Client Retention is a key factor in the health of a Pilates Business
Consistency is key. Helping clients maintain a consistent schedule is the first step in increasing client retention. As Pilates Business owners, we all have faith in our “product” We have felt the results, and we have found the beauty in feeling healthier and stronger. However, sometimes we need to give our clients a little extra help in discovering this magic. A consistent schedule is a great step in the right direction because it helps your clients establish habitual behavior that will help them reach the fitness goal of feeling great.
Imagine the following scenario. It’s the end of the session, and the client has the beautiful glow of a body that has moved in all planes of motion. Now it’s time to schedule the next session and the teacher says, “Do you want to make another appointment?
In this scenario the client a giant opportunity to say “no”, or “I’ll call you”, or “do you think this is helping”? And any of these questions could lead to the attrition of a client that might have found the magic in Pilates in just one more session.
Ask questions or make statements that give everyone what they need:
When the scheduling of the next appointment is assumed you are giving a gift to your client. You are making it easy to be consistent and supporting healthy behavior. Try this at your next session let us know how it goes.
Client retention will Increase if your clients are accustomed to seeing More than 1 Teacher
Having multiple Pilates Teachers is a treat. Everybody learns differently and hearing a concept explained by more than one mind increases the chances of movement integration and improvement. If we teach from this assumption, it makes it possible to maintain our own work life balance without sacrificing our client retention and consistency. Now we just have to convince our clients of this.
Imagine this scenario - You have a vacation next week, but you usually see this particular client twice a week and she loves you! And by love I mean she LOVES YOU! She calls you a miracle worker (though we all know movement is the miracle) and wants you to have everything in this world! It’s time to schedule her appointments while you’re gone and you say, “Do you want me to find you a sub?”
First of all this client loves you and would never want you to be inconvenienced, so if you offer this as a question she is going to say no...Because you would have to go to extra work and she would never want that for you.
Do the work ahead of time:
- Find the sub ahead of time. That would give you the ability to say, “I found you a sub for next week while I’m gone, let’s confirm those appointments with Dawn.”
- With this sentence you are stating the name and you have already done the work.
- Your client would never want any work that you do to go to waste.
There are always going to be barriers to scheduling the next appointment in the moment.
Efficiency is key. If a client is standing in front of me and I say, “do you want next Tuesday at ten?” and she says yes, the next time I have to think about that appointment is next Tuesday at ten.
There are always barriers to scheduling like:
- Calendars that are left in the car
- Appointments that need to be confirmed
- Errands that have to be run
- Kids that have to be picked up
These barriers can make scheduling in the moment difficult.
Use the following lines to help set up that habit of scheduling efficiently.
These get the person in the schedule, and if she gets down to the car and it works, all is done. This is a convenience for your client as well as you.
The way that you use your words at the end of your session can go a long way towards improving client retention and thus keep your bottom line moving in the right direction.
When the scheduling of the next appointment is assumed you are giving a gift to your client. You are making it easy to be consistent and supporting healthy behavior.
Try this at your next session let us know how it goes.