Where Did that Member Go? Rediscovering the Lost Art of Customer Service
More has changed in the fitness industry during the last several years than has changed during the last 30 years. Maturing markets, defined as more clubs crowding into already crowded competitive rings, the flat economy, the advent of the low priced value club and a much more sophisticated consumer have all combined to force the fitness business owner to change now or fail and leave room for owners who are willing to grasp the new reality.
Since the advent of the modern fitness industry in the mid part of the last century, we have practiced a culture of failure in the club market. The new member coming into a typical club simply never had a chance to succeed and meet his fitness goals unless he was one of the chosen few who could afford, or was willing to pay for leadership and coaching. All the rest have been given antiquated circuit workouts, told to walk endlessly on a treadmill, or worse just ignored, and left to fail on their own eventually leaving the club in frustration.
But the member’s failure hasn’t been a factor in anyone’s business plan. Every system we have designed in the clubs during the last 30 years and more has been built for the acquisition of new members with little emphasis on keeping the members we have already purchased. Every member was replaceable and there has been little need to keep what is already ours because there were always more members coming through the door to replace the failures.
Now the market is radically different. We are entering the age of retention in the industry, where the most important thing we can do as operators and managers is to learn how to keep the business that is so costly and difficult to acquire.
The foundation of retention is customer service, which as an industry we don’t understand, don’t know how to teach and have never hired the right staff to implement a good service program. After over 60 years of history, we are now back at the beginning. This new era will be defined by our ability to build a culture of success where every member has a chance to succeed and who is appreciated and valued for his contribution to our businesses. Your first step in achieving a financially successful club in today’s market is customer service and that step begins with this book.
