Staci Alden shares on the value of offering enrollment programs.
You’re not alone if your facility continues to see less frequent private sessions and unpredictable group fitness attendance. Even with the right talent in place, the disruption the past few years have had on our clientele’s schedules and priorities is still in effect. Offering unique, multi-week programs that address your target audience’s specific goal or need builds a loyal community among your clients and providers.
Defining Enrollment Programs
Enrollment programs are paid programs unique to your facility, progress in intensity or complexity, and are only available for a specific time. These programs are some of the secrets I’ve shared in previous columns to rebuild offerings and attendance in your group fitness program.
The pandemic forced us to evaluate the member journey to keep them safe. Now it’s time to re-evaluate the journey and how we offer our programs to keep members engaged and introduce new members to the offerings, instructors and participants they love. Strategic and creative enrollment programs are just what our members and teams need to provide consistency and support. What if we treated enrollment programs as part of our consistent offerings, marketing, retention and onboarding strategy?
Improved Client Experience
Enrolling in unique programs provide increased value and the ability to track improvement and build relationships. These paid programs might initially seem like a barrier, but they can act as another option to supplement other paid programs. For example, a client who sees a personal trainer once a week joins the trainer’s enrollment program with a group of like-minded clients. Their consistent visits increase without having to pay the high-ticket price of more 1:1 sessions. In addition, programs with the right formula of time, type and talent can reach specific members during different times of their member life. For example, before kids, with kids, after kids, working in the office, working from home, new exerciser, veteran exerciser, etc.
Improved Provider Experience
Client inconsistency leaves trainers and instructors hanging when there is a long stint of low and unpredictable numbers for no apparent reason. As managers, we want to hire a team we believe will be successful and accountable. But we also need to work with them to identify ways to recognize and utilize their strengths and passions. Well-planned and executed enrollment programs offer a form of consistency for everyone and allow your team to create and build something they genuinely care about.
Offering engaging enrollment programs starts with a team, a plan and an innovative leadership team willing to try new things and work directly with their providers to play to their strengths. I encourage facilities to get curious about the talent and equipment they could organize, uniquely program, learn from and evolve.
