Getting The Most From Your Self-Defense Members
Over the years, I have been privileged to work for and with some amazing organizations. I have been equally privileged to be afforded a great deal of specialized training in customer relations and customer service.
I believe in building the member’s experience and looking for ways to continually add value to every membership, each time your members visit your facility.
Your clients are your best source of advertising. There’s an old saying:
“If a person likes your service, they may tell 1 or 2 people. If they DON’T like it, they will tell EVERYONE!”
There are so many companies competing for your clients’ dollars, that it is paramount that you create the best experience for each and every client. That’s how you achieve the #1 goal in the fitness world: RETENTION.
I find that members fall into 3 general categories: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced.
Basic Member
These are members who are just looking for a place to work out. They make basic service and school inquiries; they enroll and participate regularly and may learn instructors’ names. They might meet a classmate or two, but really, they just want to exercise and keep to themselves.
Intermediate Member
They make friends quickly and begin to form genuine relationships with others in their classes. They start to feel like they are a part of a community. They want to learn about other programs and events. They notice the greater involvement of others. They are looking for ways to become more involved themselves. These members are the most common in any organization.
Advanced Member
These are members who are fully and genuinely committed. They ask to get involved further. They champion your brand. They look for ways to bring more people to try your classes. They love to volunteer for different events. They are your advocates and your best resource for future program purchases, renewals, merchandise sales, adding family members & friends, etc.
The trick is to take Basic Members and bring them further inside so they ultimately become Advanced Members, your advocates. Those advocates may very well be future instructors for your programs. They are there for all the right reasons and will most certainly champion your programs over all others, even if they belong to more than one type of facility. Yours will come first.
3 Simple Ways To Maximize Members’ Experiences
Here are 3 simple, great ways to start maximizing your members’ experiences at your facility:
1) Greet as many members as you can by using their name.
If you don’t know their names, learn them! People love to be greeted by a friendly face/voice as soon as they come in the door. Nobody wants to walk by the front desk and not be acknowledged.
2) Put out customer response cards.
You can’t fix it if you don’t know it’s broken. Have your members anonymously complete cards that reflect their experiences, both good and bad. Include instructor performance, facility cleanliness, quality of workout, etc.
3) Keep your facility clean, especially the bathrooms.
Nobody wants to train in a place that smells like feet or a place with restrooms that are worse than those at a remote gas station. Keeping your facility clean and spotless at all times will make a huge difference in how comfortable your members and guests will be every time they visit. Let them SEE your staff actually taking steps to keeping things clean while they are there.
At the Corporate Training Center, we believe in transparency. We have no “back office.” We invite our members to be a part of the process of continually improving our service to them. Without our members, we have nothing, so we take customer relations and service very seriously.
Try these 3 basic tips for the next 30 days and watch how different and positive your facility will feel. Identify the 3 types of members and create a plan to move each to the next level. Learn your members’ names! Go out of your way to keep your facility clean. Look for more ways to add further value for your members and guests. You’ll be amazed at the difference!
To Learn More About Getting Self-Defense Certified visit: www.SelfDefenseCertified.com
By Mark McKay
CSD Operations Manager
Cobra Certified Instructor
GM For CSD National Headquarters
