ONGOING MEMBER JOURNEY - Health Club Management Article June 2013

The member journey should last the full length of the membership – and, if possible, beyond – says Guy Griffiths, in the second of his three-part series on retention and the member journey

You've managed to lead as many members as possible through the new member journey, and they've hopefully developed the habit of coming to the club regularly. However, they haven't completed the full member journey – far from it. In fact, your job is to try and prevent them from completing the journey, instead keeping them on the path to lifetime membership.

Members will inevitably drop through the net, and we'll look at absent and ex-members next time around. But at the heart of the problem for many clubs is the fact that the member journey or service plan is often so focused on new members that it falls apart a couple of months after they join: a member only has to turn down a review appointment and they can drop off the radar, never to be spoken to again.

Measuring Member Communications - FitPro Business Article

The best type of communication is face-to-face and with new members these interactions happen regularly in the club. However, early on in the member journey it is also important to send other forms of communications, as this opens the channels to easily stay in touch with members in the event that they start to visit less.

NEW MEMBER JOURNEY - Health Club Management Article May 2013

It’s well known that the initial four to six weeks of membership are critical to building the exercise habit, and therefore key to member retention. Yet so many clubs still get this wrong. Once the sale is made, many think the hard work is over. In fact, it’s only just begun. Guy Griffiths reports, in the first of a three-part retention series 

“We sold 100 memberships last month!”
Great, how many of them are still visiting?
“Who cares? We have to hit 110 this month…” 

Health club operators invest so much in recruiting a new member that it's crazy to lose interest once they have signed up – and in principle at least, most operators know there should be an equal focus on retaining members, particularly just after they've joined. Yet in practice, clubs focus more and more on sales, particularly in today's economic climate and competitive market.

Do Something Before It’s Too Late

In tough financial times, many businesses concentrate so much on sales, that they often upset or overlook their existing customers. This pattern is particularly apparent in the fitness industry with clubs offering no joining fees, or undercutting each other on price to hit their monthly sales target, while members cancel after a few months.

Many clubs look at how many members cancel each month

Retention still not given the necessary attention by gyms - Health Club Management letter April 2013

Copy of letter published in Health Club Management magazine, April 2013 
Paul Bedford’s letter last month hit the nail on the head (HCM March 13, p6); there is a general lack of robust or clean member data in the industry, which can make retention analysis very difficult.

Two key factors for reduced focus on retention are the financial downturn, which increases pressure on sales, and new technology, such as social media, seen by some as the silver bullet for member engagement. The recession continues and shows no sign of abating, yet more new clubs are opening.

Engaging Surveys for Gym Members

Surveys are a great way of garnering opinion, but when used effectively, they can be a really great member engagement tool. They can help to reinforce the value of your membership, act as a forum for feedback, and even turnaround leavers or ex-members.

Is staff turnover higher at budget clubs?

We’ve been reading a lot about staffing in clubs, budget club staff turnover, and Personal Trainers lately on various blogs and LinkedIn groups (n.b. member only groups)

There is a perception that turnover of staff at budget clubs is higher than at other clubs, and that member attrition is also higher. Here’s why:
Member attrition is a well-known problem in the fitness industry. However, staff turnover is also an industry-wide issue, and poor member retention can be a symptom of the staff issue.

If we consider a ‘standard’ low-cost club model of minimal staff, long opening hours, automated member communication, centralised operations, it is a different environment than fitness professionals expect, or are used to.

Personal Training Aspirations

How do Personal Trainers help to deliver great member retention, and what can clubs and staff learn from them?

Many gym staff aspire to be personal trainers. Some are motivated by the ‘money’, but instructors who make the transition successfully are likely to be focused on interaction and getting results.

A Plethora of Cancellation Options / aka “I Got A Deal”

Our November post about TV media packages took us back to the cancellation story… There's more that gyms could learn from this, particularly after recent bad press about clubs not letting people out of contract.

So do you know anyone who has tried to cancel their Satellite TV/broadband/other subscription? It's simple enough to downgrade (at the end of the month), but terminating your contract can be a very interesting process.

Take Your Time Online – Control Your Social Networking

When it comes to being in control of your social media, lots of people, particularly small businesses have concerns over wasting time on social websites. I know several people who avoid social networks because they fear losing time, and I have coached a few folk on time management where social media has been identified as a focus.

Part of the problem stems from the fact that social networks were frowned on historically, and seen as ‘play-time’ in the corporate world.

However, social websites are becoming more accepted in the office;