In this episode, Vince discusses unique strategies to bring former gym members back, emphasizing the importance of personalized reactivation efforts and relationship-building.
He suggests maintaining a reactivation list, regularly reaching out with individualized offers, and using creative tactics like themed campaigns and personalized direct mail to re-engage past members. Vince highlights the New Year period as a prime time for reactivation when people often reflect on missed goals.
He emphasizes that while not all former members will return, a thoughtful reactivation process can yield valuable results by overcoming barriers like embarrassment and reminding members that it's okay to come back.
Key Points:
Building Member Relationships:
- Retain detailed knowledge about members, such as contact info, family names, birthdays, etc., to make outreach more personalized.
- Former members often leave due to life circumstances rather than dissatisfaction with the gym.
Effective Strategies for Reactivation:
- Maintain a “reactivation” list of former members and reach out regularly (suggested: five people each month).
- Send personalized letters or messages to reignite interest, making it clear the outreach is genuine.
- Offer an irresistible return incentive, like "no payments until January 1" for those who rejoin in November or December.
Creative Reactivation Campaigns:
- Host themed events or send funny, memorable items like "missing member" milk cartons with their photos.
- Use direct mail for more extensive campaigns, combining letters with small gifts like gym-branded hats or T-shirts.
Leverage the New Year’s Momentum:
- November and December are prime months for reactivation as people reflect on the year and consider health goals for the new year.
- Reinforce that it’s “okay to come back” to overcome any feelings of embarrassment members might feel.
Tracking and Evaluating:
- Track where new members come from at year-end to understand the role of reactivation in client acquisition.
- Reinforce that while not all former members will return, the strategy can yield significant returns with even a small percentage reactivated.
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