Q: when a new member joins, I feel like we can do a better job introducing him to the club than just taking him on a tour but I don’t really know what else to do. what should a new member orientation include to make new members feel comfortable and valued?
A: Just the fact that you’re asking this question suggests that you make your members’ happiness a priority and that’s a good thing. Your commitment to member satisfaction will serve you well. And you’re right that for many clubs, the new member orientation represents a missed opportunity. Just pointing someone toward the weight machines or the aerobics studio isn’t going to make that person feel comfortable at your club and making your members comfortable is one of the keys to keeping them active as members.
Instead of just starting to stroll through your facility, take a few minutes at the start of orientation to get to know your new member. Why did he join your club? What are his fitness goals? What’s his workout history been like? Are there classes or machines he’s really enjoyed in the past? Has he had bad experiences with any classes or equipment? Is there something he’s always wanted to try? Really listen as your member communicates his interests and goals. Then, tailor your tour to suit what he’s looking for. Ultimately, your new member will get the most satisfaction from his membership if it allows him to achieve the results he wants, so make it easy for him to do just that by introducing him to the specific tools he needs.
Use this opportunity, too, to introduce him to another member with a similar fitness profile. The social motivation for exercise is one of the strongest, and giving him a personal connection with another member is a good way to promote regular visits. And when the tour’s over, don’t send your member away empty handed. Jot down the phone number for the physical trainer you think he could really benefit from a session with, or hand him a current schedule for one of the classes that interested him. Then follow up in a few weeks to see how things are going and if he has any questions you can answer for him.
It’s a little more work to start a relationship this way, but it pays off in happier, more satisfied members.
Q: I finally made my dream happen: I opened my own health club late last year. The club is doing great, but my marriage is having a hard time. i’m spending a lot of time at the club, and it’s hard for my wife to understand how much time i’m spending away from home. how can I get her on board?
A: While you’re living the dream, your wife is probably missing her husband. And though that doesn’t mean you should give up something you’re passionate about doing, it does mean that you should make an extra effort to involve your partner in your new venture. By making her feel included, you’ll do a lot to counteract her feelings of frustration at being left out.
Share your vision. Talk with your wife about your goals and what you’re doing to achieve them and be sure some of those goals have payoff for her, too. Come up with shared goals together maybe your wife would like your club to generate enough income in the next 5 years so that she could cut back her own office job to part-time, or maybe she’d like the two of you to be able to travel more. Talk to each other and come up with some long-term goals you can both agree on. The long hours you’ll be working will bother her less if she feels like the time is spent growing something that matters to you both.
Make time. A lot of couples assume that if they’re having a weekly date night, they’re making the time to keep their relationship strong. They’re wrong. The most important element of maintaining a healthy relationship is the kind of day-to-day contact that’s so hard to create during the stressful first years of a new business. But new ventures are hard on marriages, and if your relationship matters to you, you need to make time for it, the same way you make time for meetings with your accountant or your marketing person. Grab your calendar, and schedule a weekly meeting with your wife where you can touch base over a cup of coffee and connect with each other’s lives. Trust me, it’s time well spent.
Ask for her help. Involve your wife in some of your decision making to make her feel like she’s an important part of your new venture. Ask her to help you choose paint colors for the club’s exercise rooms or to give her opinion on your club’s ad for the local paper. Be sure to ask for her help in an area where you actually need and want her opinion if you already know what you want to do, she’ll probably feel frustrated even more taking the time to come up with ideas you’ll immediately reject. And be sure to thank her for her help with club stuff and at home, where she’s probably picking up a lot of your domestic slack these days.
Turn it off. When you’re really passionate about your job, it’s easy to want to spend every spare minute working on things related to it. But an important part of being a successful business person is learning how to turn off your work life and turn on your home life. Train yourself to be really available when you’re at home even if your club keeps you away from home for longer hours than your wife would like, she’ll be a lot more forgiving if you’re present when you are at home.
Carolyn Arnold-Saatchi, MA, Relationship Counselor
Q: An unhappy former club member has posted a vitriolic rant about our club online. It’s the first thing that pops up when you google our name. Is there anything I can do?
A: You’re smart to Google your club occasionally to see what pops up even if you don’t like what you find, knowing what’s out there is the first step toward building a solid online reputation. If the member’s rant is untrue, you can send a letter to the hosting company of the site where it’s published asking for the rant to be removed. (You can do this even if the information is true, but the waters here are a little muddier.) If the member’s rant is true, consider posting a rebuttal, calmly and briefly explaining the situation. Be careful here, as these kinds of posts can get quickly out of hand. Don’t blame the member and don’t get defensive just say that you’re sorry this former member had a bad experience, that the vast majority of your members are happy with your club and that you’d invite anyone who wants to find out more to come into the club, mention this posting and get a free day’s pass to work out. All publicity isn’t good publicity, but you can do your best to turn it into that.
Jennifer Aaron-Scott, intellectual property attorney
