In today's market, nearly every club has state-of-the-art equipment, comprehensive training programs, and qualified staff. Standing out from the competition is no easy task. If you want to set your club apart, you need more than professional expertise; you need superior customer service.

Customer service is critical to the success of every club. Skillful marketing can bring in members for their initial purchase, but it's your level of service that will keep them coming back year after year. Members for Life shows you how to develop a customer service standard that will keep your members coming back, no matter what happens to the economy or who comes into the neighborhood as competition.

Author Richard Gerson, an internationally recognized expert on marketing and customer service in the fitness industry, takes a very pragmatic approach. He provides a worksheet to help you quickly calculate the cost of losing a member, so you can see at a glance how important (and profitable) it is to hold on to your current members.

Gerson clearly describes the services that members need, want, and expect from your club. He identifies crucial skills that every fitness staff member needs to develop, from basic telephone and communication skills to tips for managing angry or complaining members-and even turning them into future sales.

Filled with examples from Gerson's personal experience, Members for Life shares easy-to-implement, results-oriented strategies for retaining members. You'll learn how to measure the quality of your service along with your members' levels of satisfaction, retention, and loyalty. And you'll find numerous checklists that you can copy and place in prominent places to remind yourself and your staff of how to maintain optimal service:
-7 Steps to Successful Member Retention

-10 Barriers to Effective Member Service and Retention

-The 10 Commandments of Superior Member Service and Retention

-10 Tips for Long-term Member Retention

-Member's Bill of Rights

-The 10 Greatest Member Service and Retention Tips of All Time

-50 Ways to Keep Your Members for Life
With Members for Life, you'll learn to use customer service as a powerful marketing tool to attract and retain members. Use the book as a helpful guide for day-to-day club operations and as a training manual for your staff. The better service you provide your members, the more likely they'll remain members for life.