“Never Give Away A Free Pass Again!”
Free passes were a constant issue for us at our test gym “The Fit Club Redditch“, last year. Members asking if they could ‘bring a mate’, trainers bringing guests and people generally trying their luck. The system we bought in: Pay for your day pass (£7.50), and get the money back when you sign up on a full membership. It’s a fair system, one that staff can easily get behind and it’s easy to administer when you have the right software package to manage it. Here’s how we do it:
All our implemented ideas (click them to skip ahead)…
Charge them for a pass (and make it expensive!)
Human follow up pipeline (optional)
Charge them for a pass (and make it expensive!)
To start with we set a price for a day pass that was palatable for our area. At £7.50 it’s our most expensive membership when we look at cost per day. However, the price is for convenience and designed to make our longer term memberships look more attractive.
At this price we rarely get objections, especially when the member is already at our front desk and eager to start their session!
Create your system
A crucial part of the system that we introduced was the use of Ashbourne’s prospect management system. If you are using a different system you may also be able to replicate this. There are three main components to the process we introduced:
Data Capture Form
When a day pass member comes down to the gym on a day pass, they have either already paid online or will do so at our front desk. We created a simple form that captures crucial contact information (name, email, phone). All the visitor needs to do once their payment is confirmed is to fill out their details on the digital form (hosted on a tablet computer at reception).
Automated follow up
Once the member has inputted their data into the form, they are automatically added to our lead management platform. We have the system set up so that it waits a day (allows the day pass visitor to enjoy their session before we get in touch), before sending out the first of a series of emails and text messages.
The first email includes a voucher code which, as promised, removes the value of their day pass from the cost of a full membership. Crucially, the system will perform checks to see whether the day pass visitor has signed up. In the case that they have joined, the system will stop pestering them!
Human follow up pipeline (optional)
One additional feature that we have recently set up, is a system for following up with people that go through the entire automated process without ever signing up.
These potential members fall into a ‘deal pipeline’, as imaged below.
Here, a member of our team will go through the list of contacts, calling each one up and asking about their session and if they wish to join us. They then simply drag and drop the contact to the relevant column, each of which includes its own automation.
If the contact is placed in the ‘Successfully contacted – Interested’ column, they will automatically then receive an email from us with the link to join.
Provided you provide clear instructions to your team, this process should mean that you never need to give away a free pass again!
It provides a clear and fair incentive to the potential member.
The system also means you can capitalise on every single person using your gym. Not only that, but it also puts you in good stead to convert them into an actual member!
Want to understand more about your membership?
Ashbourne can help you gain unprecedented insight.
As you can see, we really get stuck into every aspect of helping gyms and clubs succeed. Our success is directly tied to the success of our partnered clubs, so we are always ensuring that we’re at the cutting edge when it comes to helping all of our gyms grow and market themselves effectively.
If you’d like to get in touch about how we can help your club succeed, then you can always book a demo with our sales director, Grant Harrison, who would love to show you how our full club management package can help you improve and grow every aspect of your business.