Membership Has Its Privileges … And Benefits

Leadership StrategiesMembership Has Its Privileges … And BenefitsByShep Hyken,

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, author & keynote speaker.Follow AuthorOct 11, 2026, 09:00am EDTThis voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Sponsored BySummaryJeff Helfgott, CEO of Boardroom Salon for Men, uses a membership model to create a successful experience for customers, employees, franchisees, and investors. Boardroom does not compete on price, but rather on trust, consistency, and a relaxing experience that helps men look great and feel confident. Membership levels range from a monthly haircut to a CEO-level membership that offers unlimited visits. Currently, 43% of customers are members, and becoming a member increases a customer's average visits from four to nearly 10 times a year. Boardroom's four-word mantra is "Results First, People Always." Helfgott notes that investors get excited for recurring revenue because it reflects earned loyalty and predictability.

The membership experience has many privilege's. gettyAmerican Express may have come up with the marketing slogan “Membership has its privileges,” but Jeff Helfgott, CEO of Boardroom Salon for Men, has taken the concept from credit cards to haircuts (and more) to create an uber-successful experience for the salon’s members, customers, franchisees and investors.

The concept of treating customers like members has been around for decades. Over a dozen years ago, I interviewed Jim Bush, EVP of world services at American Express, for a chapter in The Amazement Revolution to learn firsthand about the benefits of creating a membership experience.

Helfgott emphasizes that you don’t need to be a publication, a software solution or a credit card to create a membership model in which people feel known and appreciated. And perhaps most important, membership isn’t simply a pricing strategy. Done right, it changes the relationship between the customer and the company. Instead of repeatedly convincing customers to come back, you become part of their routine.

Boardroom wants members who choose on “trust, consistency and experience.” Repeat visits build familiarity and trust that one-off transactions never have a chance to build.

As a result, Boardroom doesn’t compete on price, but on experience. Helfgott admits Boardroom isn’t for everyone. Some customers want a fast, inexpensive haircut, while others are willing to invest more time and money in the experience. Smart companies know which customers they want to service. You can’t be everything to everyone.

Membership levels range from someone who comes in for a simple haircut once a month to a CEO-level membership that offers unlimited visits. Members (and customers who might eventually become members) experience a rich ambiance, high-touch service and an extremely relaxing break in their day. Helfgott says, “We find more and more men are choosing to invest a moment in their week for themselves.” That “moment” is intentional. Boardroom’s mission is to help men “relax, look great and feel confident.” The haircut may be the service they buy, but the break from their routine is what they remember.

One of Helfgott’s more interesting observations is that membership removes decisions. Customers no longer have to ask, “Where should I get my hair cut?” or even, “Should I get a haircut?” It just becomes part of their routine.

That is an overlooked benefit of a good membership program. Convenience isn’t always about being faster. Sometimes it’s about having fewer decisions to make. When a company earns a place in the customer’s routine, the customer doesn’t think about the competition.

Not everyone is a member, and that works for this model. Four out of 10 customers (43%) are members. The rest pay as they go. Helfgott shared that for growth, there has to be room for “walk-ins.” But converting them to members is important to the bottom line. Once a customer becomes a member, his average number of vjisits to the salon increases from four times a year to almost 10 times a year.

When you look at those numbers, an important goal is realized. The Boardroom Salon experience creates a member who makes the brand part of his routine.

I believe every brand must have a mantra, a one-sentence-or-less phrase that describes the customer experience it wants to create.

Boardroom’s mantra is just four words: Results First, People Always.

These are powerful words. Helfgott emphasizes that results are more than just a successful haircut. It is a successful experience for the customer and member. It is a successful experience for the employee and stylist. It is a successful experience for the franchisee or stakeholder who has invested in the brand. This is an important distinction. And “People Always” emphasizes all of those people, not just customers and members.

The membership experience is a powerful and exciting business model. Helfgott says, “Investors get really excited for recurring revenue, but I think why they’re excited is because it speaks to a level of loyalty and predictability that you have earned with your customers.”

The key word in Helfgott’s comment is earned. You can sell a subscription, offer a discount or call someone a member, but that doesn’t automatically create loyalty. The experience today has to earn the customer’s next visit, every time. And that may be membership’s greatest privilege … and benefit!