Episode 7: Why do people try one class and never come back?

Tania Huddart: Here's something I'd love every teacher to try. Show the exercise without talking. Just show it. Let them watch. Then give one focus. Only one. Maybe it's the breath. You can layer more on as the repetitions go. But a new client who gets ten instructions at once doesn't feel taught. She feels lost. And people who feel lost don't come back.

Host: Welcome to Build Confidence and Purpose with Pilates. I'm here with Tania Huddart: Pilates teacher, teacher trainer and author of Pilates & Purpose. Both voices you'll hear are made with AI. Every word Tania says is her own, and she's approved each one.

Last time, we talked about finding good teachers and keeping them. Today, keeping your clients. Tania, why do people try one class and never come back?

Tania Huddart: Usually, it isn't one big thing. It's a lot of small things. And quite often, they'd half decided before the class even started.

Every client follows a path with your studio. From the first time they find you, to the day they feel like they belong. If you look at each step on that path, you can usually see where people are slipping away. One class is never just one class. It's the whole series of moments around it.

Host: Before the class even started? How?

Tania Huddart: Because people form an opinion the moment they find you online. Or the moment they send you a message. If your schedule is hard to find, or your prices are hidden, or nobody answers for three days, they arrive already a little unsure. Some of them don't arrive at all. And you never hear about it, because they never tell you. They just quietly book somewhere else. That's why it's worth looking at your studio through a stranger's eyes, every step of the way.

Host: So what do you check first?

Tania Huddart: Your website. And here's a simple test from the book. When your website is built, ask a few friends and family members to find specific things on it. Find the schedule. Find the prices. Find out who teaches on a Thursday. Then watch where they look.

If they look in the wrong place, the website's in the wrong place. Not them. It's quite humbling. And it's free.

Host: And the messages?

Tania Huddart: Answer quickly. Warmly. Personally. A real reply, from a real person, that sounds like you. Someone who has worked up the courage to ask about a class is often a bit nervous. A friendly reply makes it much easier to turn up.

Your social media is part of this first impression too. Show what your classes are really like. Real people, real rooms, the way your teachers actually talk. Then nobody walks in to find something different from what they expected.

Host: Then they turn up. What should that first visit feel like?

Tania Huddart: Like someone was expecting them. Offer a short tour, so they know where to put their things, and where the bathroom is, and what the equipment is. The first time someone sees a reformer, the sliding bed with springs and straps, it can look quite alarming. Tell them what it is before they have to lie on it.

And ask about their goals and their body before the first class. Not on a form they fill in while you're setting up the room. A real conversation. What brings you here? Is there anything I should know? That two minutes tells them you see them as a person, not a booking. It also helps you teach them well. If you know someone's nervous, or has a sore knee, or just wants to sleep better, you can shape the class around them from the very first exercise.

Host: And then the class itself.

Tania Huddart: This is the big one. There's a line in the book I'd underline: "The class is where clients decide if they want to stay."

They're not deciding about your logo, or your prices, or your lovely waiting area. They're deciding how they felt in that hour. Did I feel welcome? Did I understand what to do? Did I feel like the only one who couldn't do it? Did anyone speak to me?

That last one matters more than you'd think. Give people small chances to connect with each other in class. A smile across the room from someone who also found that hard is a lovely thing.

Host: How do you stop someone feeling like the only one who can't do it?

Tania Huddart: Offer options, so everyone can take part. Take the Hundred. That's an exercise where you lie on your back, curl your head and shoulders up, and pump your arms while you breathe. One person might do it with their legs long and a strong curl. Another keeps their feet on the mat and works only the upper body. Same exercise. Same idea. Different levels.

And say it out loud, often. Choosing the right version for your body isn't weakness. It's smart practice. Modifications aren't about making things easier. They're about making Pilates possible for whoever is in front of you.

Props help here. A band, a block, a roller, a ring. They can give support to one person and extra challenge to the next. And they let you change an exercise without making anyone feel singled out.

Host: Let's go back to the cold open. Show it without talking. Why does that work?

Tania Huddart: Because a new client is taking in a lot. A strange room, strange equipment, strangers next to them. If you talk the whole way through the demonstration, they're trying to watch and listen at the same time. Most people can't.

So show it clearly. Let them watch. Then give them one thing to think about as they try it. Just one. Then, as they repeat the movement, you can add a little more. Layer it. Like icing a cake. You don't put it all on at once.

Host: What about the words themselves?

Tania Huddart: Choose words that invite people to explore, not words that demand perfection. Something like, "Notice how this feels in your body." That's very different from telling someone there's only one right way.

And use pictures, not jargon. Instead of "align your pelvis", the book says, "imagine your pelvis is a bowl of water and you don't want it to spill." People can feel that straight away.

Then there's everything you say without words. Your face. A nod. A smile at the person who's struggling. Eye contact tells someone you're here with them. That's often the moment they relax.

Host: Should you be asking them things during class too?

Tania Huddart: Yes. Ask questions that help people notice what's happening in their own body. "Can you feel the difference when you engage your hip muscles?" Now they're not just following you. They're paying attention to themselves. That's when Pilates starts to belong to them.

And make it a two-way conversation. Let them tell you how something feels. Let them ask questions without feeling silly. If you hear that something isn't working for someone, change it. That's not losing control of the class. That's teaching.

Host: Does the room itself make a difference?

Tania Huddart: More than people think. Keep it calm, clean and inviting. Think about the lighting. A plant or two. Music that supports the mood of the class without taking over. A warm greeting at the door.

Now and then, give a class a theme. Posture. The breath. Something seasonal. It keeps things fresh for your regulars, and it gives a new client a clear idea of what the hour is about.

And if you teach online, the same rules apply, with a few more. Your words have to do more of the work, because you can't walk over and help. Good lighting, clear sound, and a camera angle that shows your whole body all become part of your teaching.

Host: This sounds like it's really about teaching, more than business.

Tania Huddart: It is. That's the honest answer to this episode. A lot of what keeps clients is simply good teaching. You can have the most beautiful studio in town. If the teaching leaves people confused, or feeling left behind, they won't come back.

I wrote a whole book on that, Teach Pilates with Confidence. And it's what the next season of this show is about. How to explain what you know, so the person on the mat can feel it.

Host: But is it only the teaching? Or is there more to it?

Tania Huddart: There's more. When clients make friends in your studio, they're more likely to stay. More likely to come regularly. More likely to bring someone with them. Friends give each other encouragement a teacher can't always give.

Your teachers set the tone for this. When a teacher takes a moment to chat, invites people to introduce themselves, and celebrates what the group has done together, the clients start doing it too. And it can carry on outside the studio. Some studios have a private online group where clients cheer each other on between classes.

Host: Some people come to Pilates to be left alone, though.

Tania Huddart: Some do, and that's fine. Nobody has to chat. But a hello, and a teacher who remembers your name, is very different from being made to join a party.

You can make friendship easy without forcing it. Pair people up at the start of class. Do a partner stretch now and then. Rotate partners so people meet someone new. If you have a waiting area, make it somewhere people want to sit. Comfortable chairs, a pot of tea or a jug of water with fruit in it. A board with birthdays and milestones on it. Small things. They give people something to talk about.

And now and then, take it outside. A class in the park, then a picnic or a walk. A studio-wide challenge, like adding up everyone's hours of practice in a month. People start to feel like part of a team, not strangers in the same room.

Host: What about after that first class?

Tania Huddart: Connection shouldn't stop when class ends. Send a short thank-you message. Ask how they found it, and mean it. Share a simple tip, or a short video, that helps them between classes. Reward people for coming regularly, or for bringing a friend.

Host: And when someone does drift away?

Tania Huddart: Reach out. A simple "How are you?" Not a sales email. A real question.

Life gets in the way. A new job, a sick parent, a hard winter. People step away for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with you. If you check in kindly, a lot of them come back. And if they're ready, suggest something that suits where they are now. A gentler class. A different time. You could offer a small welcome-back incentive too. But the personal note matters more than the discount.

Then celebrate the ones who stay. A shout-out for someone's fiftieth class. A party for the studio's birthday. We talked about the One Hundreds Club a couple of episodes ago. Recognition builds loyalty, and it's lovely to do. And keep asking for feedback. A few simple questions now and then. When you change something because of what they said, tell them. Clients love a studio that listens.

Host: So, three things to take away?

Tania Huddart: One. The first class starts long before the class. Check your website and your replies.

Two. In the class, show it, then give one focus. And make sure every person feels seen.

Three. Help people make a friend. And when they drift away, ask how they are.

Host: And the question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: Do your classes make each client feel seen and supported? Not most clients. Each one. Think about the last new person who came. Would they say yes?

Host: If you'd like the new client map, every step a new client takes with you on one page, from finding your website to their hundredth class, it's free on Tania's website, taniahuddart.com.

Next episode: giving back. Can I give back without going broke?

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: Just this. People don't stay for the exercises. They stay because of how they feel when they walk out the door. Look after that feeling, and most of the rest takes care of itself.