Business International Magazine
"Gems" from the Gurus
From August 2007 Club Business for Entrepreneurs Magazine
The Industry's Best Retention Tool: Get Active! magazine works wonders for clubs, members, communities, and the public's health
From July 2007 Club Business International Magazine
Are You Failing Your Members?
From May 2007 Club Business for Entrepreneurs Magazine
Customer Service Doesn't End With the Sale!
From February 2007 Club Business for Entrepreneurs Magazine
The Membership Retention Triad: Branding, Customer Service & Programming-For-Success
From February 2007 Club Business for Entrepreneurs Magazine
Group Fitness Management Key to Business Success: Professional's Corner
From November 2005 Club Business for Entrepreneurs Magazine
Active Seniors = Loyal Members
From August 2005 Club Business for Entrepreneurs Magazine
The title says it all: programming puts fun into exercise. If people are having fun, they will continue to exercise, and will continue to pay for the experience.
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Programming for Profit: Fun, Fitness and Financial Success by Sandy Coffman Let's examine a few ideas for creating successful club programs. You may want to evaluate how your programming efforts measure up with regards to delivering fun and fitness. You may find that you will take a fresh look at retention. Are you really programming for profit? Retention is the First Step, Not the Last. It costs up to six times more to get a new member than it does to keep one, so retention is clearly the issue that most affects your bottom line - i.e. your financial success. Most of the attrition in our industry comes from people who quit before they ever get started. For example, a salesperson and a potential member will have an in-depth conversation about goals and commitments. Together, they may go through a needs analysis, schedule an appointment for a fitness assessment and peruse an array of programming opportunities that seemingly will lead to the road to fitness. Promises are made -- and commitments are made -- but the first step to a lifetime of fitness is often perceived as a laborious, qualifying evaluation or a confusing orientation. In fact, many new members find all the equipment and class options more intimidating than inviting and therefore never act on their good intentions at all, or won't return after the first appointment. This scenario results in attrition rather than retention. Is there a way to set a new member up for success rather than failure? If fitness is truly a commitment to a new lifestyle, then we must become more empathetic to those who are making that commitment for the first time. We must provide an initial experience that is a comfortable, easy and fun entry to our clubs and our programs. Let's ensure that new members look forward to - rather than dread -- their second visit. Form Clubs Within the Club. People join clubs to be with other people. That's simply a logical assumption, but we often run our businesses as if the opposite were true. We tend to take new members and set them up on programs that they are expected to implement on their own. Admittedly, some new members are experienced, serious exercisers who are willing to do that, but the majority are people who have failed at exercising many times before and are looking for an environment that will be more motivating and inspiring - a club where other people like themselves will meet to exercise together in a motivating atmosphere of camaraderie, sociability and friendliness. A club is a group of people who come together with similar interests, skill levels, schedules, personalities, ages and/or genders. Clubs form relationships and friendships, therefore the programs in your club are the perfect opportunities to put people together in smaller clubs within your club. More simply put, it is programming with a group concept. Some of the niches or groups that are absolutely necessary to target are new members, inexperienced or deconditioned members and the older adult market. These groups probably make up the majority of your members and the need for them to feel a sense of belonging is enormous. If you put them together in a program specifically designed to address their needs and cater to their similarities, they will be more likely to find fun and fitness in their lives and remain members of your club. Let's consider a typical new member orientation program. Many clubs take all new members, regardless of their age, experience or degrees of apprehension and intimidation and start them off with a series of exercises learned on five or six pieces of equipment. The number of suggested repetitions and sets are written on a card and filed in the fitness center. The member is then expected to visit the club a few times a week, pull the card and perform the exercises. After about six weeks, the member is asked to call the club for an updated program. Although the theory behind this program is very productive and can deliver results in the long run, it is often abandoned by the member due to lack of interest, motivation or enjoyment. Now let's consider another option. That same group of new members could be invited to the club and put on a program that would ask them to walk on a treadmill (the most popular piece of equipment in our business), ride a bike (the second most popular piece), or use an elliptical machine (the third most popular piece of equipment) for 20 minutes twice a week for eight weeks. They would all work at their own pace and would all be working toward the same goal. They could be set up in groups of 10, 20, 50 or 100, but they would all be new members with a common interest and an attainable goal. They would clearly be a club within your club. Every Club Needs a Leader. Obviously, as we explore the ins and outs of programming for profit and retention, the real issue will come down to who we hire and how we train them. All the marketing techniques, sales strategies, equipment and programs will be for naught if the right leadership is not in place. Our first challenge is to hire and train people who will teach (not show off or intimidate), educate (not lecture), encourage (not mandate), and recognize achievements (not reprimand or ignore). Technical knowledge, degrees and certifications are necessary, but a fun, energized, empathetic, engaging personality is unprecedented! Technical knowledge can be acquired, but can we "teach" the type of personality needed to deliver that knowledge? Yes! All you need is a positive attitude and a willingness to practice communication techniques that have been proven to work, such as skills in interviewing, scheduling, teaching and selling. In addition, there are specific telephone skills, promotional techniques and organizations skills that make up professional leaders and programmers. Our members need leadership, direction, encouragement and attention. These needs can be met only by a programmer with a sincere desire and ability to relate to all types of people. Remember, our largest markets are the new, inexperienced, deconditioned and aging markets. The secret to their success is a fun experience in a very serious environment. Their main goal is to enjoy a healthy, happy lifestyle that will give them the quality of life that we promise. In a nutshell, if we want to create a fun environment, we must hire fun people, then train them in the skills needed to deliver fun and fitness. The goal of programming is retention, so now it's time to evaluate how you will achieve that. Customer service, programming, and retention all go hand in hand, but success will only come if the experience that is created is one that will bring your members back for more. Lastly, we must never disappoint. The consistency that training will bring to your organization will ensure a positive experience in every programming department for years to come. The win-win formula will be that retention will be realized for your members and your business. That's programming for profit - fun, fitness, and financial success. Sandy Coffman is president of Programming For Profit, a training and consulting firm based in Bradenton, Florida. She can be reached at (941) 756-6921 or via e-mail to SLCoffman@aol.com. |
