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membership
cancellations
COMINGS
&
GOINGS
Kath Hudson asks our panel of experts for their best practice
suggestions on dealing with membership cancellations
A
s the recession-enforced tightening of belts grips
the nation, will the health club industry lose clients
as people decide they can no longer justify their
membership? Or will Friday nights at the gym
become the norm as members visit their health club to avoid
spending money elsewhere?
Duncan Bannatyne was recently reported in The Daily
Telegraph as saying: “Just to be clear, my members are using
their local clubs more not less. I think it’s because they want
to get more for their money. Usage is up on average from
1.78 visits per week to 1.95 visits per week and our company
turnover is up on a like-for-like basis compared with last year.”
However, when people across the country are looking to cut
costs, this sort of performance cannot be taken for granted.
Ideally clubs should make themselves indispensable to their
members, working proactively to prevent anyone getting to the
point where they would even contemplate leaving. Use your
staff to engage with customers and drive home the message
that exercise is vital, not a luxury. Keep quality and service
levels high at all times as, in a recession, people look for value
whenever they part with their cash – and this means raising
your game even further.
But there are a growing number of people – those faced with
unemployment, for example – who are genuinely struggling to
make ends meet at the moment. Should clubs stick rigidly to
their contract, or should they let them go with a blessing in the
hope that they will return when economic times are better and
their fortunes have improved?
contributors
Richard Apps, corporate health and fitness manager,
Sheffield International Venues
Stephen Aucott, operations director, Odyssey
Barry Cronin, executive director, Central YMCA
Terry Gibb, national sales manager, Harpers Fitness
Eric Keller, VP franchise support, Anytime Fitness
Paul Ramsay, operations director, 3d Leisure
Carl Wood, owner, Courtyard Health and Fitness
Proactive approach Drive home the message that exercise
is vital, not a luxury, to help prevent members from leaving
june 2009 © cybertrek 2009 Read Health Club Management online 57
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