- 8% capacity usage in GF 18 months ago
Quickly reduced Instructor team from 50–20 people
Average attendance in class was 4-8 people
Launched Les Mills programmes in March 2005
Successful freestyle classes maintained
Today 80% capacity usage in Les Mills classes
78% retention
54% of total attendances are from GF
Only one studio available
GF Manager negotiated use of other space for classes
Deliver 65 land classes per week
45 classes in the studio, 20 in other facility venues
Premium priced in the area
Very high quality in Instructor team
Instructor team to reach 40 people by November 2006
Minimum of 20% male attendance in Les Mills classes
Rank in the top 10 out of 250 LJCCs in USA |
In March 2005. Jinda Teichmiller received full management support to transform Group Fit (“GF”) so it would become the heart of the Levite Jewish Community Centre (“LJCC”) in Alabama, USA. When Jinda took over, the average class participation was crawling along with as few as 4 attendees in a room that can fit 50 people and a timetable offering 30+ classes per week.
In 18 short months, the change is staggering. Today all Les Mills classes have circa 80% utilization with the exception of RPM™, which enjoys 100% capacity due to the much needed booking-in system for the 12 classes offered per week. “We are busting at the seams,” Jinda explains and so “it’s challenging for new members to try GF classes now”. Members are even requesting classes in the ‘dead zones’ of 2pm and 3pm, leaving Jinda grinning with delight at the possibility of a week-day timetable that runs back-to-back for up to 14 hours a day. With 54% of total attendances being delivered by GF and retention* of 78%, GF is now established a core competitive advantage of LJCC.
Creative ways around a shortage in studio space
Space really is incredibly short. There are 45 classes per week in LJCC’s single Studio, where Les Mills programmes dominate the timetable. In addition to the studio classes, the LJCC offers a further 20 land classes for yoga, pilates, circuit and other freestyle programmes wherever there is space in the facility e.g. the auditorium, library, senior lounge and weight room. GF is ‘taking over the LJCC’! With the expansion of GF beyond the studio, Jinda explains that GF is now ‘impossible to miss’ with its ‘contagious energy’ and multiple locations in the facility.
LJCC’s commitment to GF is obvious when reviewing the up and coming construction plans. The facility is going to raise USD 20 – USD 30 million with a view to expanding and refreshing the existing site and GF will benefit enormously. There will be 3 GF studios, rather than the current 1 room dedicated to group exercise: a main Studio which will ideally service 80+ people, an RPM™ room that can accommodate 50 – 60 bikes and a Mind Body studio that will cater to 50+ attendees. Jinda hopes building will start in 2007, so that GF’s growth is no longer constrained by real estate.
Tailoring the timetable to bring everyone to the party
Being sensitive to the fitness status quo in the membership in March 2005, Jinda knew she would have to make sure members felt successful from their first GF experience under her management. At the time, some members were apprehensive and concerned about change. In addition, many were de-conditioned and unaccustomed to regular exercise. Since that time, the GF environment has changed tremendously. Both the participant attitudes and physical changes have been monumental!
So choice of both Instructors and programmes were paramount to create positive momentum. BODYPUMP® was quickly followed by RPM™, BODYSTEP® and BODYFLOW™ and were taught by Instructors who created a very inclusive and helpful atmosphere. “The Instructor team has done a phenomenal job of creating encouraging relationships that have enabled our participants to feel successful and to achieve the results they are looking for,” Jinda says. Buy-in across the genders also occurred because of active recruitment of male Instructors to help bring more men into the rooms. Hence RPM™ enjoys 50% male attendance, BODYPUMP® has 40% men in the room, with BODYSTEP® and BODYFLOW™ have 20% male attendance in class on average. The gender mix achieved at the LJCC is extraordinary when you remember that worldwide women represent 85% - 90% of GF attendees.
Quality not quantity is what matters when building an Instructor team
Within 2 months of becoming GF Manager, Jinda had more than halved the number of part-time freestyle Instructors to 20 people. “These changes made some people uncomfortable but I’m OK with that. Change very seldom occurs without some discomfort, but the positive effects of these changes have far outweighed the negative ones” she states. Of the 20 Instructors left at LJCC, 16 became Les Mills certified and 4 continued on, as very successful freestyle Instructors.
Jinda prefers to find Instructors to fit the essence of the programmes, even if that means she has fewer teachers for the short term. At first this was tough but now many members are excited about the possibility of becoming GF Instructors and the talent pool is rich with possible quality recruits. The selection process can be quite challenging but Jinda is adamant that it is necessary to be selective, to ensure both members and Instructors get the most out their involvement with GF.
This commitment to quality has started to create some positive challenges. Today, some recruits get a little intimidated by just how good the existing Instructors are and the high level of expectation from GF attendees. Jinda welcomes this response to the quality of her team. So, to help newly certified Instructors she makes it her goal to coach them for as long as it takes with 1-to-1 sessions and scheduled team teaching so they can grow into their potential. Jinda sums it up: “the team knows you have to earn a class at the LJCC and they have embraced the culture of excellence because they love playing on an A-team”.
Clear expectation management for Instructors
Expectation management has created a foundation of strength for GF. Each Instructor receives a manual outlining their roles, remuneration and training requirements. It is also made clear that Jinda is responsible for Instructor quality, while Instructors are accountable for the experience they deliver in each class they teach. Instructors must video one class per quarter and Jinda reviews and feeds back on every one of them. Even if it takes a working week to review them all!
Jinda requires her Instructors to take charge of the studio before, during and after class. So, in addition to knowing their choreography 100% and keeping technique sharp and accurate, Instructors must chat with attendees before and after class while making sure that classes start with exacting punctuality. The team is hyper conscious of members having a ‘time budget’ to exercise, so all Instructors help each other set up or clear away equipment to make sure sessions run on time, every time.
Despite being very selective about Instructor recruitment, team numbers have surged in the last 18 months. By November 2006 the LJCC Instructor team will have almost doubled to 40, once the 5th Les Mills programme - BODYCOMBAT® is launched. With recruiting clarity and a system for quality control, it’s clear you can grow an Instructor team fast while constantly creating better and better experiences for your members.
Growth despite premium pricing
The LJCC sees group exercise as a critical service to attract a diverse group of people into the facility. Celebrating 70% of its circa 2,250 members being non-Jewish, the facility wants to continue member growth from the wider community. With core members being family groups, LJCC has found word of mouth to be the most powerful marketing strategy and has noticed that the GF ‘story’ has made its way through the grapevine rapidly across a broad age range. “People are flooding in” so that in May 2005 LJCC had 30 new members join compared to May 2006, when the facility had over 100 new joiners. LJCC is enjoying this growth despite being premium priced in the area. The average monthly membership is USD 60 per month whereas competitors are charging from USD 10 per month at the local YMCA to USD 48 per month at a national chain, which also has the Les Mills programmes.
Jinda highlights why premium pricing is possible. “The LJCC is like a department store where many programmes and services are offered; it is not a convenience store of just ‘workout facilities’. As a result, service and care for our members is top of the list. Members feel successful and valued with every visit and people are happy to pay for that”.
LJCC is getting noticed for its consistent wins. Out of over 250 Jewish Community Centres in the USA, the LJCC ranks in the top 10 based on member satisfaction and so is being ‘analysed’ by Head Office to understand what makes it so successful. Facility management knows that a key factor in its success is reaching out to change the health and well being of its whole community, even though it is a Jewish organisation. This facility is passionate about making a difference to everybody’s lives locally. Long may it prosper!
The Levite Jewish Community Centers is a not for profit organisation in Birmingham, Alabama, USA and has 5 Les Mills programmes.
*Retention has been calculated using the IHRSA formula of [1-(Aggregate dropped memberships for 12 months/12 month average beginning memberships) *100%]
Phillip says….
It’s clear that management backing for Group Fitness shortened the timeframe required for GF to become a competitive advantage in the LJCC. Jinda was given full support to transform the GF department so it could become the heart beat of the facility and has achieved this is just 18 months – an extraordinary achievement.
Jinda’s clarity around recruiting Instructors that fit the essence of each programme shows her mastery of Key Element 3 of the Group Fitness Management System – Recruit World Class Instructors and Keep Them. She has fostered an A-team by being willing to wait to find the right people rather than allowing mediocrity to enter her department. Her commitment to training so that she is willing to review circa 40 class videos each quarter, is world-class and is a benchmark for all GF Managers mastering Key Element 4 – World Class Instructor Training.
Jinda shows powerful leadership with her vision of how the department should evolve and a willingness to deal with difficult HR issues, even it meant being unpopular. Such strength of purpose is a key attribute of a top GF Manager as outlined in Key Element 8 – Be or Hire a Great GF Manager. Wonderful work.