Free PT sessions can


help get re-joiners back in the exercise habit


existing members, as well as encouraging, educating and incentivising those members who are lapsing from activity. We’re also launching a members’ area on the website, with a reward programme to encourage more customers to stay active. NEIL KING


Communication is key to retaining members, and social media offers an excellent environment to converse with potential, current and past members. Managing these information portals in the correct way can bring exceptional results. Each of our facilities is working with Twitter and Facebook to encourage local engagement. KEVIN YATES


make it easy to come back All re-joiners have the full Kinetika Journey [the DC Leisure induction programme] offered to them again: five 30-minute one-to-one sessions. A re-joiner will also have a new Personal Needs Analysis completed, as their goals may have changed. This information is then used in a motivational phone call somewhere between day seven and day 14 of them re-joining. STEVE PHILPOTT


If you want to make former members feel more comfortable when they return, you need to be able to identify them in the first place. This can be done using IT to flag up the fact that they’re a returning member and alert your team. We also recommend a face-to-face


session with an instructor to understand their reasons for leaving last time and to discuss how they plan to overcome them this time. It’s worth asking what level of motivation they would like to receive from the club. Try and gain permission to speak to them in-club, as well as by phone or SMS if their visit


Asking the member to commit to a realistic visit frequency goal can motivate them


august 2010 © cybertrek 2010


frequency drops. It helps if you get them to sign this ‘commitment and motivation’ contract – asking the member to commit to a realistic visit frequency goal can help them to aim higher and motivate them not to drop out entirely if they have a bad week. ALISTER ROLLINS


When members come back to us, they get the opportunity to try Harpers Experience – one of our most popular programmes comprising five one-to-one sessions with a member of the fitness team. This is offered to all new members as well as to returning members. KEVIN YATES


don’t make the same mistake twice We interview every lapsed member with an exit survey. This gives our site team the chance to re-engage with the member and find the opportunity to


re-motivate them, or perhaps to offer them a different usage option such as a swimming-only membership or ‘pay as you go’ deal. STEVE PHILPOTT


An FIA report, Winning the Retention Battle (2002), showed that members who quit for a negative reason and came back were likely to quit twice as fast as before, as their focus would immediately be on the reason they quit in the first place. If members leave while still satisfied with the club, they’re more likely to stay if they rejoin. A word of caution: in my opinion,


those members who quit for negative reasons are best left alone. You don’t want negative people in your clubs, as they can be a disruptive infl uence. DR PAUL BEDFORD


healthclub@leisuremedia.com kath hudson


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 47


ALL PHOTOS © ISTOCKPHOTO.COM


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