RETENTION
CREATING A COMMUNITY
In the latest part of his retention series for Health Club Management, Dr Paul Bedford looks at the importance of maintaining a link with members
J
ust using the word ‘club’ begins to create a sense of community – something many operators claim to be striving towards. But
interaction is also key to creating a genuine ‘club’, and many health clubs fail to maintain even the most basic level of communication with their members. Clubs are places you join, meet like-
minded people and share experiences. Yet in our recent research – 1,040 interviews conducted among more than 5,000 health club members – many of those interviewed described no sense of community in the clubs they had previously been members of. Members want to engage with their
health club on various levels: sometimes on a transactional level; other times on a friendship level. The problem is that some operators see the relationship as purely transactional, with the relationship effectively over once the transactions are complete.
Fitting right in Some health clubs do get it right, however, and when they do they’re rewarded with improved member loyalty: over 80 per cent of those interviewed said the club they enjoyed being a member of was the one that provided them with a sense of belonging, of being part of something – a true member. This meant they looked forward to going to the club above and beyond the value they placed on the workout itself.
“I’ve been a member of four clubs.
When you fi nd one that values you as a person, not just as a paying member, you enjoy being in the club more. I never felt judged and always felt they were pleased to see me,” said one respondent. This sense of fi tting in and belonging
begins with the joining phase – how you tour and the way you demonstrate interaction with existing members. Experienced exercisers in particular recognise the relationship that staff have with members: “If during the tour you see the sales guy talking to members, you get a sense of what’s to come. If they’re not interacting with existing members, the chances are they won’t interact with you once the sale is made.” Once the member has joined, the sense
of belonging should begin. However, those interviewed didn’t seem as keen on new member evenings as might have been expected. “It’s a bit like when you go on holiday and the fi rst morning you have to go and see the rep,” said one. “They explain about the resort and then try and sell you stuff. It’s the same in health clubs, but the staff seem less enthusiastic about it all. I’ve been to a couple now and it can just feel like a waste of time for everyone.” Clubs should therefore seek ways
of quickly integrating the member into club life. Explaining what’s normal on a day-to-day basis was seen as useful by respondents, as opposed to letting the member fi nd out for themselves: “They told me that, between 3.00pm and 6.00pm, the club has larger numbers of children and parents in. That Saturday
62 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
A health club’s staff can be the biggest factor in creating a sense of belonging
afternoons are quiet in the gym, but that the tennis crowd dominates the courts and the bar area. Sunday mornings would be a mix, they said – lots of parents in with kids using the pool, but with the gym and classes also busy.” It seems like an obvious point that
new members would value being told what to expect, but this is nevertheless often overlooked by clubs.
The people factor Club staff are, without question, the biggest factor in creating a sense of belonging: in our research, interview after interview produced similar
February 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86