Time management has to be one of the most popular problems that people want to improve through life coaching. Clients might be looking to improve productivity, increase sales, get a new job, or get fit, but the coaching often involves an aspect of time management. A fitness analogy is that members of health clubs nearly all want to lose weight. This comes in different guises; tone up, fight the flab, drop a size, etc, but the basic goal is the same for many.
Different strokes work for different folks. There are a lot more distractions these days, but there are also more tools to help us to manage time and focus. Making lists works for some, while others use prioritising, planning, scheduling… personally, I’m a big fan of eating frogs. The key is to find what works for you.
Coaching helps with the motivation to make a change and to keep up momentum. We check on the desire for change (if it’s not there, it’s not time to change yet). If the time is right, we set smart goals, investigate options, identifying what might work, gauge the way forward, and move towards the goal with purpose and belief. Good coaching is non-directive, i.e. the client comes up with the options and solutions themselves, and 9 times out of 10, these stick.
Helping people to seemingly create more time is very rewarding!
How many times have you been embittered by new member offers when you are already a member? To sign up afresh would actually get you a better deal than the one that you are locked into.
Department stores (e.g. Debenhams) often give new cardholders a 10% discount offer for signing up that day. These are advertised on banner displays around the store, but not available to existing cardholders. Sky TV offers fantastic bundles to new subscribers, while existing customers need to (try to) cancel their subscription and start again to benefit from similar deals.
Compare this to the mobile phone industry, which rewards users on contract renewal with discounts of 20% on new call packages, in addition to free handset upgrades. In this highly competitive market, phone companies know that loyalty is key and focus on the positive existing customer experience, knowing that it will bring more friends and family onto the network.
Unfortunately, the health club industry is still like the former in general. Banners call out to new members as they arrive in the car-park advertising “no joining fee”, “August for free”, “2 for 1 membership”… none are aimed at the existing member. A highly motivated, positive thinking member might tell their friends about the offer, but most will just be disappointed that new members are getting a better deal.
The existing member must feel that they are equal if not better off than the new member. Paying last year’s rate is a safe, revenue protecting strategy (if fees have gone up this year). More audacious clubs will offer a month or more free after a year or two, a less exciting offer might be a free bag. The key is to make the existing member feel really appreciated for staying for another year, and to keep rewarding them and turn them into members (and fans) for life.
We’re really pleased to announce that GG Fit raised over £1,500 for the British Heart Foundation by taking part in the London Jogs Trilogy in 2010.
The Justgiving page closed today, and our total sponsorship was £1,205, with an additional £333 in good old Gift Aid.
The London Jogs Trilogy are three 10k runs around London’s Hyde Park (April), Tower of London (May) and Canary Wharf (June). The main reasons we take part are to raise money and awareness for the BHF, but the trilogy is also a great excuse to set some fitness goals, get colleagues together, and to motivate others to exercise and raise a little money for charity. Asking for sponsorship for all three events ‘allows’ us to send 3 or 4 e-mails to our contacts, maximising donations for the BHF, which is a very important charity.
On the subject of motivation, it is a big help knowing that you have 3 or 4 team mates that are relying on you to help them through the 10k. On the loop circuits, it’s great to encourage each other on, or to try and catch and lap team-mates. Looking forward to the team beers afterwards is more of a motivator for others, with the inevitable “I wasn’t sure at the start, felt worse in the middle, but feel fantastic now!” The finish buzz always feels great.
Well done to BHF for organising such great events (more here). If you know of any other interesting 10k runs that we should consider taking part in, please let us know in the comments below.
What really motivates members and increases membership length? We’ve discussed programming before, and seen impressive results from talking to members about their exercise programme. We know that it’s the staff-member interaction that actually helps improve visit frequency. Members’ goals are the critical factor in member retention; understand each member’s goal, and then support them in move towards the goal. Simply recording a member’s goal can have a profound effect on length of membership, as you can see here:
The graphic above compares average length of membership for members with goal(s) recorded in the Wellness System against members whose goals were not recorded. For both Casual and Contract members, membership length is considerably longer (over 60% longer for Contract members) when a goal is recorded in the system.
The figures are taken from a local authority club with around 2,000 active members and historical data for over 4,000 members. Other analysis shows trainers that record their members’ goals are more successful in terms of active member status and member retention. We were really pleased to see goal recording, and it will be actively encouraged moving forwards.
Taking a similar comparison using active exercise programmes shows quite a different picture:
There is very little difference between members who have current programmes and those whose programmes have expired. In fact, members with old programmes seem to stay longer. Changing the filters to included members whose programme recently expired does not change the trend significantly.
We’re not saying that you shouldn’t focus on updating exercise programmes, this staff-member interaction is important. What is clear is that during programme reviews, checking goals and aspirations is vital, and if you can record the member’s goal, especially a SMART goal (more soon) you will help to prolong their membership, which is good for everyone.
I’ve not been for a run for a couple of weeks, and have been slack during July to be honest, with golf, conferences and work trips getting in the way. What motivated me to go on a long run today then? Watching le Tour riders incredible efforts probably helped, an Eddie Izzard DVD last weekend always inspires, the fact I was slacking could have something to do with it, but I think the main reason was the extra pint at the end of the pub quiz last night, and wanting to redress the balance.
Here’s the route I took:
View Muswell Hill Runs in a larger map
My target was to see how far along Parkland Walk towards Finsbury Park I could get, and turn around after 30 mins, as that would be over 5km. From Muswell Hill to the Parkland Walk is very up and down, but Parkland Walk itself is a disused railway track, so relatively flat and straight. There were quite a few other joggers, some accepting my high-fives, some nodding hello, but a couple disregarding me altogether. Offering motivation to like minded people helps my motivation too, and there’s nothing like an unexpected high-five to cheer up your day.
Music helping me along the way came from the usual playlist, including Faithless, Rage, & Armand. Must set up a new playlist for August.
Got to Finsbury Park at 29 mins, checked in on FourSquare, and headed back along the track looking out for returning high-fives. Getting back up to Muswell Hill required a lot of effort, but thoughts of Schleck and Contador, and that Survivor tune helped a great deal!
Parkland Walk is a great track for a walk or a run… getting there from Muswell Hill (and back) is hard work, but it was great to do a 10k for July, looking out for events in August or September to join and help the motivation. Let me know of any 10k runs you’re considering in the comments below, and I’ll join you!
When it comes to maximising member retention, we all know communication is vital. Face to face contact is paramount, which is fine for the members who are in your club. But what do you do about the members who are not present, or who haven’t visited for a few weeks, or perhaps longer?
Re-motivating absent members
Visiting their home or office would be very effective, but economies of scale make this impractical for most clubs. Alternatively you can phone the member, which is often the first choice in retention policies. Although 55% of communication is visual, the tone of voice and words still come across on the phone. If you actually get through to the member there’s a good chance they’ll come back in, but often there’s a voicemail or no answer, which reduces the probability of success in bringing the member back. If this is the first phone call you’ve made to this member, this will also reduce the effectiveness of the communication.
It was a lovely hot day for the British Heart Foundation Canary Wharf Jog this Wednesday, and the crowds gathered as the early evening sun dodged between the tower blocks. Team GG Fit comprised of Zoe, Leigh and Guy (all completing the BHF Trilogy of Jogs) and Richie stood in ably for the missing Nigel. Runners at the exclusive Canary Wharf Jog are limited to 1,300 for health & safety reasons, so there were a few disappointed people hoping to register on the day.
As usual, once the jog started, it is clear why numbers are limited, as you dodge between buildings and try not to bump into the city drinkers along the banks of the Thames. The first two laps were slow going, with a few bottlenecks, but the field soon spread out, and our knees took a pounding on the hard roads and pavements.
Richie dropped back after a few laps, but the trio of Zoe, Leigh & Guy stayed strong and stuck together until the 8th lap, when Zoe & Guy upped the pace, motivated by the thought of catching Richie. He was lapped on our 10th lap, and encouraged with a “come on, only one more to go”.
After the distance disputes at the 2009 Tower Jog, the GPS showed that we had redeemed ourselves this year by running 11.5km. It certainly seemed like a long run, and after high fives, back slaps and hugs, we headed to join the drinkers by the Thames for a well earned cool down drink, or three.
A big thanks to everyone who has sponsored us, total raised to date it £1,155, click here to see the total, or to add to it!
Anna goes to join a gym, and as well as taking a quick profile test to check her exercise aspirations, she is asked how long she would like her membership to last. She thinks six months is a reasonable commitment, and that sounds fine for the club too. She asks about cancellation, and they tell her that she can cancel whenever she wants, with one month’s notice and no quibbles.
What if her motivation wanes? As well as regular newsletters posted through her favourite social network, she will receive tweets or texts to remind her if she hasn’t visited for a few weeks. Furthermore, after three months absence, the club will warn her, and then cancel her monthly payment*, at the same time sending her a few free guest pass credits.
This is the club of the future, a club that has supreme confidence in its staff and systems and their ability to motivate members. Its business model is not to continue taking money from inactive members, as they only spread a negative message. Nearly all new member sales are referrals by existing members, whose reward is that their friends are now at the same club. Staff are rewarded for retaining members, but their real motivation comes from seeing their members achieve results and enjoying their time in the club.
There a lot of debate about gym memberships at the moment, particularly related to length of contract, automatic renewal, and notice period.
Many large chains currently offer a minimum twelve month contract; the only choice is whether to join at one or multiple sites. If there’s a facility near your home and work, then the choice is made for you, and if not, there’s really no choice.
Smaller clubs also get driven down the contract route, particularly if they outsource collections to a Direct Debit agency, as the membership contracts are defined by the service provider.
Yet some new budget clubs and many local authority and trust run clubs offer a wide choice of memberships, from Pay & Play, Monthly, Annual, etc.
The future of gym membership will be about choice. And more choice will be a very good thing for the fitness industry in the long run.
*cancelling payment was suggested during a recent discussion with the director of a local council (the discussion was before the bar had opened!)
The second of the British Heart Foundation London Jog trilogy took place this week, and there was a great turnout for GG Fit and for the event in general. Of the 1,800 people taking part, we were represented by Zoe, Leigh, Nigel and Guy, who all ran the full 10km, and Tracy and Amelie (the newest member of the team) who just did one circuit.
The going was good on the soft grass in the moat, and the laps of the Tower of London being notched up. After the distance disputes of 2009, the BHF had recalibrated the number of laps up to 11, and as we neared the full distance, Nigel and Guy stuck together at the front, but Nigel broke into a sprint on the last lap to complete the 10km in just under 53 minutes, with Guy close behind, and Zoe and Leigh a minute and two later.
Medals were collected (and chewed by some to check if they were real gold)
After a brief warm-down, we enjoyed the now customary hospitality of Santander and the Co-Operative Bank which really helped to replace the calories burned around the jog, and to quench our thirsts. It was great to catch up with old colleagues and new staff from SMA Financial.
The third and final BHF jog is on 2nd June at Canary Wharf – come and support us, or join in. Alternatively, you can sponsor us by clicking here
Thousands gathered yesterday on a wonderful spring evening for the fourth annual BHF Hyde Park Jog. Entries were quickly processed, t-shirts collected, and then Mario from Fitness First led a great warm up from the bandstand. Team GG Fit represented by Zoë, Leigh & Guy were raring to go, motivated to all finish within an hour, and the promise of a pint afterwards!
With over 2,000 runners, the start was busy, but we soon settled into our rhythm, and stuck together all the way round the first (5km) lap, chatting a little, and enjoying the early evening sun and views of the park and the Serpentine. At the halfway point, Zoë stretched her legs and upped the pace, leaving Guy 20 metres behind, and Leigh 20m further back.
Guy plugged into his running playlist, and caught Zoë at about 7km as Insomnia by Faithless kicked in. Shortly after Bombtrack (Rage Against the Machine) dropped, Guy’s legs stepped up a gear, and he was cruising past people on the west side of The Long Water. Had he gone too early? Possibly, he thought, but then the opening refrains of The Eye of the Tiger started as he passed the final 1km sign, and this carried him through to the finish. It just goes to show, music can be a great motivator!
Final times – Guy: 54 minutes, Zoë: 54½, Leigh: 56½. Handshakes and back slaps all round with a few hello’s to some other familiar faces, and then off to the pub for that pint.
Looking forward to the next BHF jog on 5 May at the Tower of London.
Join us here: facebook event
Or sponsor us here: GG Fit Joggers
