12/7/2012 8:09:43 AM
beattywmorgan
Posts: 1
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We are opening a new center that will offer more fitness options, however, in order to do this we are raising our fee for that particular center. We have had some members that state that they just want to use a portion of the facility at a reduced rate. Is there any way to justify this cost to them even though our center has yet to open. I believe that once they see it we won't have many more complaints but we are about 4 weeks from opening and a few members are quite upset. Any suggestions?
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12/7/2012 12:54:41 PM
sportsmc
Posts: 1
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beattywmorgan wrote:
We are opening a new center that will offer more fitness options, however, in order to do this we are raising our fee for that particular center. We have had some members that state that they just want to use a portion of the facility at a reduced rate. Is there any way to justify this cost to them even though our center has yet to open. I believe that once they see it we won't have many more complaints but we are about 4 weeks from opening and a few members are quite upset. Any suggestions?
Stick to your guns, so to speak, and don't apologize or feel guilty. You said that you believe once they see it, they won't have a problem paying a little more. Spin it in such a way to help them understand that the value of the new "stuff" will far outweigh the slight cost increase. Focus on the benefits of the new extras, and how exciting it is to be able to add new things, as opposed to some facilities that don't do anything new.
I run a multi-use facility, and we always get those "a-la-carte" requests that you mention. "I only use the pool", or "I only want to play basketball" so they want to pay less. That's a dangerous precedent to set, because then everyone will only want to pay for exactly what they use, and nothing more. We always explain that our very reasonable cost gives them access to the entire facility, including programs, events, etc (or whatever it is you might offer) and we enourage them to use as much of the facility as they wish. That also presents an opportunity to encourage them to use the other areas that they normally don't, and give them details about how to get involved, or even show them around. I'm always surprised at how many people come to the club every day to swim, but never go into the fitness center, or they just play basketball and never use the sauna/steam room. Open their eyes to all the wonderful amenities you currently have, as well as how much better it will be when there is even more.
And, in the end, you may get a few members who are so upset with the changes that they leave. Oh well. Remember that you can't please everyone, and be comfortable in the knowledge that what you are doing will ultimately be better for everyone and should even result in more new people coming in.
Good luck to you.
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