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ARE YOU USING THE RIGHT CLIENT ONBOARDING STRATEGY FOR YOUR PILATES STUDIO?
I quite often get asked from Pilates studio owners asking how they can compete with the big brand Pilates studios that run tons of classes each day.
They commonly ask.
- Do I need to do more marketing?
- Do I need to do Facebook ads?
- Do I need a new website?
These can all be part of a solution to get more clients, but the first thing I do is help pilates studio owners identify where the problem exists in their client acquisition strategy.
- Are enough people aware of your studio?
- Are you getting enough calls, inquiries, and new client signups?
- Do you make it easy for people to get started?
- Is your intro offer appealing to new clients?
One of the most overlooked aspects is how Pilates studios typically onboard their new clients. Most Pilates studios require a new client to take at least one private session or buy an intro pack of 3 private sessions at a discount before they can join any classes at a studio. What does this on-boarding strategy communicate to a potential client? Unconsciously you've just given them the impression that Pilates is challenging and that they need specialized training before they can enjoy Pilates. You've unwittingly put up significant barriers to entry and getting started for many potential customers. This approach may make sense if your business is a boutique Pilates studio which only offers private or semi-private sessions. In this case, the client on-boarding strategy matches your value proposition, product offering, and business objectives.
However, if your studio's core product offering and bread and butter revenue streams are equipment and group classes then maybe you need a different on-boarding strategy! Is requiring all new clients to take a private Pilates session(s) the best way to get them to signup? If your goal is to get more people in the door and experience what you have to offer, you might consider letting new clients sign up for classes without requiring them to take a private lesson.
If you look at all the boutique fitness studios that are popping up, almost all of them aren't making new clients take prerequisite private sessions before they can start classes – even equipment classes. They allow new clients to jump right in and get started.
I can already hear what you are saying about this idea. Clients have to take the private sessions for safety reasons, or they will disrupt the flow of the class, or the teacher has to spend more time with that one student, etc.. the list goes on. A lot these issues can be overcome though by teachers who are trained correctly to deal with them and by intelligently using your MINDBODY branded web tools.
Let's consider a real-life example and the results this approach can generate.
I recently had a client whose website was in the process of a makeover. We weren't ready to launch the new site, but she needed something up, so her current clients could still book classes online. We ended up creating a temporary three-page website. It included a Homepage, a Getting Started, and Class Schedule (they only offer small group equipment classes).
The studio's old website required that all new clients take an intro private session to start. On the temporary site, we did have the Getting Started page where it leads new clients to sign up for an introductory one-on-one Pilates session at half price, but it turned out no one used it.
Looking at Google Analytics, we saw people were going to the Getting Started page but then most just jumped to the schedule page and signed up for a class. The studio had 8 new clients that month! That was with zero marketing and a half-built website!
What happened when those eight new clients showed up? They were welcomed and given a little extra help in class. Did they take a ton of time away from the other clients? Not really. Were they in any danger of hurting themselves? Not any more than if they walked into a gym and started using weight equipment. Yes, it required the teacher to give them some extra assistance and modifications, but the teacher was still able to run a fantastic class. Yes, it made the teacher work a little harder.
After the class was over the teacher talked to new clients and discussed with them what options might be best suited for them. All 8 clients signed up for memberships!
This approach also makes it easier to up-sell clients on private Pilates sessions. Once the client is in the studio and has experienced a group class, they tend to realize they need some additional help and instruction. The Pilates teacher can then introduce the idea of a private one-on-one Pilates session or direct them class that best suite for them.
I know, you don't want new clients showing up to your advanced reformer class with no prior experience. However, you can use your MINDBODY Online widgets and class restriction settings in MINDBODY to help solve that problem. On the Getting Started page of your website, you can set the MINDBODY widget to only show classes and sessions that suited for the beginner client.
I also recommend you stay away from naming classes beginner or fundamentals classes. Nothing turns people off more than thinking they are signing up for a dull beginner class. If you're worried that new clients will jump to the main schedule page and incorrectly sign up for advanced sessions, make sure to set up restrictions in MINDBODY for who can sign up for those advanced classes.
Also make sure your teachers and front staff are trained to talk with new students after their first class and sell them on your intro offers and memberships. This is a critical part of your on-boarding experience! It's a lot easier to sell a Pilates membership or package when the client is in the studio after they experience how awesome the Pilates class was than it is on a website or over a phone call.
Is this solution for every studio? No. But reevaluating how you can make it easy for new clients to get started and take their first Pilates class is something to consider. Are you only giving them one option? Are you setting up unnecessary barriers? Are you asking for to information to sign up? Are you intro offers appealing?
One of the key goals of any studio should be to make it easy as possible for new clients to come into the studio and experience what you have to offer.
What on-boarding options have worked for your studio?
As a web designer that works extensively with Pilates studio owners, I have a solid understanding of the Pilates business. One of the most common questions I get from studio owners whose websites are not delivering the results they want is "what is the biggest mistake that Pilates studios make with their website?". Well. The mistake we make as pilates studios is that it's not all about us. It's about the clients! I'm also a qualified Pilates instructor! So I get it! You spent hours researching what Pilates lineage you thought was the best. You invested hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars on a training program. Then you spent even more money on purchasing equipment and opening a studio! It sort of becomes something that defines who we are. We almost use it to validate ourselves and validate our life choices. As Pilates teachers we love to say "I am X trained" or "I studied under X", or "I teach X Pilates" and "our studio is filled with X equipment". When one Pilates teachers is talking to another, those things can matter. But do they matter to your potential client? How many clients have actually come into your studio and asked about what lineage did you study under? What brand of equipment do you use? Do you teach classical or contemporary Pilates? Or that even know that Joseph Pilates was a real person?
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