September isn't necessarily about finding new people… It's about making it easy to come back

Don’t get me wrong…. September is a great pick-up time. There are people who REALLY want to start something new. Folk who have spent the summer battering the pub gardens are gagging to get back into a routine. Those who have school age children are back to their normal where they can plan things to do round a schedule. And those who have been MIA for the last 2 months are wondering if they are still able to keep up with your class… 

And that’s one of the key things, making those folk who come sporadically, still feel welcome. Yes we’d love to be able to help them with building a routine that lasts all year round, and maybe some day we will, but in the meantime, making it easy for them to come back when they want to, can massively help us get our numbers back up after the summer. 

The summer can be frustrating but it’s the same in every industry. Just like noone has their hair cut in January, noone wants to leap about in a non air conditioned hall in a heatwave. That’s fine, we get it, we don’t particularly want to either but this is the job we chose so we get on with it. The great bit comes when everyone gets back from holiday and they all start meandering back to class. 

For me that’s actually August… July is HIDEOUS because all my clients go before the kids break up from school. Then they slowly come back again in August… and then they go away again in September but not on such a big scale. September is steady to start with and then really picks up until October half term. Then it’s steady again… and then dire in December lol. It’s fine, we ride the peaks and troughs just like any other industry. 

So how can we tempt people back… maybe it’s as simple as a group message out in WhatsApp or on Gymcatch. Maybe we send emails. Maybe we do an offer that only goes out to the people that were coming before the school holidays but we haven’t seen since. Maybe we do a special class that noone has done before so everyone feels like they are starting on the same page. Maybe we run an ad for new people… but at the same time work on retaining the people who have let their usual routine slip :) 

If we are running online stuff alongside, maybe we slip a home workout on to our email out. Something that gets people feeling a bit more mentally and physically prepared to get back into a routine. Plan something that works for you and what it is you want people to start attending. 

This run up to December can be GREAT for numbers so let’s welcome everyone back with open arms and start really helping folk feel like ninjas before the usual Xmas madness ensues! 

Schools should all be back in from Monday next week so next week and the week after will be when we see things really start to pick back up, that gives us time to make sure we are at the forefront of people’s minds 👏

If you’re a member of our Fitness Library, be sure to browse the support videos for more info on getting organised with your marketing and community building to keep those numbers steady over the slightly dry months!