Returning Member Motivation - "Back to Fitness"

It’s a year since we posted our Zero to Hero programme, aimed at getting new (inexperienced) members up and running in the gym. A few clubs have been running different levels of Zero to Hero, from logging visits on cards (like a coffee loyalty card) to triggering communications from membership systems for class attendance.

New member motivation programmes are a simple way of increasing first month visits and getting members into the exercise habit. But similar challenges can also be offered to members who are returning after a prolonged absence.

July-ke a good challenge?

Keep your members coming back for more throughout the summer months with some motivating challenges. 

Avoid the traditional monthly rowing ladder, press-up or power circuit challenge which exclude most members. 

Instead, choose something inclusive that will appeal to all members instead. Here are some suggestions…

• Tour de France (or mini TdF):- Cycle 300km (or 60km for mini) from 4-26 July
• Instructor’s team workout:- Join an instructor’s team, and see who can collect the most workouts
• Calorie burner:- who can burn the most calories this month?

For more ideas of challenges, check out our monthly MyWellness Challenge suggestions, most of which can be adapted if you don't use the MyWellness apps...

MyWellness Challenge - July - Tour de France (and mini Tours)

Time for some more inclusive challenges in July, getting into the saddle with the cyclists in the Tour de France. Teams are very important in Le Tour, but this one's all about the individual...

We suggest running 2 or 3 consecutive challenges here, to make it more inclusive by challenging the keen as well as the less keen exerciser with a challenge they can compete, with a bit of a push!

The Tour de France is over 3000km. Challenge yourself to your own mini-Tour this month, and see if you can ride 300km/120km/60km in 3 weeks.

Type:  Distance Cycled
Won by:  Everyone who cycles 300km / 120km / 60km
Start Date:  4 July
Duration:  21 days
Prizes:  Without

High Five your regular members!

don't leave me hanging...

As well as contacting absent members, it’s a really good idea to send communications to your regular users. Congratulating them on achievements such as hitting an exercise goal or simply visiting more often than last month can be a great boost, and will keep them coming regularly, which will reduce absentees. Try some of these out for size:

Do you miss your members when they're on holiday?

Contacting absent members often becomes a full time job through the summer months, and depending on the contact methods you use, can be expensive and have limited success. (here are the best ways to contact absentees)

The majority of absentees really appreciate these messages (assuming you respect their communication preferences) with absentees returning to clubs saying thanks for the contact,

Gym Ethics – how many follow-ups?

Whether it’s sales or retention, there seems to be a shortfall in follow-up actions taking place. How many of these sound familiar?

We sent an email / sms / letter (therefore it’s covered)
I left them a message, and they’ve not called back (my job’s done)
I called them, and they said they’d be back next week (but I’ve not checked)

We know that around 50% of absent members

Ethics – Benchmarking and Customer Centricity with Proinsight

The presentations and discussions at the recent Retention Convention brought to mind the benchmarking analysis work done by Mystery Shopping and research firm Proinsight. Dave Hopkins from Proinsight has kindly allowed us to replicate a couple of the pages from their annual report here.

The Proinsight Benchmark Score(TM) takes in a number of (primarily sales focused) touch points to build an average industry score, against which Proinsight customers can compare themselves, and hopefully work to improve.

MyWellness Challenge - June - Team MOVE Challenge

This June, it's time for another team challenge, so get your instructors into teams and let's see who can collect the most MOVEs!...

Can you be on the winning team this June. Select your instructor(s), join the challenge on their team, and then add your MOVEs to their total. The winning instructor(s) gets a bonus, and there are spot prizes for the best individual movers.

Type:  MOVEs
Won by:  Whoever totals the highest number of MOVEs
Start Date:  1 June
Duration:  14 days
Prizes:  With prizes (Winning Instructor, and top 5 Movers win prizes)

The Retention Convention – Key points from the day

Another big thank you to Paul Bedford for bringing everyone together for the Retention Convention last week. It was great to see so many attendees in Birmingham, and to have the event live streamed to hundreds more delegates around the world. We’ll update a link here for attendees to review the presentations once they’re published. 

The flow of the 4 presentations worked really well (almost like we planned it!) Robin Gargrave did a super job introducing the speakers and directing the Q&A panel. Here are our key takeaways from the other speakers:

The Retention Convention – Running an Ethical Health Club

An overview of our presentation at the Retention Convention on 14 May 2014…

Ethics are important in any business, it is one of the things that made me switch from the banking industry to health and fitness… from helping banks to make more money to helping members to become fitter and healthier.

However, in 2008, there were several things that I questioned about the ethics of the fitness industry, which are now changing for the better…