WAC Cash: Incentivizing Members

When you are training a puppy, if it does something good, you give it a treat. If it does something bad, you scold it. Behavior that gets rewarded, gets repeated. It is the same with humans. We like rewards. So why not reward your members for doing something good, like coming to the gym and taking care of their health and fitness?

This is precisely what the Wisconsin Athletic Club (WAC) is aiming to do with its WAC Cash program. “The Wisconsin Athletic Club believes that our staff have the best chance to make a difference in the lives of our members,” said Ian Casmer, the director of sales at Wisconsin Athletic Club. “WAC Cash is a dollar for dollar incentive program that the Wisconsin Athletic Club uses to reward members for participating in various activities that we believe will help members get connected and find their fit.”

According to Casmer, most opportunities to earn WAC Cash occur during the critical habit-forming stage of membership, which is within the first 90 days. “The Wisconsin Athletic Club has a mission to make a difference in people’s lives and we find the best way to do this is to make members feel comfortable in their new environment early and often. Our Fit University program is our new member integration program that uses one-on-one customized training sessions with a fitness specialist to ensure that new members build good habits and routine. We use $50 in WAC Cash to reward members for completing each of their two Fit University sessions, $100 total.”

The WAC offers a month to month, no-contract membership. New members are charged a “Get Started Fee” when they join, however Casmer explained, they have a chance to earn that fee back in WAC Cash for achieving 16 or more visits in the first 60 days of joining. “Members can also earn $25 in WAC Cash by referring their friends,” he added. “Whether it is self-motivation or earned rewards, it is our belief that a new member that participates in the Fit University program and uses the membership on a consistent basis will be much more likely to have a great experience, find their fit and stay a member longer.”

If you are considering an initiative similar to WAC Cash in order to encourage member engagement, Casmer suggested outlining exactly what the rewards can be used for in advance. “We originally though that WAC Cash should only be used for paid fitness programs and services, but we have expanded its usage towards anything except monthly membership dues,” said Casmer. “While no one likes being given a gift card and then being told what to spend it on, most of our members use their WAC Cash toward personal training, advanced training classes or massage therapy.”