So, January is almost over — a crazy month to say the least. In looking at the industry at large, I believe that most of us knocked it out of the park. A lot of new members are coming out of the woodwork and I think it’s fair to say that it is a lot more than we expected.
I always worry about January. How are we going to truly service all the new members? What are we going to do to ensure that our members truly become acclimated to our facilities? Are they getting a good start? Are we giving them a destination when they come into the club? We all know that there is a large amount of these members who won’t succeed due to the fact that we didn’t service them correctly. They will not get the results they wanted and it will be our fault — or at least that’s what they will think.
Manpower is a huge issue. Although we know that we will have a great January, we, at large, do not increase our manpower to handle the traffic. Maybe a few more front desk people during peak times here and there, but there is really no rhyme or reason to how we manage the extra traffic. I think “Chaos” would be a good word.
A few blogs ago I wrote about the importance of the Member Onboarding Process and how group fitness plays a huge role. I gave specific guidelines on how to incorporate and execute a strong Group Fitness Orientation process.
Members want to know what they are going to get. We always talk about how intimidated our new members are, and I am certain that it is very scary for new participants to come into a packed classroom in January, or any month for that matter. So, how do we turn fear into confidence? I say give members some great “toilet reading” material. How about the Group Fitness Member Manual? Definition: A fun filled manual describing what members should expect when coming to the group fitness classes. Kind of like the “What to Expect when You’re Expecting” book that I held so close during my pregnancies.
Here are some quick tips on the content of your group fitness member manual.
1. Brand the manual specific to your club.
2. Of course have a full description of your classes and the schedule itself.
3. A brief description of the department and its mission.
4. A paragraph describing the importance of mixing up the classes and trying a variety.
5. Discuss what to expect with soreness and fun tips of what to do during the “ouch” period.
6. What to wear.
7. The importance of being on time.
8. Being sensitive to personal space.
9. Bringing your own towel and mat.
10. Respecting the equipment.
11. The importance of working at one’s own pace.
12. The importance of respecting the teacher’s routine and trying to follow as opposed to doing “your own thing” — we all have those participants, right?
13. Letting them know the importance of disclosing any medical issues to the instructor prior to class.
14. Being conscious of body odor. This is a big one, and can be a lot of fun to include fun pictures and great verbiage for this.
15. The importance of giving feedback.
16. Being patient when stereo equipment becomes inoperable.
17. The potential of a class being canceled due to low participation and that the club reserves the right to cancel a class with ample notice.
18. To be understandable when a class is canceled at the last minute and that it is rare but sometimes emergencies happen that are out of the club’s control.
19. Room temperature and that when you exercise you will get hot. The room is set at a certain temperature so be prepared to get hot and sweat.
20. Have fun, enjoy, feel better, make friends and remember…
It’s your body, it’s the only place you have to live!
Get my point?
All of these tips can be put in a fun manual with pictures and fitness tips. You could even make it a calendar or a journal. A manual like this will go a long way and members will appreciate having it at the commencement of their membership. Make it fun, light, easy to read and non- offensive.
Looking for a sample Group Fitness Member Manual? E mail me at lori@groupfitnesssolutions.com Have fun Creating!
Lori Lowell is the President of Group Fitness Solutions, LLC, and owns 8 Fitness Facilities in Virginia and Wisconsin. Contact her at lori@groupfitnesssolutions.com.
