How do you start the journey of your new clients?
Do you give them a tour of the studio? Start with a health assessment? Or do you just get down to work?
Well, if you’ve ever felt unsure about what your studio’s opening sequence should be, then today’s your lucky day!
Why?
Because I’ll be sharing a great way to start off the fitness and health journey of your studio members.
And that’s by none other than applying inductions.
I personally love doing inductions… Especially group inductions where people just get to bond and enjoy their first day.
Enough about me, though. Here’s a promise:
By the end of this article, you will definitely see the point in doing inductions. I promise that you’ll learn to love doing it, too!
Let’s get started, shall we?
What Are Inductions?
To kick things off, let me first explain to you what a fitness studio induction is all about.
An induction is an activity that welcomes new studio members by letting them do a series of activities. These include any of the following:
- Meeting with a personal trainer
- Going through orientation
- Getting a tour of the facility
- Getting a quick fitness assessment
If you don’t do an induction of any kind, then you’re going to leave your member feeling a bit helpless – and it’s just not right! This is especially true if it’s their very first time seeking professional help to improve their fitness and overall health.
Why Do Group Inductions
Now, I’m partial to doing group inductions instead of individual newbie inductions. See, with a group induction, you’re literally getting a group of newbies together and then setting them up for success. That’s the best part.
But if you’re still not convinced, let me give you three more reasons why you should start doing group inductions ASAP:
Reason #1: It’s the Key Thing That Needs to Happen to Rollover Newbies
Did you know that holding inductions is the first step in the rollover process after you successfully make a sale?
So, if you’re wondering why you’re not getting 80% rollovers from your free classes, then you’re probably not doing group inductions at all.
My advice?
If you want newbies to actually show up and recommit at the end of their program, then you should start doing group inductions.
Reason #2: It Saves Time
Doing group inductions is not just good for your would-be members. They’re great timesavers for you, too!
See, instead of doing ten 15-minute inductions during the week, you can just split it into two sessions with groups of five. This is great because your time is precious, right? And so is that of your managers.
Can you imagine how much more work (and rest) you and your team could do if you just conduct inductions in groups?
Reason #3: Your Prospective Studio Members Will Feel Safer
There really is safety in numbers.
The reality is that for thousands and thousands of centuries, it has been a natural human desire to feel accepted as part of a group. It’s a basic survival instinct. And people know they’re safer in a group, that’s why they come to team training sessions.
They want to make friends.
They want the accountability of a group.
And they want the general vibe of not being alone.
That’s why it just makes so much sense to start newbies off in a group setting.
So, when you do group inductions, you’re immediately assuring them they’re part of a community. And you’re making them feel safe by telling them they’re not on this journey alone.
Plus, the newbie members won’t feel like they’re being vulnerable in front of too many people.
Staging the Best Group Inductions – The 3 Tips
Tip #1: Find a Schedule That Works Best for Everyone
Ideally, you need to conduct group inductions before your members start their first session.
But the truth is that it won’t always happen that way. Some would really have irregular schedules that it would be difficult for you to find one that would be perfect for every single newbie you’re inducting.
A good compromise is setting up their inductions at least within the first week of their joining. Anything later than that would defeat the purpose of setting up group inductions in the first place.
Tip #2: Start With An Intimate Group
It’s good to have a nice intimate group, like 5, 6, 7, maybe 10 members when doing group inductions. This will allow you to give ample time for every newbie to speak up and be heard.
But why does this matter?
You see, during group inductions, it will be part of your job to dig deeper. You need to know the actual reason why they signed up for your studio. In fact, you need to ask ‘why’ three times to really get to the bottom of things. And of course, that takes time.
Keep in mind that the number of people in your group inductions will still greatly depend on how many people you close.
Tip #3: Adopt and Adapt
There is no one size fits all approach to handling group inductions. Even if you do group inductions, every member will be different. So you can’t expect that something that worked for a certain batch of group inductees will work on another. The same is true for different studios.
That’s why you need to figure out what’s the best approach for you and your team when doing group inductions.
Start Doing Group Inductions Today
For us studio owners, holding group inductions is a great way to get to know our studio members. After all, we get to know their goals. Then, we set some habits in place to keep them accountable. And we understand how we’re going to serve them best.
So, when you think about it, doing inductions is a win-win for both you and your client.
You set yourself up for success to get them rolled over into membership. And you set your clients up for success by getting them on track with their fitness goals.
Now, if you want a full template you can use for your inductions, just reach out to us anytime.
Want to learn more?