This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Top 10 recommendations s• Develop a marketing


trategy that conveys fun and


• Help new members develop realistic expectations and try


friendliness, and prioritise these aspects over fitness and thinness throughout the club.


to focus on intrinsic motivations such as enjoyment and social engagement. Set out a realistic plan for achieving them.


• Encourage and support members to experiment with


a wide range of exercise types, and especially group exercise.


is not being made. Nearly 90 per cent of all members say they value fitness staff interacting with them


members), the most annoying hassles members report are queuing for equipment, cancelled classes, broken down equipment, unclean changing facilities and no parking space. By contrast, the things members say


are most uplifting about their visits are completing a challenging workout, achieving fitness goals, and interaction with reception and fitness staff. Of all the hassles that members find


annoying, just three significantly increase the risk of cancelling: fitness staff not speaking, reception staff not speaking, and queuing for equipment. Members who frequently have to queue for equipment and are not spoken to by fitness staff are more than twice as likely to cancel as members who do not have to queue for equipment and who regularly interact with fitness staff. Positive uplifts that reduce the risk of cancelling are interaction with reception


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and fitness staff, along with making new friends at the gym. For every 1,000 members, 16 fewer cancel every month if reception and fitness staff speak to them regularly and they make a friend, compared to members who do not report this – representing a 53 per cent reduction in the risk of cancellation. ●


FIND OUT MORE Dr Melvyn hillsdon is associate professor of exercise and health at the university of exeter, where he researches physical activity and population health. he’s also a leading authority on retention in the fitness sector, and was responsible for the landmark Winning the Retention Battle report in 2001. to find out more about trP 10,000, visit: www.theretentionpeople.com/research/ trp-10000


• Ensure exercise programmes are enjoyable above all else.


• Develop a targeted communication strategy that


• Create a conversation culture in the club: implement


maximises opportunities to interact with members in and out of the club.


methods to maximise and monitor face-to-face communications.


• Encourage staff to be aware of member hassles and to


• Minimise the time members queue to use equipment.


understand that they can either compound the problem by ignoring people or alleviate it by simply conversing with members.


t• Encourage staff to be aware hat the power to delight a


customer lies in their willingness to hold a conversation that in turn extends the life of the membership.


Health Club Handbook 2015 69


• Regularly review members’ progress and revise plans if progress


PhOtO: www.ShutterStOck.cOM/ cOrePicS VOF


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