Main reason for doing Judo and how it affects your club

On the 5th of Jan 2019, a facebook post/questionaire was raised to Dojo Mats's audience in regards to the reasons why they do Judo.

There were about 82 people who actively participated in the questionaire. There were others who chose to "like" and "react" to the posts, but those did not assist in providing more insight to the question.

Identifying why people want to do Judo is a good way to promote your club to suit your potential members. For instance, if your club has a strong competition team, your club might not be the most attractive to people new to Judo looking to "meet new people" and "develop some confidence"

Perhaps you might have this concept that solely being a welcoming club you would attract the most members in your area. However if your first impressions do not fit the expectations of the potential member, chances are that they might be on their way to finding another club. 

The results

1-2 people voted for I and J categories respectively, which was to develop confidence, being forced by parents, learning judo in its truest form etc.

However the interesting part lies in the area where majority of the people voted:

A - I want to get fitter. 19/82 = 23.2%

C - I want to challenge myself. 15/82 = 18.3%

B - I want to learn respect and discipline = 12.2%

D - Blow off steam = 4.9%

The top 3 reasons above make up a total of 53.7% why people do Judo. I've included "Blow off steam" as it implies there is a physical element why they do Judo. Therefore, if your first impression does not surround "getting fitter", chances are (~60%) that you are not meeting the expectations of what they have arrived for.

Traditionally, I have seen numerous clubs focus on the technical side of Judo for the first lesson. This often involves being placed to one side with a coach or instructor and being taught breakfalls and simple throws, sometimes without even breaking a sweat

Is this customer journey sufficient enough to retain the potential member after their first lesson?

In the following weeks I will touch on what I have experienced personally as a Judo coach for one of the clubs in melbourne, Victoria, and how I approach membership retention which has worked very well.

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