Turning Members Into Allies

I once overheard a private club owner lamenting “This would be a great business if it were not for all those damn members!”  We have all felt this way at one time or another. We all have them, those members who keep reminding us they pay our salaries when they don’t get what they want.

 Long ago I learned a valuable lesson that has shaped my approach in dealing with both difficult members and members in general. I call it turning members into allies. Incidentally, this concept applies to all customer service industries and applies to everyone from residents inside an HOA, to restaurant patrons, to hotel guests. In this sense an ally is a member (customer) who is both a friend and supporter of the club or business. The problem with most clubs is that many members never become allies. Instead, these members view their relationship with club ownership and management from an “us against them” mentality. They don’t trust the club leadership, whether deserved or not.

Some members have been burned in the past by unethical clubs, hence they are jaded toward the entire industry. They assume the club is trying to cheat them. In other cases, members have not formed any personal connections with the staff. Therefore, they can only go by what they hear from other members, whether accurate or not.

My approach is to proactively form personal connections with every single member by learning their stories. Every employee must be hired based upon their proven empathy as well as their competency. Then train them to proactively engage with each member they meet, asking questions that will invite the member to share personal interests and other information. We need to befriend each member in a genuine, trustworthy manner. Once a member feels this personal connection to at least one person on the team, they are far more likely to “suggest” rather than “complain” when they have a concern.

For example, when a club sends out the notice of a dues increase, allies may not like that prices are going up, but they will rationalize this is necessary for the viability of the club and will lead to club improvements. The distrustful members will immediately migrate to the dark side that the club owners are simply trying to squeeze more profit from their powerless members. It is all about establishing a culture of trust.

Why is it so important to work to turn members into allies? Allies are Raving Fans who tell their friends, relatives, and acquaintances positive things about their club experience. They will invite friends to be guests at the club. They will help shift any negative chatter from the non-allies in the locker room or group ex classes or out on the fitness floor to a more positive understanding. In essence allies can be gold for your club, while non-allies can poison the well.

In closing, I want to emphasize that turning members into allies will not cost your club one nickel more. I’m not suggesting capital expenditures, adding more staff, or paying more. Rather, I’m urging you to shift the focus of your team on getting to know your members and prospective members on a personal level during each and every interaction. Nothing will have a more positive impact on the culture of your club.

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