Member retention is not a simple equation. It's a personalized approach to building a better relationship with each of your members. It's about providing them with the value they are seeking and solving the problems they thought you could help with.
Secondly, improving your membership retention rate can also improve your rate of growth. With a more consistent consumer base, meaningful relationships between these regular members (and even between staff and members) are more likely to develop. This sense of belonging can drastically improve the member experience.
Why focus on retention? Because you can’t afford not to. Experts estimate that it can cost as much as five times more to attract new members than it does to keep existing ones.
One of the ways that we like to keep our members engaged and our member retention high is by issuing challenges. Some are personal, some are to raise funds for charities, some are to compete against each other, but whatever it is, the intent is to keep our members engaged. This is especially important during the past year of COVID.
We just finished a 2.5-month Kilometer Challenge inside of Team Triumph, where the members formed teams of 4 and racked up kilometres by biking, swimming and running/walking. We had 11 teams. Teams were randomly picked at the start of the challenge to encourage members to get to know each of their teammates putting faces to names and bonding through a common goal. Everyone had an amazing time.
For the month of March we issued not 1, not 2 but 3 challenge options for our members, encouraging them to donate after the challenge to THE SJAM, RIDEAU WINTER TRAIL OR SKI HERITAGE EAST TRAILS. You can see two of our challengers below.
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Without your members/clients, you would not have a business. They deserve to be nurtured and stimulated. Let them know they are valued.
Julia is incredible, I once had a coach who told me to get good at biking and running as he couldn't do anything with my swim technique. Then I was introduced to Julia who is so patient and has an amazing ability to translate it all into a way I could understand. I knocked a minute per 100m off my open water swim times after only a handful of sessions with her. The team is also really welcoming, inclusive and most of all FUN!
Triumph is a warm and fun place for every level of triathlete. Whether you’re just getting started and learning all about triathlon or have been at it for decades, like some of us, you will find camaraderie and expertise in this group with Julia Aimers’ support and caring. She keeps up-to-date in so many areas of training, especially for women and including women’s issues whether it be nutrition or menopause. I highly recommend Team Triumph for swimming, biking, running or putting it all together in one package. There is no other place or group, I would rather be training with. So many of my close friends were met in this group.
A huge thank you to my Triathlon coach, Julia Cooper-Aimers. She took the time last week to drop off (from a distance because of COVID19 restrictions) some tri shorts I ordered along with a well-appreciated note to remind me that there will be ups and downs and that things will get better. She has gone above and beyond to support all of her athletes and our Team Triumph club, by providing almost daily strength, yoga, and spinning videos that have been uploaded to Youtube for anyone who needs a little motivation during these challenging times as well as many words of encouragement. I am grateful for her support and encouragement. ❤️
Anita Lacelle Taylor
Training with Team Triumph for 7 months (so far) made me faster and stronger while building nourishing connections with like-minded fitness nuts and shattering the expectations I had of myself. TT is a crew of inspiring people pursuing epic individual goals and encouraging each other along the way. Julia and her team have expert knowledge and provide a thoughtful evidence-based group program that works. I am privileged and thankful to have Team Triumph in my neighborhood and can't wait to get back to the pool!
Alex Bourne
I want to thank you for always putting our well-being at the forefront of your business model. You suspended face-to-face programs in a timely manner, leading the way in a fitness business world that took much too long to respond and put their members’ health and the community at risk. You « triumphed « in quickly acting to flatten the curve.
Your caring nature resulted in a series of innovative and fun virtual sessions and opened them to the community. I am missing the live interaction now that I am working for a few months but I appreciate that I can access the videos according to my schedule. Yin/yang session tonight, just what I needed.
Not to mention the check-ins, the home deliveries, the charitable events. Priceless.
Simone Rose-Oliver
