At any health club, your success is based on two things: bringing in new members and keeping the members you already have. The purpose of this article is to show you how to keep the members you already have. For free articles on other health club marketing topics, please visit: http://www.cuecd.com/ or our blog: http://cuecd.blogspot.com/.
Make no mistake about it: keeping current members is critical to all gyms. “The expense of finding new customers is five times as high as keeping the ones you have” (source: jancyn.com).
First and foremost, if you are going to keep your members coming back, you have to show them results. After all, isn’t that why they joined in the first place…..to get results? The ability to show your members progress is the most important thing you can do to increase member retention.
There are several ways to show your members that they’re improving:
1) Inch loss
2) Weight loss
3) Body-fat percentage
4) Body Mass Index (BMI)
5) Resting Heart Rate (RHR)
6) Before & After pictures
7) Blood pressure
8) Cholesterol
When a member first joins, it’s important to get their weight and measurements recorded. The reason for this is that you need to take a snapshot of today, the day they made the decision to get fit. This gives the member a starting point, a beginning moment in time, that they can always look back upon to see the progress they have made. Fail to show them that starting point and you’ve lost a potent weapon in member retention.
The best recommendation is to record the new members’ vital statistics the very day they join. Document the results in at least two places: their permanent record to be maintained at the fitness center, and again on a card that the member will take home with them.
Inch loss
As you already know, inch loss is one of the main benefits of a circuit training workout. With this in mind, it is critical to measure accurately and consistently. Some tips to measuring members are:
a) Create landmarks
b) Document measuring procedures for all employees
c) Post procedures near measuring station
d) Measure members privately
e) Never insist that a member be measured
f) Keep notes on clothing worn
Which, and how many, body parts are measured is entirely up to you. An old ‘trick of the trade’ in the fitness industry is to measure as many places as possible, since the sum of the inch loss will increase with every new body part you measure. For example, consider the case of Mary. As a typical member, Mary has experienced a fat loss of about 0.5 inches all over her body. If we just measure two places (say, waist and arm) then Mary will show a cumulative inch loss of 1 inch. But what happens if we measure five places on Mary? The additional measurements means that Mary will show a cumulative fat loss of 2.5 inches:
5 measurements x 0.5 inches per measurement = 2.5 inches of fat loss
Obviously, Mary is going to be quite pleased with the second calculation. But has anything changed on Mary based on how we measured? Not really. Mary is still the same physical size, no matter how many places she is measured. All we’re doing by adding more measurements is increasing her cumulative inch loss as it is documented. Consider what happens when we add neck, calf, and forearm to our measurement plan:
8 measurements x 0.5 inches per measurement = 4 inches of fat loss!
Some may cry foul over this basic method of showing members their results, but consider the facts: Isn’t it true that Mary has lost fat all over her body? Probably. Isn’t it true that Mary’s clothes are fitting better all over? Probably. Isn’t it true that Mary is undergoing a whole-body change? Again, probably so. So why not measure as many places as possible? It’s not deceptive. It’s accurate!
Weight loss
As a circuit training gym owner, your focus is not simply weight loss. The unhealthy focus on the ideal weight tables, and the corresponding obsession with a number on a scale, has led the American public to focus on their net weight at the detriment to their overall health.
That being said, it is a sad truth that your members will continue to weigh themselves at home. More often than not, they will weigh themselves on a daily basis! So, if we know that they’re going to be weighing themselves anyway, let’s make sure we have an accurate diary of their weight changes. That’s why we continue to weigh our members, even though we know it to be an inferior measure of their overall fitness levels.
With regards to weighing your members, there are two key points to keep in mind: 1) try to persuade them to weigh only once per month, and 2) use the weighing session as an opportunity to discuss fat loss vs. weight loss. Because gym members are engaging in resistance exercise, it is very possible that they may experience a drop in body-fat and size while at the same time their weight is remaining constant. Without some basic instruction and education coming from you, the gym owner, this may lead them to frustration.
The moral of the story is that it would be best to THROW AWAY THE SCALE. But, since our members are going to weigh themselves anyway, let’s make sure it’s done accurately and with an explanation.
Body-fat percentage
Perhaps the best measurement of overall fitness is the body-fat percentage. The only way to achieve life-long, permanent fat loss is to maintain muscle mass. Accordingly, your main goal is to help your members lose fat while they maintain (or even gain a little) muscle mass. This process of exchanging fat for muscle is a huge part of what makes a person ‘fit’, and it is best reflected in the body-fat percentage measurement.
Since members probably cannot perform their own body-fat measurements at home, it is critical that you track their progress at the gym. It is equally, if not more, important that each body-fat analysis is accompanied by an explanation of what the results mean. The majority of the public has absolutely no idea what percentage of their weight is actual fat, and even less of an idea about what result is desirable. This is where you come in, explaining their personal data and educating them about what is really going on within their body. It cannot be stressed enough that education has to be a major part of the monthly weighing and measuring! Members need to know how much progress they’re making, and in what ways. The ability to show your members progress is the most important thing you can do to increase member retention.
Body Mass Index (BMI)
The BMI measurement is similar to the ideal weight tables in that it does not differentiate between net weight and body-fat percentage. However, since so many doctors these days are talking with their patients about BMI, it is something that should be addressed at your fitness center.
The Body Mass Index, or BMI, is calculated using the following formula:
BMI = divide your weight (in kilograms) by your height (in meters) squared
“Under new government guidelines, people with Body Mass Indexes of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight while those with BMIs of 30 and above are considered obese…..These guidelines do not apply to extremely muscular people” (source: Fitness, The Complete Guide; International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA); 2001).
Because BMI is an inferior measurement when compared to body-fat percentage, it is not something that members should focus on exclusively. However, the BMI, when viewed as part of the overall fitness picture, is a helpful tool in that it will show concrete evidence of results. As members lose more and more weight, their BMI will drop. Your job as a gym owner is to help the member(s) understand that net weight loss is not nearly as important as fat loss.
Resting Heart Rate (RHR)
Inch loss, weight loss, body-fat percentage and Body Mass Index (BMI) are all measures of how a person looks. In other words, as these numbers improve, the aesthetic appearance of the member will also improve. The Resting Heart Rate (RHR), on the other hand, is a measure of heart health. The RHR shows how exercise is helping the member inside their body.
The resting heart rate is a measure of how many times the heart beats in one minute, assuming the individual is in a complete state of rest. The lower the number, the better. A lower RHR means that the heart is not working as hard (not beating as many times) to deliver the same amount of oxygen (blood) to the body. A higher RHR means that the heart is working harder (beating more times) to deliver the same amount of oxygen (blood) to the body. “Conditioned hearts, as they grow larger and stronger, can beat more slowly because they’re pumping more blood with each stroke” (source: Fitness, The Complete Guide; International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA); 2001).
“Both anaerobically and aerobically conditioned individuals who exercise regularly will have a resting heart rate of approximately 60 beats per minute or less. A deconditioned man who does not exercise may have a resting heart rate of about 80 or more. Women tend to have slightly higher heart rates than men, as do children. Obesity, stress and many other factors can, of course, speed the heart rate up considerably, even though a person may appear to be in great condition” (source: Fitness, The Complete Guide; International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA); 2001).
The absolute best time to measure the RHR is first thing in the morning, even before getting out of bed. However, since we’re seeking to take the RHR at the time of gym enrollment, it is recommended that the member sit still for five minutes in front of a clock, then take their pulse and count the beats for a full sixty seconds.
Tracking the RHR on a monthly basis proves to the member that changes are taking place inside their body, as well as on the outside. It also offers you, as the owner, an exceptional opportunity to once again affirm their decision to exercise. ” What lower heart rates really mean is that, at rest, the heart is conserving energy (saving up to 15,000 beats per day), and that during activity it has built-in protection against beating too fast and suffering strain or failure” (source: Fitness, The Complete Guide; International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA); 2001).
It’s obviously a good idea to track the RHR of each member. Sure, exercise helps women look better and fit into clothes they haven’t worn for years……but exercise also helps women live longer by strengthening their heart, and isn’t that the bottom line?
Before & After pictures
Let’s face it: most of the people who join your gym do so because they want to look better. Odds are good that they’ve heard all about the health benefits of exercise, including lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, protection against osteoporosis, protection against heart disease, protection against certain types of cancer………..and the list goes on and on. But by and large, the reason people join a gym is to look better.
That being the case, Before & After pictures can be a powerful member retention tool. When a member first begins to exercise, odds are good that they’ll be checking themselves out in the mirror every day, looking for improvement. The problem is that when you look for improvement on a daily basis, you never seem to find it! (Kind of like a watched pot never boils!)
That’s where Before & After pictures come in. Although a member might not see results on a day-to-day inspection, they will definitely see results on a monthly basis. It’s appealing to look back at those ‘fat’ Before pictures and see how much progress has indeed been made. An even better suggestion is to take a series of photos, including several During pictures. If you really think about it, there really shouldn’t ever be an After picture, because fitness and health is a life-long commitment!
One caution on Before & After photos: don’t ever insist that a member have their picture taken. Sometimes it’s simply too embarrassing for the obese member, and it’s a bad idea to make them uncomfortable by repeatedly asking to take their picture.
As a side note, don’t be afraid to ask for permission to advertise Before & After pictures. If a member has made excellent progress, and their photos accurately reflect that progress, then using them in an advertisement would speak volumes about your gym. Obviously, you’ll need to ask permission before printing someone’s pictures, but if they’ve really lost fat and toned up, chances are they’ll be proud of those pictures and won’t object to appearing in an ad.
Blood pressure
Cholesterol
Two of the most important benefits that can be derived from exercise are lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Much like the Resting Heart Rate (RHR), these measures of overall fitness provide an indication of what is going on inside a member’s body.
Unless you’re a registered nurse or a doctor, however, blood pressure and cholesterol checks are probably not something that should be done at the health club. A better idea is to let the member know that exercise will lower both their blood pressure and their cholesterol, and that they should look forward to having it checked the next time they’re at the doctor.
There you have it, a list of eight gym member retention strategies that work. The bottom line is that, to increase member retention, all you need to do is show them progress towards their goals. After all, that’s why the joined your health club in the first place!