One of the hardest aspects about on-boarding new members is to quickly create community and establish results. Not everyone will expect to see results in week one — but a few will.
Additionally, when on-boarding a new member, one of the more difficult aspects is changing lifestyle. I’ve been close to a lot of people that simply couldn’t get out of their own way when it came to establishing a fitness lifestyle.
For everyone, a fitness lifestyle will seem very different. For me, I have one view of my fitness lifestyle and when it’s not achieved, I feel like I lost. For others, a fitness lifestyle is something they get to when they can.
Additionally, one of the more difficult aspects for these members is to find a community. For a deconditioned individual, the gym can be a scary space, regardless of how high-end you may think you are.
It’s important that you establish an on-boarding community and set a staff member in charge of that area. Find a person that is creative, quick on their feet and a true people person.
This person should work to establish groups with all new members. In the new member questionnaire, ask personality questions. The person in charge of new members will use these answers to help establish community groups. Once the groups have been established, the person can set up convenient meeting times for the groups — keep the groups inside of eight to help establish camaraderie.
When the groups meet for the first time, let everyone introduce themselves and discuss the areas they would like to improve upon and what they enjoy outside of fitness. Remember, new members aren’t just looking for fitness, but they also have lives and passions outside of your club.
As the staff member in charge, take the group on another tour of the club and answer any new questions new members may have. This will let the group walk and talk together — the initial building blocks of community.
Finally, pass off this new group of members to a great introductory trainer that can show them different exercises and help set them on their way to achieving great results.
Continually follow up with the group. Maybe develop an area on your website for each individual group where they can go and chat with each other about the club. The group leader will be able to monitor these discussions and help facilitate new group meet ups, and discover new feedback on the club as a whole.
Tyler Montgomery is the editor of Club Solutions Magazine. Contact him at tyler@clubsolutionsmagazine.com.
