Five Super Simple Ways to Retain More Bootcamp Clients By Georgette Pann
You might be running individual bootcamps for a set duration, such as one or two months. Or you might run ongoing fitness camps where people stay in your bootcamps month after month. Either way, the easiest sale (and easiest money) you'll ever make is by selling another month or another bootcamp to an existing customer. And that's why customer retention strategies are so important.
Now, there are four general approaches to customer retention:
1. Emphasizing customer satisfaction. This is key, because satisfied customers become loyal customers who buy from you again and again.
2. Delivering results. Yes, this ties into customer satisfaction. But if you can give your clients tangible results quickly followed by a good plan for long-term results, you'll retain more customers.
3. Building anticipation. While you should congratulate trainees on their results, you should also build anticipation towards them meeting their long-term goals.
4. Using a payment structure or contract that encourages retention, such as discounts for those who make a commitment or penalties for early withdrawal.
Naturally, your customer-retention strategy should incorporate all four of the above methods.
Here then are five specific ways to boost client retention:
Offer long-term and multi-camp discounts. In other words, the longer a client stays with you, the less they pay per bootcamp. If you have a continuity program (e.g., month to month bootcamps), you can include these discounts in your contract, with a penalty for early withdrawal.
Be encouraging. Take the time once a month to call all your bootcamp participants individually and congratulate them for their results. This sort of personal touch increases loyalty.
Offer unadvertised freebies and gifts. You can offer free reports, water bottles, workout towels, jump ropes or even gift cards on an irregular and unannounced basis. Doing so boosts customer satisfaction.
Assign "training partners." On the first day of bootcamp, consider assigning training partners. These two people should encourage and help each other as needed. People who feel an obligation to another person are less likely to drop out of your class.
Use common sense. That means following general customer service best practices, such as delivering what you promised, always arriving on time, handling complaints or refund requests promptly and so on.
Remember, customer satisfaction and retention isn't a one-shot deal, nor is it something you accomplish using one method. You need to create a strategy using the tips above... and then follow through consistently.
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People are flocking to these bootcamps because they are fun, effective, and convenient.
And since you can perform them at local parks, playgrounds, or even in your own backyard, there’s no need for a gym membership for your clients – or any overhead fees for you.
