month) you can reduce their risk of
cancellation by 29 per cent.
•
Beyond that first month some
facilities have found that 31 per cent
of members train less than one day
per week, while 11 per cent never
turn up at all!
What was very evident was the
importance of having your members
visit the club for a minimum of four times
per month. And it was made clear that
our goal should be to engage with that
42 per cent of our membership who are
currently training one day per week or
less, to try and boost their attendance to
four times per week.
Dr Bedford stated that the strategies to
achieve this need to be specific to your
clientele and should involve identifying
what their emotional and psychological
needs are, so you can effectively meet
them where they need to be met, rather
than where we want to meet them.
There was however, one strategy that
was deemed universal by Dr Bedford,
and this he called “the Interaction
Effect”. Simply put, this involves your
staff talking and interacting with your
members. I have been a member of a
large gym and for the entire two and a
half years not one person on the gym
floor has ever spoken to me. That club
was lucky that I wasn’t one of the 42
per cent “at-risk” clients, otherwise I
probably wouldn’t be a member!
Dr Bedford’s figures confirm that the
interactions a member has with staff, are
directly related to the likelihood the y will
visit again next month. For example:
•
One interaction per month = 20 per
cent more likely to visit next month.
•
Two to three interactions per month
= 50 per cent more likely to visit next
month.
•
Four or more interactions per month
= 80 per cent more likely to visit next
month.
Now these interactions can be as simple
as saying “hello” or complimenting
a client on a lift they just did, or their
technique. It can be a conversation, but
it does not have to be. It is important to
understand, an interaction that has an
impact can be as short as “Hi, how are
you?” Or “Hi, my name is Gavin, it’s great
to see you today. Let me know if I can
help you in any way.”
Additionally, interaction with reception
staff is also good but quite often this is
expected; so it’s really the gym floor staff,
managers and personal trainers who
hold the key to your retention success
when it comes to interaction.
Here’s an idea: why not undertake a
quick and easy exiting survey of your
members. When they leave the club, find
out from them:
•
Did a gym floor member of staff
speak to them today?
•
How many interactions did they
have with other staff members
today?
•
What type of interactions were they?
•
Do they know the names of any of
the trainers or managers who were
in the facility today?
As an industry we sometimes forget
the simplest of things, which can often
have the greatest impact. That is, simply
“Speak to me!”
Dr Bedford is a speaker on Gavin’s
upcoming Fitness Professionals Global
Summit, where he will address personal
trainers on the topic: ‘Do what your
clients don’t expect and build an
empire’. Registration is free, as it is
covered by the sponsors Reebok, Life
Fitness and Escavpe Fitness.
To find out more or to register visit
fitnessprofessionalsglobalsummit.com
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