If your club offers non-members the opportunity for a trial membership before they join, there are standards that will help ensure that you have the highest conversion rate possible.
IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) did a study in the late 1990s to find out why so many Americans won’t even consider going to a health club to get in shape. The majority of people surveyed had four main reasons for not wanting to walk into your club:
1. They were very concerned that no one would show them how to operate the equipment properly.
2. Because of their current fitness level, they believed they would be challenged to perform the exercises they would be asked to perform.
3. They firmly believed that the word “club” meant that all the members were in great shape and they wouldn’t fit in.
4. They believed that they would be exposed to high-pressure sales tactics if they inquired about memberships.
These are four good reasons to offer non-members the chance to experience your club before they buy a membership. However, it is crucial that you have a trial membership program that ensures your success. If trial members are not serviced during their trial, you’ll have a low conversion rate.
TOP TEN STANDARDS FOR A HIGH CONVERSION RATE
1. Trial members must activate their trial membership by going through the membership department. All of these guests should have a needs analysis done to determine their needs and interests and a complete tour should be given.
2. Trial members should have three halfhour, supervised workout orientations in the fitness center. The majority of trial members don’t know how to use a club’s equipment safely or effectively. They should get two strength-training appointments (circuit) and one cardio appointment.
3. Trial members should have a program card filled out that explains the order of the machines to be used and the appropriate weight and seat adjustment.
4. Introduce your trial member to as many members and employees as possible (especially managers). Give your trial members a list of all managers and their phone extensions.
5. Have an organized system in place to service your trial members on the fitness floor. This includes a fitness appointment system that is easy to implement. It’s crucial that trial members are not left waiting for a trainer. Designate a spot on the fitness floor where they are to meet the trainer. The membership reps should meet all trial members on the floor and make sure they are being taken care of. If a sales rep is off and they have a trial member fitness appointment that day, someone else in membership should go out on the floor and meet the trial member. This action tells your guest that you are serious about service.
6. Send a thank you letter to all trial members; your competition doesn’t.
7. Every trial member should be pricepresented and asked to join. Do you know if all of your trials are being followed up and price-presented? If not, have your sales team keep track with a Trial Member Tracking Form. Make sure they track how many supervised workouts they went through and how many times they have been contacted. Sales reps should keep this form on their desk at all times. This is their ongoing hot list.
8. Put all of your trial members into a separate database. If they don’t join, make sure they receive correspondence from you monthly. These are hot prospects. I would mail to former trial members every month until they move, join or request to be taken off the list.
9. The general manager, or some other manager, should call all trial members. Here is the script I use; “Hi Bill, this is Jim Martin, general manager of (club name) calling, how you are today? Great, Bill I like to personally call all of our trial members to see how you are enjoying the club and see if there is anything I can do to make your visits more enjoyable.” This information can be invaluable in closing the sale but it also tells you how your prospective members perceive your club.
10. Get your trial member involved in activities with other members whenever possible. Group exercise classes, tennis/racquetball clinics, group personal training and social events.
Consumers like to be given the chance to make up their own mind based on the merits of any product or service. Based on the huge number of “deconditioned” prospects that are out there, the trial membership is one of the best ways to convince them to join your club. Give your trial members a specific plan for the time they are at the club. Make sure they are not left to wander and wonder. (That is to wander through your fitness center and wonder how to use the equipment.) Treat them just like your members and a good percentage of them will join your club.
Jim Martin is the President of Powerful Promotions. He can be contacted at 877.822.5577, or visit www.powerfulpromotions.com.
