It will soon be time to welcome many of your members back to your club. This presents you with a huge opportunity to make a fresh start with all members, regardless of their experience or expectations. First impressions matter, and this time around they matter more than ever.
Inductions are a cornerstone of good member retention that I often talk and write about. Articles in GOM Feb20 and Oct19 both reference onboarding and inductions, but not as mandatory health and safety appointments. As we re-open, we can use the health and safety argument to ensure all members get this key interaction. To be clear, this is not a 45-minute one-on-one appointment, more of a fast-start speech that you deliver to all members.
Some members will rush back, but others need reassurance. A 5-minute group welcome session will help deliver this. Everyone needs to hear your new procedures, regardless of whether they have read them online. It will also help with reinforcing the rules, which will reassure members further, and help you to stay open! Finally, it will improve your retention, as it will help your staff to re-build rapport with your members.
Virtual or real-life?
Since the fitness industry has pivoted to digital for many services, it makes sense to record a welcome video with your staff in-club. We developed a series of clips at FitSpace back in 2013, and many other low-cost clubs do the same. It really helps member confidence and explains policies for members before they visit. It should be sent as a link to your members, re-joiners, and new joiners. It could also be played in the lobby when members are waiting to start their session.
But video does not create a proper staff-member interaction. It is best to deliver the same information again either at the start of each session, or to members in the queue. Airline stewards run through the safety procedure before every flight. You need to do the same for every member visiting your club, if possible, on every visit.
Key messages
You should be crystal clear on the key messages for your welcome speech. The rules are there to keep members and staff safe, and to keep the club open. Explain the cleaning procedures; what is expected of members and staff. How is social distancing maintained? And how are any breaches reported and dealt with?
A few hidden messages can also be woven into this communication, designed to help with member retention. Tell them you are there to help; offer to book an appointment for a programme review, fitness test, or other session. Members need to download your app to access bookings and digital content such as the workout of the week, online classes, and coaching messages. Show how you support members in the club and remotely.
Induction key factors (examples)
Health & Safety
- Social distancing
- Cleaning
- Traffic flow
Retention
- Book appointment
- Remote support
- Download app
Member benefits
- Stay safe
- Get results
- Stay longer
It is for everyone
Just as all members should experience this welcome, all staff should be delivering it. Gym owners, management, instructors, and casual staff. By repeating the speech at the start of every session, or at regular intervals to everyone in the queue, your staff will learn, practice, and implement the policies. All staff need to understand both perspectives; to reassure and retain members.
Members and staff have avoided inductions in the past, so you need to sell the benefits, starting with your staff. It is mainly about health and safety (staff and members), but also about retention, getting member feedback (which will be mostly positive), building rapport with members (to sell more PT in future), or simply having a more interesting day through talking to more members!
Short and sweet
Keep the welcome short and sweet, always deliver it with a smile and stick to the script. Some of your keener members might want to bypass the welcome, but they are likely to be the ones you will need to keep an eye on for social distancing or cleaning. Keep it up as more members come back. They will be the members who need more reassurance, so reinforce the message.
Make the welcome speech your new normal. Follow-up during the session to build on the rapport you have created at the start. Give comments of praise to members who are doing a good job of cleaning and distancing, and make sure you speak to those who are not. Overall, your members will thank you for it; you are better off upsetting or losing one or two members who do not meet the rules.
The 3Rs of Inductions
Regardless of what you call your new induction (and it is probably best to drop the word induction from the description), it has three purposes. Reassurance, rules, and retention. Make it mandatory for the sake of your business, all your staff and members will thank you for it in the long run.
This article first appeared in Gym Owner Monthly in July 2020. Click here to read the whole magazine.
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