Presidential leadership headline

In a fast-paced society such as ours, people don’t like to wait. In fact, waiting in lines and sitting in traffic cause people stress on a daily basis. But the marketing staff at the Cooper Fitness Center found a way to defy human nature and make the idea of waiting actually seem appealing.

In an effort to boost its image, the club launched a three-month marketing campaign with the goal of establishing a waiting list for prospective members. Explains Marketing Associate Kathryn Wilson, “A membership cap represents prestige and establishes us as an elite organization. People want to feel a sense of belonging to a premier facility.” Within three months, the club added 100 more members than its initial goal of 300, and generated $80,000 in revenue.

“Public perception of membership value drove these sales,” Wilson says, adding that current members became more satisfied, knowing that the waiting list was actually helping preserve customer service. Member retention increased as a result, enabling the facility to quickly build a list of enthusiastic prospects.

The facility promoted the planned membership cap in its bi-monthly newsletter, as well as in promotional flyers. Members were invited to list the names and phone numbers of family and friends interested in joining the facility before the wait began. Those who provided a list of referrals received a 25th Anniversary Cooper Fitness Center T-shirt, and were entered into a drawing to win a gift certificate and free airline ticket. According to Wilson, the facility expects to maintain a maximum wait of four months to join.