Ask The Expert (The Collective) Ep 19 - Retention Special

This week, Guy Griffiths joined Paul Bedford in a Retention Special, hosted by Alina Cooper on The Collective.

Member retention is on everyone's agenda at the moment - will people return to our clubs, and when? Paul and Guy discuss the opportunities thrown up by the COVID pandemic to improve health club member retention, from inductions to digital engagement.
What does the future look like for retention, and do they think there will be more of a focus going forward?

The Collective is a group of fitness industry people who come together to share, collaborate and grow.. This is the first double bill "Ask the Expert" session on the Collective. Click here to join and learn more.

Personal Trainers... Improve Client Retention: Stop Selling Sessions - PT Monthly Article

One of the most common retention problems for PTs is keeping members beyond the initial block of sessions, whether it is 3, 5, or 10. This month, we’re looking at different models for retention, along with ways of adding value to your PT offering.

The Covid pandemic has highlighted a lot of successful and some more problematic business models. Many businesses have been setting up or switching to subscription services, long before lockdown. Netflix, Amazon, and Spotify are obvious examples, but others include food (Abel&Cole, HelloFresh), drink (VirginWine, Beer52), razors (Harrys, DollarShaveClub), and toilet roll (WhoGivesACrap, BumBoo). Convenience is the number one selling point, but all these have an important back story, secondary mission or value, often about sustainability, environmental, or experience. Note that they all put value before price.

Selling a block of 10 sessions is out-dated, not only because the consumer is more accustomed to subscription, but also because you must keep selling every 5-10 weeks. And selling is rarely a PT’s strongest skill, or favourite part of the job. What’s more, it gives the client an easy ‘out’, particularly if they’ve not got value from the latter sessions.

Experience Recovery Conversation with Guy Griffiths and David Monkhouse of Leisure Net

Guy in conversation with David Monkhouse on the Leisure Net Experience Recovery Series.

Guy and David discuss lockdown exercise, gym membership cancellations and communicating with members as clubs start to think about re-opening.

Reducing the Second Wave - Gym Owner Monthly Article

We all hope to avoid a second wave of Covid-19 infections. A bigger worry for many gym owners and operators is the second wave of membership cancellations as we get closer to re-opening.

Communication is key to maintaining member engagement. Let’s talk about what happened as we entered lockdown, how you should be learning from lockdown messaging, and how to communicate your re-opening and flatten the second wave of membership cancellations.