How to Make the Most from Make a Move - Part 1

The Technogym Make a Move challenge is a UK nationwide club challenge that encourages facilities using the MyWellness cloud to challenge their members to collect MOVEs. It is a team challenge, so it pits instructors against each other to find out which instructor team can collect the most MOVEs from 7th to 25th November.

For motivation, there are 2 focuses on prizes. The winning team’s club will win a Skillmill, plus £500 in education vouchers. Although this will benefit the members at that club, there’s more prizes up for grabs for everyone who takes part. The top 20 participants nationwide will each win a Technogym goody-bag and training kit, plus online coaching and an Olympic training seminar. Finally, everyone who takes part will get fitter and healthier, and have more interaction with instructors, which will help them stay members for longer!

Part 1 – Collecting Members

So how to you get as many members to sign-up to your team? Here’s our top tips list for getting as many members involved in this (or any) challenge:

1. Talk to them

If it sounds simple, that’s because it is. But the most effective way of getting people to sign up to a challenge is to talk to them face to face. It’s far more effective than social media, adverts, email, postcards, or phone calls. You’ll see if the member is up for it there and then, and you can sign them up on the spot. If they’re not interested right then, they’ll come back to you if they change their mind.
Ask them at their induction, during an exercise programme review, when you’re correcting their exercise technique, giving them a high five, saying hello, as they arrive, or just before they leave. This is not forever; you only have 3 weeks to do this.

2. Invite them by email

You can send out an email through the challenge app on the MyWellness cloud very easily to all members who are registered with an email. This is super simple, and will get quite a few registrations, but one email is rarely enough.
Consider a proper mail merge of your member database (front of house system, active gym members), and check open rates, click rates, then follow-up with those who are genuinely interested. The message should encourage members to either sign-up online, or talk to a member of staff… see 1 above!

3. Visual advertising

Keeping it simple… place posters around your club, particularly in high traffic/conversation areas, front door, changing rooms, etc. Again, the key message is to sign-up online or via the app, or to talk to an instructor about the challenge.
Slightly more complex… add challenge screen-savers to your equipment, post about the challenge on your website and all your social media channels, blog about it, and hand out postcards. Encourage members to sign up there and then, or to talk to an instructor.

4. Target

Pick your team members if possible. Don’t be too picky (you don’t want to exclude anyone) but there will be members who you know will help your team. These could be motivational members who will bring others along and get them moving, or just members who move a lot!
Another angle here is to get lots of other staff members on your team today, as they’ll all help sign up more members to your team.

5. Talk to them (again)

Yes, we’re beating the same drum, but sometimes you need to! Just like a couple of emails are sometimes needed to get someone to take action, sometimes you’ll need to ask a few times before a member joins your team. Tell the members about the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) member prizes, but also say what’s in it for you, the instructor… "you could help us win a Skillmill, and I’ll get a £500 education voucher"!


So, hit it hard this weekend and talk to as many members (and staff) as possible! Next week the hard work starts, as you need to get your team moving… Check out our other articles on challenges, and come back here on Monday for more tips!