In this day and age, tanning businesses that have embraced modernization and diversification are moving away from relying on aggressive membership retention tactics during the late spring and summer months. Instead, they’re focusing on cultivating a business that offers year-round appeal and services that cater to the needs of their clientele regardless of the season.

Still, when it comes to this time of year, you’ll want to do everything you can to strategically and cost-effectively retain members through the summer and into next season. Depending on the competition in your market, retaining members in the short term can be far more important than the few months of EFT drafts. It also keeps the member tied to your business and not searching for other tanning and wellness options.

Ideally, a well-appointed business equipped with advanced tanning, wellness, and spa facilities, coupled with strong client-staff relationships, mitigates concerns about off-season drop-off. In such an environment, discounts and promotions become less necessary as clients naturally gravitate towards the establishment. This represents the ultimate goal for any tanning business.

But, at this point, short of rushing in a new service or equipment, it’s all about emphasizing what you already have, keeping lines of communication open, finding ways to add short-term value in a cost-effective manner, and putting several stopgaps between your clients and cancellation.

All the while, keep thinking about the big picture. While keeping members through this off-season is the initial priority, you should always be thinking about what’s going to keep them around for years to come. Beyond the right equipment additions, that largely means finding ways to become the type of business that is so ingrained in your clients’ lifestyles that they’ll never be without it.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.