Many gym owners think they are in the fitness business, but really they are in the service business. You can have the best fitness programs, killer workouts, and all the latest tools and gadgets, but if you service is poor. Your business will be too.
In fact, most business are in the service business, they may be in a certain industry, but in the end it all comes down to the service they deliver.
Recently, I needed to buy a suit. Have not owned a suit in about 10 years, or ever needed one for that matter. I didn't have loyalty to any company or brand in particular. So the first place that came to mind was Men's Warehouse and where I went. The service and experience was phenomenal. As soon as I walked in I was greeted by a well dressed, groomed, and spoken employee. Not your typical young dumb, punk kid. It was an adult, not a kid playing an adult. They ask me what I was looking for and took some time to get know me, what I liked, my style, measurements, and why I needed a suit. From there they showed me a variety of options in different colors, fits, and price ranges. After finding the perfect suit they offered me a special 40% discount on my entire purchase today since I was a new customer. And finally, while I was trying on and finding the perfect suit someone else on their team was putting together a few casual clothing options for me. Nice touch. I didn't buy any of them, however I did like some and will probably be back in the near future.
Lessons Learned:
#1. Top of Mind Awareness. You must market and promote your brand 365 days per year, no exceptions. I've made this mistake numerous times and it has always ended up hurting future business. You never know when someone will need your service or product, but when they do you want to be the first one they think of. In order, to do this you must engage with your target market in social media daily, run referral promotions along with portal programs, and hold events. The key to this is to consistently push the same message over and over. That is how you create brand awareness.
#2. Hire To Fit Your Demographic. This one is not always easy for us in the fitness business, as most of our target markets are 35-60 years and the available coaches are younger. You best coaches will be in or close to that same age bracket because they can relate to and understand the clients better. This doesn't mean that younger or older trainers won't do well they will just have to learn to understand the clients needs and wants better. In many cases your perfect trainer is one that is already a current client or member. They are in your target demographic, have been through your program, liked it and seen results. This person will be able to relate extremely well to the other members.
#3. Build Rapport. The first time a new member walks into your gym take the time to get to know them. Why did they decide to come in today? What are they looking for help with? What are their concerns? Etc. Too often, we want to start showing them all the cool stuff we have, telling them why we are better than the gym down the street, and talking about how awesome we are. But, we never listen to them and what they want. If you do this it will WOW them, very few other gyms in town will actually take the time to do this. And if they do they will just more or less go through the motions. Be genuinely interested in them and you'll increase your chances of gaining them as a client.
#4. Give Options and Explain The Differences. I didn't know the difference between one suit and the other but it didn't matter because they explained how each suit was different and gave me a variety of price points. Selling a gym membership is the same. The potential member doesn't know the difference between Team Training, Small Group Training, and 1-On-1. This needs to be explained and they need to be shown what will fit them best. Without this they will just take the cheapest price. Or worse yet the cheapest gym, which will never be us.
#5. Make Me Feel Special. Mary Kay Ash had a famous saying, "Make them feel special and they will buy." (Or something like that.) When it came to deciding which suit I wanted I was going back and forth in my head between two. One was a couple hundred dollars more than the other one and I liked it more, but wasn't sure if I should buy it since I'll probably only wear it once or twice a year at most. But knowing that you get what you pay for, I chose the higher priced one. After I had picked it out the lady helping me offered me 40% off my entire purchase that day because I was a new customer. Yes, I know that everyone that day probably got the same deal, but it made me feel even better about my decision. And by offering it after I had made my choice was key because it made my purchase feel smart and like I really got a great deal. Where if I had known that going in it wouldn't have felt the same.
Now in your gym I'm not saying that you should offer a discount on your service. In fact, you never should do that under any circumstances, unless you want to devalue your service. Some people just won't be able to afford what you offer and that is OK. What you can do is incentivize the sale with things like adding a free month if they sign-up for a year, giving them a gym bag, t-shirt, supplements, free shakes, etc. This will make them feel good about their decision to join your gym and not have guilt about joining yet another gym and fitness program. Plus, they will tell their friends about all the cool stuff they got at THEIR new gym. And now their friend is thinking, "Wait you got what for joining, I didn't get crap from Discount Gym and they don't even know my name."
#6. Offer An Up Sale. You don't have to push extra stuff down their throat, but you should offer them an up sale. Some will take you up on it, the majority probably won't. But, for those who do it will mean increased revenue for you and more profitability. You could offer an 8-week nutrition program, additional sessions for a month, supplements, etc. I didn't take my up sale offer, but it peaked my interest for the future and the same will happen for your new member.
The gym business is all about service and the one with the best service will win by making more money and having higher profits. Look around at other service businesses you interact with and see what things they do that you can incorporate into your business.
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