Head Coach Graham Cawte explains: “Once we have determined a swimmer’s standard, they trial with the appropriate squad for three sessions. Once their trials have been completed, if they wish to join they then continue training whilst membership is completed.”
Giving someone a free trial session is a good first step. However, going the extra mile will make them more likely to join or sign their child up. This is the approach East Coast Gymnastics takes.
Assistant Coach Treza Casterton explains: “We austria rcs data offer a meet and greet to anyone who expresses an interest. We do this after a general session, so we can speak to the parent and children without any interruption from others. We usually correspond via messenger or email, and just cross our fingers and hope they turn up – 99% of the time they do!
“After the free session, we speak to the parent and ask them to set up payments for future sessions and give them bank details after the first session.”
Minimising the risk of lost income
When you offer a free trial, there’s always the risk that someone won’t sign up at the end. However, Emily Redding has a great approach to avoid losing out on income:
“We do a paid trial, and then that amount gets taken off the fees if they sign up at the end. If they want to try a few different classes and are younger, then we say they can do one each week. Then, if they decide to sign up, the trial money comes off the term fee.” – Emily Redding, Owner of The Emily Redding Dance Academy
If you do monthly or termly billing, you could also offer a ‘pay as you go’ period until the adult or child is ready to sign up (if you’re currently deciding which payment cycle is best, read our article – Opinion: Monthly vs termly billing).