One of the best parts of owning your own fitness studio is meeting the new faces that come through your doors on a daily basis. As Mindbody says, “everybody who comes through your studio’s front door is an opportunity.’ While this may be true, some people are simply looking to drop in for a one-time class, whereas others are seeking a long-term commitment to a studio they can frequent on a regular basis.
For those ‘studio hoppers’ who enjoy jumping from studio to studio, your gym or class may just be a stop on their long adventure to get fit and experience as many different training styles as possible. However, not every person who drops in for a class is solely interested in the ‘one and done’ aspect of things. Here’s how you can try to convert studio hoppers and one-time only guests into full-time studio members!
– Make a point to speak to them directly.
Whether you are simply introducing yourself or welcoming clients to your studio, going out of your way to speak with them one-on-one will help you stand out among the other studios they attend. Try to make it a personal conversation that you are truly engaged in, rather than a forced sales conversation that puts pressure on them to come back.
– Create an experience for your guests that they will love and that will give them a reason to come back.
A great studio experience includes a clean facility, an upbeat and high-energy class, friendly atmosphere, and motivational members or trainers that will help the morale stay high throughout the class.
– Give them a reason to come back beyond your class.
Consider letting them know the benefits of coming back as members, rather than just dropping in from time to time. For example, it’s cheaper to be a regular member, they’ll be given the ability to book a class ahead of time, and they can become part of a bigger community of like-minded people. This will largely depend on your company’s policies, but can come in handy and work in your favor in the long run. No matter what the benefits are, make sure you share these details with them ahead of time.
– Show them the long-term results of members.
Whether it’s posting before and after photos on your social media accounts or facilitating a conversation between a seasoned member and new attendee, lay out the benefits of training at your facility long-term. Keep in mind that the benefits don’t always have to be physical, as mental and emotional health are just as important to a lot of people.
– Welcome them back and let them know how much you would love to see them again.
Instead of giving them a sales pitch and letting them walk out of your studio with a plethora of information to reflect on, try softening the conversation with a genuine invitation back to your studio. Let them know that it was truly a pleasure to have them in your class and that you are very much looking forward to having the opportunity to train them in the future. This seems like a very obvious step, but many gym owners or managers forget to state the obvious and simply say, “We would love to have you back in the studio soon!”
As always, we encourage you to treat each one of your members and class attendees (long-term or short-term) with the utmost respect. Of course, the goal at the end of the day is to recruit them to become long-term members of your studio, but it is also important to make them feel comfortable in your studio no matter what. We hope that these tips will help you convert studio hoppers into full-time members, or at least plant the seed that there’s a benefit to becoming a part of the community you have worked so hard to build.
BackThis could be a life changing opportunity.
