Dr Paul Bedford – Key insights from The Retention Guru
In this show, we interview The Retention Guru, Dr Paul Bedford. With over 20 years experience working in the fitness industry, Paul is one of the global fitness industry’s leading authorities on retention, attrition and member experience management.
During our chat we ask him about the most surprising revelation he has come across when it comes to retaining members, and has he observed any correlation between group exercise & retention and PT & retention. Finally, you will be amazed when he shares his top 3 strategies to build member retention.
Episode Timeline
- 01:00 – Exciting announcement!
- 02:05 – Introduction to Dr Paul Bedford
- 02:55 – The most surprising revelation about retaining members
- 07:30 – The number one tip to attract the over 35 member
- 08:45 – Is there a correlation between Group Ex and member retention?
- 11:20 – 3 strategies to increase member retention
- 14:50 – Great example of a gym doing a top job of streamlining processes
- 23:13 – Top take-aways from this months interview
Top Tips From The Show
- People over the age of 35 behave significantly differently to the people under the age of 35. Over 35’s are much more routine, Under 35’s are more adhoc – Dr Paul Bedford
- If you want to appeal to over 35’s, then gym owners need to start thinking about how can we provide high intensity training in different formats that will accommodate the broadest range of customers – not just a small group of really fit members – Dr Paul Bedford
- People who do group exercise stay longer because of the routine and the habit, then the fact that its group – Dr Paul Bedford
- Always introduce new group fitness members to meet staff team members when they first start at your gym – Dr Paul Bedford
- We need to sign post new members to the things that are most relevant to them in the gym environment – – Dr Paul Bedford
Inspirational Quotes From The Experts
“With every decade people get more reliable, more consistent, they stay loner within a membership, they are harder to recruit, but once you’ve got them, they stay” Dr Paul Bedford
“We need to become much better at delivering results rather than just giving people access to gym facilities – members who don’t see a relationship between the exercises they are doing, and their goals, stop doing those exercises, so we need to become much more RESULTS ORIENTATED with the exercises we prescribe to people”
Resources Our Experts Shared In The Show
http://retentionguru.co.uk
Twitter @guru_paul
[email protected]
Tweetables – share the Experts knowledge to #GROW
[Tweet “We have to become much better at delivering results @guru_paul”]
[Tweet “No one wants a gym membership, they want the RESULTS of a gym membership @guru_paul”]
[Tweet “Don’t interrupt members, INTERACT with them @guru_paul”]
Share Your Thoughts
Tell us your #1 Takeaway from this show or what success you have had from implementing an idea you heard here! You could win a 3 minute interview on the Fitness Business Podcast!
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Did You Miss?
Chantal worked for 15 years in senior sales and marketing roles in the media industry before transitioning careers. She began as a qualified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. Realising she could do more to help the industry, she became a Fitness Business Coach with Active Management. Then in 2015, she became the host of The Fitness Business Podcast. Now with over 262 shows and 500,000 downloads it is one of the world’s top podcasts for fitness business owners, managers and fitpreneurs.
Chantal has interviewed fitness industry leaders including Rick Caro, Bill McBride, Brent Darden, Rasmus Ingerslev, Derek Gallup, Alison Flatley, Mo Hagan, Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Carrie Kepple, Emma Barry.
Fitness industry award winners including Todd Durkin, Krista Popowych, Carol Michaels, Kristen Green.
International authors including Jay Baer, Jeb Blount, Mark Shaefer, Mike Michaelowicz, Michelle Segar.
Retaining members is the optimal outcome for any service based enterprise. What I found to be the most critical determination for any gym to succeed is the service enviroment. Every gym has had equipment, shower facilities and personal trainers. But what about new inoovative augmented service that are not core activities. Gym owners and manager, especially in the 24 hour format, get as many members and let them find there own way. This type of marketing blast does two negative things,
1- an influx of 1000 or 200 new members in a months overcrowds a gym. The result is alienating existing customers – result cognitive dissonance the customer will employ the consumer decision making process in particular product service evaluation.
2- new members don’t stay for one simple reason, they don’t know how to train properly and diet specific to their personal goals.
In any competitive market indication and the effective use of technology will affect customer behaviour in a positive way. Operant conditioning through smartphone and technology is way overdue here in Australia.