At this stage of the game, you've converted your club to 24/7, done your marketing to spread the word, and have actually started to see an increase in new member sales as well as a usage increase among existing members. You've also begun cutting back your staffing to save money on payroll. But you're not done yet ...
With all the extra member traffic at your club, and with less staff to service the members, you'll find that it's time to start getting stricter on your rules. This means not only putting more signs throughout the club instructing members as to what your expectations are, but also making sure that new members are educated by your staff at the point of sale. In our clubs, we have a two pages "Rules and Regulations" document that we make sure every new member receives. We also highlight some of the more important points such as not letting anyone in the club behind them, putting their empty water bottles and trash into garbage cans, and bringing a change of shoes (especially in the winter). (Club owners who convert to 24/7 using our access system receive a free copy of our rules and regs which they can modify and use for themselves)
Rules and regulations, instructional signage, and educating members on club usage is only the first step. Ultimately, you have to ENFORCE those rules. When you are faced with enforcement issues, I recommend speaking to the offending member quickly, otherwise, he and his friends will start to feel like "anything goes" at your club, and this is not something you want! In most cases, you can speak to the member, and let them know that due to the fact that the club is unstaffed so often, abiding by the rules that have been laid out is EXTREMELY important! I suggest letting the member know that you are going to make a note in their file that you spoke with them about whatever rule it is that they broke, and (depending on the severity of the problem), if the action occurs again, their membership will be cancelled immediately (with no refund).
In most cases, members respond favorably because they do not want to be kicked out of the club that all of their friends go to. Occasionally, you may have to actually cancel a membership and in effect, kick a member out of your club. I can tell you from experience, that word spreads when this action is taken, and you will find the other members acting on their best behavior if this occurs.
