I’m one of Hossein’s guys that goes out to the gyms and teaches them how to use our software, so I get to know the people that run the gyms pretty well. The biggest thing that gyms are STARTING to ask for are reports showing who haven’t been to the gym in the past couple months. A lot of this is new to them, as they get off an older software package (or none at all!), to something that makes a useful report, making it handy and easy to have a call list. The digital gym environment is still young!

As Hossein has mentioned frequently in these blogs, a lot of gyms are still running on the 70′s mentality, where members couldn’t cram 15 things into a day like they can now, due to increased communication channels. There are some chains, but so many more start ups that need to prioritize where they spend their money, and hiring a retention team just isn’t “in the budget” as it should be, if they are smart, it will be, sooner than later.

Most gyms don’t even have a dedicated sales team in the first place, your front desk person is your sales team, when they’ve already got a job of keeping the Check In and POS stations running, stocking the towels etc. If you have a sales team, they should wear that double jacket of retention management during those daytime hours when everyone is not at the gym, pull up that check in low-usage report, make some calls and ask the members why, have a list of events going on, any specials on classes like buy 4 get 1 free. Become what the moose lodge was in the past, a place for people to meet in more functions than just to work out, and you’ll find less people find a reason to leave. I know of some gyms that do a fun night for kids, to allow the parents a night off for Valentine’s day or another evening, so where they would spend 50 bucks on a babysitter, for a few dollars or even free, the kids can take a dance class or watch a movie in the cardio theater.

As far as a no-hassle cancellation policy? I’ve seen that a few times, usually in smaller franchises. If they can leave when they want to, they can come back when they want to, and won’t look anywhere else when January comes back around. It works just as well as having a cancellation policy keeping someone in for their duration, where if they leave they could be disgruntled in joining again because they felt trapped.

I guess the bottom line is that everybody needs to be trying something and sharing what works. Try a big gym trick in your small facility, try the hands on approach in your big gym. It’s in the best interests of all!

If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies. ~Author Unknown

Seems like every other industry has the ability to have people who are on the floor and serve as closers and those who work on continuing to ensure the member is happy AND buying more stuff.

In my company (I work in a technology services company) we have sales people who make cold calls, do demos, write proposals etc and then once the deal is done and signed we have A.E’s who make calls to upsell you on additional products and services. I don’t think this is unique to my industry. Car delerships do it when you buy a car and a week later someone calls you about rust inhibitor or oil changes. I got a call from my HVAC company the other day who were trying to sell me a tune up service (yes I bought it) a year after I bought my heat pump from the.

Why don’t gyms do this? Once I start paying my dues I never hear from my Gym. In fact when I go to cancel my membership I don’t ever recall someone asking me why or trying to get me to stay.

I am sure health clubs could have one or two of those brilliant people who man your front desks and pay soooooo much attention to me as I check in, to start dialing members and getting them to buy some training. Thoughts?

I find it funny that you refer to it as good OLD email. . .

Hossein, love the blog and though we aren’t in the market for software today(I use Twin Oaks), I’m looking forward to seeing the new stuff you guys come out with and talking then.

Like Sara we tried email and there was some benefit but for best results – nothing beats talking to people.

Sara