Keeping New Clients - Best Practices To Maximize Retention

In this episode of The Pilates Business Podcast, we explore the vital secrets to client retention in boutique fitness studios. 

Discover the key strategies to foster personalized client experiences, improve communication, and leverage time-saving tools. 

Learn  the secrets to keeping your boutique fitness studio clients engaged and loyal - perfect for pilates, barre and yoga studio owners!

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Imagine your studio bustling with loyal clients who literally cannot wait for their next session. What's the secret to keeping clients coming back for more? That's exactly what I am talking about in today's episode, because we are unlocking some of the strategies behind client retention, from personalized experiences to community building. You're going to learn how to turn your clients into enthusiastic brand ambassadors of your boutique fitness studio business. Well, hi there, I'm Sarah in Glenfield. I'm a business and marketing strategist just for boutique fitness studio owners like you. If you're ready to be inspired and make a bigger impact, you're in the right place. All you need are a few key strategies, the right mindset and some support along the way. Join me as I share the real life insights that will help you grow a sustainable and profitable studio. This is the Pilates Business Podcast.

Speaker 1: 1:07

Happy new year and welcome back to a brand new episode of the Pilates Business Podcast. This is where you're going to be coming all year for insights and tips, all about how you can build and grow your studio business in meaningful ways. I'm your host, sarah in Glenfield, and the founder and chief strategist of Spring 3 Studio Business Consulting. It is a new year, you guys, and I am so excited for what is ahead for all of you. There is tremendous amount of opportunity. I'm seeing and this when we turn the page of the calendar or even open a new calendar. There is a fresh start there, there is a new chapter, there is a lot of potential and opportunity. This is the time of year where perhaps there is more promise, the world seems to pulse with more opportunities, and it's the perfect moment to really reflect on some of the things that worked really well last year, some of the achievements from last year, some of the highlights from the year gone by but also to think about what it is that you want for your future, and there is no better goal to have than to build a stronger relationship with your clients. So in today's episode, I'm going to be diving into the heart of what makes your studio not just survive this year at all, but actually thrive to be a place that is energized, with clients that enjoy your services, that show up excited and tell their friends all about you.

Speaker 1: 2:46

Because your business and the success of your business is not just about lead generation, getting new clients in the door. It is every bit as important to keep those clients active and engaged in your business and committed for the long haul, and so we know that this time of year, this month, typically is one of the busiest. It's not the only busy month of the year that you're going to find, but it is one of the busiest months of the year typically, and might not be the week. People sometimes take a little bit of time to come around and find their routine again, but we know that the start of the year tends to bring in a wave of new clients or clients who haven't come in for a while, so you might well see your studio start to bustle with energy that might have been missing for them the last couple of weeks, and sometimes and oftentimes, those folks are eager to really kick off the new year and recommit to their movement practice and their wellness and well-being. So the question is how do we turn these New Year's resolutions into more of a lifetime lifelong commitment to Pilates or bar or yoga or dance, cardio and all of the other things that you offer in your studio? How do we create that situation, that environment that not only welcomes them in but also makes them feel like they are an integral part of the community? Well, that's what I want to explore with you a little bit today.

Speaker 1: 4:17

I thought it was very timely of us to have this conversation at this time of year because, although we see a lot of new clients coming in, what's going to really help you this year is if your focus shifts immediately on how you can keep those new clients in your studio and active in your studio, and so I'm going to share today some of the insights that I have gathered over my 12 years in the boutique fitness business world, supporting studio owners with their marketing and their business growth, and I'm going to talk all about the importance of things like building connection, understanding your clients and how to create an atmosphere in your studio that really does radiate and that is aligned with your core values, that is warming and respectful and says a sense of belonging to everybody that you want to be in your studio. So, whether you're listening to this as you take a walk to reflect on this new year or your sipping coffee, just take a minute to perhaps take down some notes from today's session and think about how you might be able to apply some of the things I'm going to share with you to your boutique fitness studio business, because this year is not about thinking about growing your business. This year is about taking action to move your business forward and create progress and momentum in your business, and I have seen what is possible for you when you're prepared to commit to your goals and commit to taking action. In fact, that is exactly what I encourage and support my studio owners do inside of my Thrive Business Coaching Program. So let's step into it. Let's talk about retention and some best practices that are going to help you keep those new clients active and engaged in your business.

Speaker 1: 6:09

Now, some of the things that I'm starting to see emerge over the course of the last year to 18 months is personalized experiences, and if you teach one-on-one sessions, some of this you're probably doing very perhaps organically already, but what we are seeing increasingly is that the popularity of very bespoke personalized experiences are beginning to become increasingly popular, and I don't know if this is a result, perhaps, of a period of time where there was a lot of unpersonalized experience, where there was a lot of online movement practices, where there was a lot of people doing the same thing, but we're seeing a shift towards opportunities where you can personalize your customer journey. You can personalize sessions and tailor sessions and programs to your client's needs and goals, and this is where I'm seeing quite a significant revenue opportunity for most studios, and because of the way that you work with your clients typically, because you tend to have quite close relationships with them and that you tend to know them on a first name basis, you know a little bit about what their goals are, especially when it comes to movement and health and well-being, you actually hold a lot of the keys to them being able to access better movement practices, better health, better wellness, and so the more that you can lean into your expertise and use that to create more personalized and tailored programs for your clients, the more value those clients will see in you and they will start to understand and recognize and respect the incredible amount of expertise that you have about when it comes to what you do. And so this can look like many different things in your business, and truly one of the beautiful things about owning your own studio is that you get to design your business and what you offer specifically for the way that you want to work with your clients right. And so when it comes to more personalized experiences, we're talking about tailoring those individual sessions according to the good needs and goals of your clients, and this can happen very, very easily in a one-on-one session. In fact, you may well be doing that already, which is probably why you see very strong retention numbers. Your clients, if you're doing mostly one-on-one sessions, probably will stick around for the long term and you will see a solid retention number. If you see, if you have larger group classes especially, you start to see that some of that retention typically kind of declines. The ability to retain clients in a larger setting declines. And this is where there might be opportunity for you to perhaps increase that personalization of those classes or sessions through some add-on consultations, one-on-ones or specific bespoke programs for your clients.

Speaker 1: 9:01

With all of the different ways that we can support the health and wellness of your clients these days I know that there is you can get super creative with the types of programs that you can offer. Personalizing sessions is one of the big opportunities and programs as well. Now we also want to personalize that customer journey and this has been a huge opportunity for most studio owners in 2023. And I know it's going to be only more important in 2024. And that is the power of follow-ups and check-ins that are personalized. But perhaps you are using your studio management software to automate some of these check-ins and follow-ups. We also know there are many different types of software out there that can support you in creating the ability to reach out to your clients without you having to actually sit down and write those emails or send those texts to every single client personally and individually. Sometimes that is necessary. Sometimes you can use some of these tools. I really truly recommend that.

Speaker 1: 10:09

If you are intentional about growing, you intend to grow your business and you want to scale, investing in a studio management software will only help you to get there faster. Okay, and there is real power in these follow-ups and check-ins. We see the data time and time again that it supports revenue growth year over year, because it really truly does enhance retention. It helps keeps clients active and engaged in your business and helps you to be able to stay on top of making sure that you are connecting with clients on a regular basis. For those studios I see who don't have great retention or wish their retention was a little bit higher, they're often missing these two components, and so if you're in that place and you're thinking that perhaps there is opportunity for you to get some of those old clients back, or that you've been missing some people off the schedule for a while, then I would encourage you to lean into both of these, especially as we head into the next few months and people are a little bit more motivated about their movement practice.

Speaker 1: 11:11

The other thing that is so incredibly vitally important is the atmosphere and the energy of your studio. This is by far the number one reason why people come back to a studio, or maybe actually, more importantly, the number one reason why people don't come back to a studio. If the atmosphere is not a positive, or the experience is not a positive one for them, because the atmosphere or the energy or the way that they were engaged, interacted with in the studio wasn't ideal, then you're not really going to support long-term retention of that client. That's not really helpful to keeping someone around. We want to make sure that people who come into your studio feel a sense of welcome and belonging, that they are greeted in a way that makes them feel good about their decision to walk in the door that day. And I know that it's a bit like welcoming someone into your home, but you kind of want to share your home with them in a way that makes them feel like they are also a part of your home as well, right, and there's a lot of small details here that matter.

Speaker 1: 12:19

This isn't about necessarily doing big things, but it's often about these small details that really do make a difference when it comes to the experience your clients have in the studio. It can be everything from the way that you the ambience of the space, you know what you if you're playing music or not, if you have there is lighting, smells all of those sorts of things help to create an ambience in your studio, create an atmosphere in your studio. And then, of course, there's the other people there too. It's how your clients are greeted when they walk in, what is said to them as they're leaving, who else is there and how they interact and engage with each other, and, of course, how your clients interact and engage with each other as well. And sometimes one of the most wonderful things that you can do is to create situations that drive connection between clients.

Speaker 1: 13:08

So what does that mean? That means that you'd want to be thinking about how you can encourage your clients to make friends with each other so that they can create this sense of community amongst themselves every bit as much as you are creating that sense of community between you and your clients, okay, and once you have that, it becomes this hub for them. It becomes a place that they come to and lean on because they really want to be there because of the other people that they know are there. And these people might not be their best friends, but the people they will come to know and move with over time will be a group of people that will help them feel like they belong. Okay, so perhaps hosting events, workshops and inviting your clients to join you in those is a great way to encourage your clients to interact and engage with each other and foster those friendships to really bloom in your studio, and it's a really lovely thing to see and to experience as a studio owner. When you see that and when you've got that super close knit I should say community in your studio, then they will share with their friends and they'll be more comfortable about doing that.

Speaker 1: 14:15

And so it really is one of the most influential elements when it comes to retention and studio growth is investing in developing that sense of community in your studio. Okay, and it doesn't cost you a lot of money and it doesn't have to be time consuming either, so it's sort of one of those things that you can do. It's all about the way that you interact and engage with your clients. The energy in your studio most of the time, I will say, comes from the leader of the business, and that is you, the studio owner. Okay, so we've talked a little bit about personalized client experiences and following up. We've talked a little bit about tailoring that customer journey and tailoring the sessions and classes to meet those individual needs and goals of the clients. We've also talked about how important it is to create a community atmosphere and perhaps consider hosting some events or some workshops that foster those interactions amongst clients.

Speaker 1: 15:17

Now, one of the things that we talk about a lot inside of my group programs and I give them specific strategies and action items that they can go away and do in their business to drive retention is the importance of ongoing open communication with your client base. Over and over again, what I see is those studios who are very consistent with their communication and consistent with how often they send out emails, consistent with how often they show up in social media, but also consistent with the tone that they show up, with the graphics they use, the colors they use and making sure that whenever you are communicating with your clients, that you are very consistent in the way that you do that, the timing and how you do it, and what this helps to do is to reinforce this feedback loop that creates that connection between your business and your clients. And so if you're very sporadic and ad hoc about your communication, then your clients may not feel that you are as much a part of their lives as you would want to be. So it's really important that you utilize and you take the time to be consistent with your marketing efforts, not because you're necessarily constantly wanting to sell something or constantly wanting to get new clients in, but those ongoing nurture campaigns are a really critical component to an ongoing deepening of that relationship that you have with your client over a long period of time. We don't want to ignore how important it is that you continue to grow those relationships with clients, even those who have been coming for six months or a year or even two years or more. So it's super important, even though you might see them once a week or twice a week, and they know where you are and you know where they are and you kind of know each other pretty well. It's really important that you don't ignore the importance of continuing to nurture those clients with ongoing communication, via email and social media and so on, in a way that connects with them, in a way that shares information that is educational but also motivating and inspiring to them as well. Just because they have been coming twice a week for two years doesn't mean they will continue to come twice a week for two years. So make sure that you stay top of mind for your clients, ok, so there you have it. You guys.

Speaker 1: 17:34

As we come to the end of today's episode, remember that client retention is not just about strategies and tactics and promotions. To be honest, when you are growing a business over the long term in a way that is sustainable but steadily growing, then it is about up-leveling and refining the experience that your clients have. And every client is unique, and if you're able to recognize that in the way that you deliver your services and by personalizing the way that you engage and interact with them, you're going to create an environment where they feel valued and understood. And in today's world, there are so many different ways to connect with your clients. To create that connection with your clients, we are very, very fortunate to be running a business in this year, in 2024. There are tools that help you to save a lot of time but still create those connections with your clients. Your clients are the heart of your studio, so keep nurturing those relationships, whether they are brand new to the studio or whether they have been with you for years. I hope this is helpful to you as you go about thinking about where there might be some opportunities to boost retention in your boutique fitness studio business. As we head into the new year, I know that you will be seeing an increase in new client inquiries, which is super exciting, but I also want to make sure that you have a chance to see that you're able to keep those clients and keep them active and engaged in your business beyond January and February of this year. All right, that's the goal. So we're thinking big picture, we're thinking long term when it comes to clients, and that is what retention is all about.

Speaker 1: 19:20

So thank you so much for listening in today. I hope you found this helpful. If you did, I would be so appreciative if you could take a quick minute and go to the place you're listening to this and rate and review this podcast. It would mean so much to me and would help to get this out there into our communities so that more teachers just like you can feel supported and encouraged on their journey in our industry. Did you love this episode and want more? Head to spring3.com and check out my free resources that will help you run a profitable and fulfilling studio business. And before you go, one last reminder there is no one way to do what you do, only your way. So whatever it is that you want to do, create or offer, you've got this. Thanks again for joining me today and have a wonderful rest of your day.